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Attention isn’t what drives prep star

‘It’s cool, but you have to take it how it is,’ says Trey DePriest of the college recruiting frenzy for him.

Springfield's Trey DePriest avoids a tackle by Wayne's Shane Ankney as he carries the ball during Friday's game. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

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By Brian Plasters, Staff Writer 7:09 PM Saturday, April 17, 2010

Rob Cassell is sure that Trey DePriest could play baseball for a Division I college program.

DePriest hits for power, plays multiple positions and has the speed and size that all college recruiters covet.

“You know when he’s got a bat in his hands to look out,” said Cassell, Springfield High School’s head baseball coach. “Our third base coach (Mike Schilling) stands almost all the way back to the fence because he can send some missiles down there.”

Despite his talent, DePriest won’t be playing baseball in college. DePriest’s favorite sport is football, and the 6-foot-2, 230-pound junior is one of the most highly recruited players in the country. In two years, he’ll be playing on Saturday afternoons in the fall.

Here’s just a sample of DePriest’s ability: At the UnderArmour All-America Combine in January, he bench-pressed 185 pounds 28 times. And he just turned 16.

That’s just one reason why almost every big-time college football team east of the Mississippi River has offered DePriest a football scholarship. So many, in fact, that he’s lost count.

One day soon, DePriest will have to make a big decision about where he’ll continue his football career. He can’t make his college selection official until February, but he can make a non-binding verbal commitment at any time.

But first thing’s first. It’s baseball season, and that’s where DePriest’s focus is.

“He’s a funny kid and he likes to have a good time,” Cassell said. “Sometimes you think he’s not being serious, but when it comes down to it, there’s not a kid who’s more competitive than Trey is.”

Already a short-timer

DePriest wants to graduate one semester early from Springfield High School, which would put him on track to leave next January. He wants to study behavioral analysis in college. He wants the Wildcats’ baseball team to win their next game. If he goes 4-for-4, all the better.

But that’s not what uncountable football recruiters, fan sites and college football programs want from the 16-year-old junior football phenom.

DePriest has a rare combination of speed and strength that makes college coaches giddy. Therefore, DePriest has football scholarship offers from all areas of the country — North Carolina to Arizona, Oklahoma to Wisconsin.

Ohio State and two of the past three national champions (Alabama and Louisiana State) have offered scholarships. Traditional powers like Notre Dame, Michigan, Nebraska and Virginia Tech have offered scholarships, as well.

He has a mountain of letters mailed to his home and school as proof of his popularity. His name, photo and game film can be found on many Internet sites, and he’ll play in the 2011 UnderArmour High School All-America game.

Right now, the attention is overwhelming. When the number of colleges offering him a football scholarship reached 22, DePriest said he stopped counting.

The phone calls and messages are so heavy that Springfield head coach Rick Robertson and defensive coordinator John Cupps stepped in to deflect them.

“There were a lot of phone calls before, but now it’s all the time,” DePriest said. “It’s mostly reporters (from fan and recruiting sites). I don’t answer the phone anymore. I usually give them (Cupps’) number.”

“We try to run as much interference as possible,” Robertson said.

When DePriest won’t speak to those reporters, “some of them get a little angry,” Cupps said.

Ignoring these people doesn’t make them go away. Take your pick of recruiting websites — an exploding, online community that ranks and talks about high school athletes and handicaps their college choices — and DePriest’s name is on it.

Scout.com currently lists DePriest as the No. 2-ranked middle linebacker in the nation for the Class of 2011, and No. 19 for all positions (the rankings change constantly). Another site, bleacherreport.com, lists DePriest as a “must-have recruit” for Alabama. He’s also listed on the ESPNU Top 150 Watch List.

Yet DePriest doesn’t pay much attention to the ... attention.

“It’s cool, but you have to take it how it is,” he said. “Most people tell me, and that’s how I find out.”

Cupps said he’s handled the process well.

“If you didn’t know who Trey was, you wouldn’t know it if you just met him,” Cupps said. “You’d just think, ‘Man that’s a big kid.’ He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. He’s not wearing college gear every day from all these different schools. He’s just a normal kid.”

DePriest can graduate in January 2011 if he takes one summer course in English. Then he’ll be off to college. With so many quality schools (academically and athletically) piling on, DePriest said he’s going to take his time in making this decision.

DePriest, and all other football recruits, can take five official visits. He said he plans to us all five. He can take those as soon as he officially becomes a high school senior, Robertson said.

Until then, the attention isn’t going away.