Springfield linebacker DePriest gains national attention

Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic Trey DePriest practices with the Springfield High School football team Tuesday, Aug. 4.

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By Brian Plasters, Staff Writer Updated 9:50 AM Thursday, August 6, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — His cell phone went down, and his head tilted up. Asked a question about his future, Trey DePriest turned from silly to serious.

DePriest, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker at Springfield High School, has yet to play a down in his junior year, but he’s already gained national attention for his football ability.

According to several recruiting Web sites and confirmed by DePriest and Springfield head coach Rick Robertson, he has scholarship offers to play at the University of Cincinnati, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Central Michigan. After most college coaches meet him in person, at the high school or at a camp, an offer soon follows.

In a quiet voice, DePriest described some of the recruiting process Tuesday, Aug. 4.

“They really can’t offer you at the camp,” he said. “They’ll talk to you and keep you after and walk you around. Then they call (Springfield assistant coach John) Cupps and tell me to call him.”

It’s easy to see why the big-time schools want DePriest. Physically, he’s a gifted athlete. With the pads on, he looks like a man pushing around boys. But that’s just part of what colleges want to see.

“The reason people like him,” Robertson said, “is because, No. 1, he looks at you when he talks to you. And No. 2, if you ask him a question he can respond intelligently and understands what you have said. ... He’s a good student, and he’s football smart.”

DePriest just turned 16 and said he’s not leaning toward one school over the others. The attention won’t end soon, and Robertson said several more high-profile schools have visited.

DePriest is a two-year starter. Last season as an outside linebacker, he had 31 tackles, five tackles for a loss and four sacks. He was named to the Greater Western Ohio Conference Central Division first team as a sophomore and the second team as a freshman.

This season, DePriest will move to inside linebacker and see more time on offense.

“They expect more from you now, everybody that sees you,” DePriest said. “They expect a lot out of you, but they should. ... I have to step up and be more of a leader.”

ontact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.

Are you ready for football?

Today, and every weekday for the rest of the month, we’ll be adding a video preview to SpringfieldNewsSun.com for each of the 17 local varsity teams. The videos will lead us up to our annual prep football preview section, which will be published Thursday, Aug. 27 — the day before opening night.

Today is West Liberty-Salem. Friday is Springfield.

We are debuting our Training Camp Insider on our local sports blog, SpringfieldNewsSun.com/go/sportsblog. We will be adding reports and photos from two-a-day practices daily leading up to the season. As your team’s video is added to our collection, we’ll also have some inside info on your team on the blog. Plus, check the local sports blog for preview information on other prep sports as the month progresses.

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