There is that saying that you can never have enough defensive tackles but you could take that one step further and say it is impossible to ever have enough defensive tackles that combine size and strength with the ability to run. That’s why Marcus Forston is one of the hottest commodities on the 2008 recruiting circuit and spring has just begun. By summer this big guy will be sizzling.
This Miami Northwestern produce has the kind of size (6-2, 290) that you want to go with the excellent physical strength. What wows the college recruiters, however, is the way he moves his feet. He’s so nimble that he played center for Northwestern’s basketball team which lost in the Class 6A Final Four semifinals in Lakeland Thursday night.
The offers are already pouring in for this big guy. What he finds in his mail box every day is a who’s who of the college football world. He’s got some favorites to go with that long list of offers, too.
“I like Miami, Florida, USC, Michigan, and LSU,” said Forston. “There are a lot of schools I like. I have offers from Miami, Florida, FSU, North Carolina, Rutgers, Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Nebraska, and FIU.
The Florida Gators have made a favorable impression on Forston. He and several of his teammates have already visited Gainesville, too.
“I was at the Florida’s junior day,” Forston said. “It as great I really learned a lot about their academics. I watched the national championship I loved they way they showed up for that game. I loved the way they hustled every play and were all over the field.
“They have a winning tradition. Those guys were winning and playing hard and everyone thought they shouldn’t have been there. But, they certainly proved they belonged and were the best.”
If you’re looking for a team to be reckoned with on the recruiting front, look no further than the school just a few miles down the street. The Miami Hurricanes hope to bring back some of their swagger this season under new coach Randy Shannon. Forston likes what Shannon brings to the atmosphere in south Florida.
“The new head coach down there is about defense, and I like the defense they play,” he said.
Don’t look for Forston to make a decision any time soon but when he does, you better know that his family will be involved in that decision. He talked a little bit about what it is going to take to convince him and his family to go to any particular school in the end.
Forston says the school that lands him will feature a “coach that comes to my house and talks to my mom and family and lets them know what they will put on the table for me.”
Selling mom is most important because her priorities extend beyond football.
“The most important thing is graduating and getting my degree,” he said. “My family will play a big part in looking at all of that. Mom wants to meet the coach and make sure they are telling the truth about everything. My family is close and they will bring 40-50 people wherever I go.”
A family man and a wrecking crew on the field, Marcus Forston is making believers out of recruiters this recruiting season. He will be a name to watch through this process in the months ahead.