[holybuckeye33]

ESPN Insider (Free)


Coast-to-Coast: Pennsylvania defense

By Craig Haubert
Scouts Inc.
September 11, 2007

Top Recruit

Andrew Sweat, Linebacker
Trinity (Washington)
Verbal: Ohio State

Penn State has built a well-deserved reputation for being known as "Linebacker U," but the Nittany Lions lost out on a chance to get a guy who could have fit well in that legacy. But what is Penn State's loss is Ohio State's gain, a school which in its own right has turned out a few decent linebackers.

Sweat personifies the Pennsylvania blue-collar perception but also blends it with excellent athletic ability. He is a linebacker prospect who looks the part and plays with a "seek and destroy" attitude, which should make fans in the horseshoe very happy. He will play consistently downhill and is big and physical enough to play through a blocker, but what helps land a prospect like Sweat among the nation's best is that he is more than just a battering ram.

The ESPNU High School All-American is also athletic and fluid enough to slip blocks and quickly change directions and chase down the ball. In a self examination of his own game, Sweat will tell you his strengths are his instincts and his pursuit of the football. Watching him play it is hard to argue, but many great players are hardly satisfied with their strengths and push to get better. Said Sweat: "I need to improve all areas to become the player I want to be."