'09 MA TE Arthur Fontaine (Georgia Verbal)

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'09 MA TE Arthur Fontaine



Tight end
Dartmouth (MA) Dartmouth

Ht: 6-foot-5
Wt: 250 lbs
Forty: 4.7 secs
Bench max: 315 pounds
Squat max: 475 pounds
Vertical: 31 inches
Shuttle: 4.5 secs
Class: 2009 (High School)


Spotlight on Fontaine - The Boston Globe High School Sports Blog - Boston.com

With Dartmouth's Jordan Todman verbally committing to the University of Connecticut Sunday, the Indians' recruiting spotlight shifts to junior tight end/defensive end Arthur Fontaine.

Dartmouth coach Richard White reports that Fontaine has already received two offers -- from Boston College and Maryland -- and a third offer could be coming soon from UConn, an intriguing possibility now that Todman is headed to Storrs.

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1/4

From the Maryland site. Has offers from Maryland and BC, interest from UConn, Syracuse, Boise State, Duke, others. Likes the Terps' coaching staff, made a recent visit to Maryland and BC.

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3/18

By M. Alkire. UConn, Maryland, Boston College, and NC State have offered. He says Virginia is close to offering as well. He will visit Penn State and Colorado this summer.

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SouthCoastToday.com: Most Wanted

The most sought-after college football recruit in Dartmouth High School history is an offensive weapon with zero career rushing yards.

Arthur Lynch-Fontaine catches passes for a team that doesn't throw many of them, receiving just 15 balls in 24 varsity games. Of the 8,281 yards the Indians have gained in the last two seasons, the junior tight end is directly responsible for 241 of them — roughly 3 percent of his team's offense.

But by the time his senior season starts in September, Lynch-Fontaine may have as many Division I scholarship offers as he does catches. Boston College, Maryland, Connecticut, N.C. State and Rutgers have officially asked Lynch-Fontaine to join their programs. Virginia, Clemson and Georgia have made verbal offers, and Colorado, Illinois, Michigan State and Stanford are also pursuing him.

Lynch-Fontaine is drawing more college interest than any SouthCoast football player in nearly two decades and may be area's most coveted recruit of all time. His teammate, running back Jordan Todman, was a commodity with an Eastern Mass-record 5,803 career rushing yards and signed a letter of intent with UConn in February, but Lynch-Fontaine is garnering far more attention than his speedy friend.

So, how is it that a player who sees so little of the ball is feeling so much love from the best football teams in the country?

"Because he's 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, runs a 4.8 40 and has great hands," Dartmouth head coach Rick White said.

An honor student and junior class president, Lynch-Fontaine has an off-the-field resume that college recruiters warm up to.

Aiming for a career in education or social work, Lynch-Fontaine says education will be at the forefront of his selection process as he tries to sort through a glut of academic opportunity he hadn't anticipated.

"It is kind of almost overwhelming, because I have no idea where to go," Lynch-Fontaine said. "And I don't want to make the wrong choice."

Lynch-Fontaine — the grandson of Dartmouth football coaching legend Carlin Lynch — said he was as surprised as anybody to watch his football prowess generate such buzz. The attention began last summer when he attended a football camp at Maryland, hoping to sharpen skills for his junior season and perhaps garner attention from smaller college programs.

"I never really thought it would happen the way it did," Lynch-Fontaine said. "I never thought I'd be good enough or strong enough to play at that level. When I went to the University of Maryland camp, that's when they started talking to me. I didn't think I was good or anything. I guess I performed well there."

Lynch-Fontaine performed well enough there that Maryland offered him a scholarship as soon as it could, extending the invite on Sept. 1 in his junior year — the first day colleges are allowed to make contact with recruits under NCAA guidelines. That began an avalanche of interest that is rare for SouthCoast football players.

White said he can't recall a recent player from the area who's been recruited as heavily as Lynch-Fontaine, who also started at defensive end as Dartmouth reached the MIAA Eastern Mass. Division 1 Super Bowl.

"Football-wise, not recently, not in our area anyway," said White, who will likely send a player to a Division I program for the second straight season when Lynch-Fontaine follows Todman to college. "We've just been fortunate that we've had kids at this level. This doesn't happen very often. I'm spoiled. I got them all at once. So, I guess if we don't win, they fire me."

No SouthCoast player has seen this much attention since Dartmouth's Dakin brothers — Kevin and David — were playing for Bishop Stang in the late '80s and early '90s. Kevin Dakin, a 6-5, 265-pound lineman, signed with Clemson in the winter of 1990 and eventually transferred to Boston College. He also had Notre Dame, Boston University, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Syracuse, Rhode Island and several Ivy League schools on trail, but his offer sheet wasn't as deep as Lynch-Fontaine's.

David Dakin, a 6-4, 240-pound lineman, picked I-AA UMass in 1991 after he was courted by Michigan State, Penn State, Boston College, Boston University and Syracuse.

When all is said and done, Lynch-Fontaine may have more solid offers than the Dakin brothers combined.

That won't make the selection process any easier. Lynch-Fontaine said he's always had a place in his heart for Boston College, but he's not sure if Chestnut Hill will have a place in his future.

"Growing up, I always wanted to go to BC," he said. "My mother went there and my sister went there, so people think I lean towards there. But growing up around it, it's almost like you want to see something different. But when they did offer, it was like a dream come true."

Todman, of course, has his thoughts on the subject.

"If he chooses UConn, that's great for us," said Todman, who's scheduled to report to Storrs on June 22. "We've always talked about us being roommates, since like eighth grade, seventh grade and younger. Luckily, we have that opportunity."

Lynch-Fontaine said the possibility of reuniting with Todman is a plus for Huskies' program.

"He wants me to go there," Lynch-Fontaine said. "When me and Jordan were younger, we always wanted to play football together and be roommates in college together. I don't think either of us dreamed of that happening. Having him there, it's a big draw, then again there's other things from other schools that I like."

Lynch-Fontaine said he's not going to rush his decision. If he hasn't picked a school by the start of next season, he said he'll try to put it out of his mind until after high school football is over. Whether he makes a verbal commitment, he can't sign a National Letter of Intent until next February.

"I don't want it to affect me or teammates as far as the season," Lynch-Fontaine said. "If making a decision (early) will help it, then I'll try to do that. I don't want to stress on it, but I don't want to have any regrets 10 years down the line, because it's about education, it's not about football."

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4/28

Georgia has offered. Also picked up verbal offers from Florida and Penn State. Visited PSU for their spring game, and BC over the weekend. Top 3 is PSU, Maryland, and BC. Plans on visiting Florida, Clemson, and Georgia over the summer.

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5/1

By Alkire...top 5 of Boston College, Penn State, Florida, Georgia and Maryland (in no particular order). Is confident that Florida and PSU will offer in writing...Maryland, BC and UGA already have.

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5/6

By M Alkire. Committed to Boston College, and says the Eagles have always been at the top for since the start.

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Rivals $

5/27

BC still leads, but Fontaine thinks he rushed into a decision. Wants to wait and see what his friend Jim Noel decides to do.

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SouthCoastToday.com: Dartmouth TE backs off BC

Dartmouth High tight end Arthur Lynch-Fontaine is backing off his verbal commitment to play for Boston College and plans to visit other schools during the summer before making a firm decision on where he'll play college football.

Early last month the Indians' junior told BC coaches that he planned to play for the Eagles. But in the last few weeks, Lynch-Fontaine, one of the most sought-after football recruits in SouthCoast history, decided that he wanted to invest more time before choosing a school.

"I feel bad for making that commitment and getting out," Lynch-Fontaine said. "At the time I thought I was sure, and my mind changed a little bit. I'm not saying I'm not going to go there. I need to sit down with my family and find out what's best for me and my mother. And hopefully we're able to do that after researching the other schools."

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end said he plans to visit Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Georgia, North Carolina, N.C. State and Florida this summer. A recruit is allowed five "official" (expenses paid) visits in the fall of his senior year, and Lynch-Fontaine said he will take those visits if he hasn't made a decision before the start of the 2008 football season.

"I'm just going to take my visits for the summer and just make sure and see what else is out there," Lynch-Fontaine said. "I'm just going to see if BC is the right school."

Boston College had seemed a natural fit for Lynch-Fontaine. His mother and sister graduated from the school, and he said he had long held aspirations of playing there. Lynch-Fontaine also said BC's academic program was one of the strongest of any school he was considering.

"I'm not saying I don't want to go there," he said. "I just want to make sure it's the right choice."

Verbal commitments are not binding in the NCAA. Lynch-Fontaine's decision won't be official until he signs a letter of intent during the national signing period, which begins the first week of February.

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GatorCountry

6/29

“I wanted to see other schools and see what else is out there,” said the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Fontaine, who committed to the Eagles back in May but then reopened his recruitment.

The first stop on his recruiting road trip was Gainesville, where Fontaine got a chance to meet members of the Gators coaching staff, including head coach Urban Meyer.

“I didn’t get to talk to coach Meyer much, but he was a pretty nice guy,” Fontaine said. “I could definitely tell that he knows what he is talking about.”

Offensive line coach John Hevesy is handling Fontaine’s recruitment and spoke with the tight end during his visit. Last season, Fontaine, who has been timed in the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds, caught 10 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. He also played on defense and recorded 62 tackles, three sacks and forced two fumbles.

“It was a really nice place and the coaches were really cool guys,” Fontaine continued. “Unfortunately, I was only able to stay there for a day. The coaches want me to come back for Friday Night Lights, but I won’t be able to make it.”

While Fontaine won’t be able to make the trip back to Gainesville in July, there’s a chance he will make an official visit during the fall if he hasn’t made a commitment by then.

“If I know where I am going to go and have no insecurities about it, then I will commit before taking official visits,” Fontaine said. “If I don’t make a decision before official visits, then I will probably take one to Florida.”

Even though Fontaine de-committed to Boston College, there is a good chance he still could end up there because of its closeness to his home. In addition to Florida, Fontaine also checked out Georgia, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia and Maryland. Boston College, Georgia and North Carolina appear to be his top three choices.

“Academics are the most important thing to me,” Fontaine said. “I want a school that is well rounded. The school doesn’t have to be the No. 1 team in the country, but it needs to have a winning tradition. Of the schools that I am looking at now, I don’t think I can make a wrong choice. I just need to make the best choice for me.”

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Scout: Fontaine Down to Four (FREE)

Fontaine Down to Four By Matt Alkire
Recruiting Analyst
Posted Jul 8, 2008



Four-star tight end Arthur Fontaine committed and then de-committed from Boston College months ago and has since been taking visits to see where his future home will be. Right now the Eagles are still in the mix, but it is starting to sound like his future may be south of the Mason Dixon Line.
Continued...

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7/22

From the Georgia site. Fontaine will make one more visit to Georgia and then make his choice. Distance isn't a concern, and he will choose the place where he fits best as a football player and a student.