ESPN Midwest recruiting Blog

Posted by Bill Kurelic

Offensive lineman Brandon Linder (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) is one of the top prospects in the Sunshine State and one of the country's premier linemen.

The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Linder was a starter at center his sophomore season. He moved to left tackle his junior season and paved the way up front as Aquinas won 15 straight games and a state championship.

Linder did not allow a sack his entire junior season. In fact his team allowed just six sacks the whole season, most of which came when the second and third team players were in the game.

Linder estimates his scholarship offer total stands at 16. The list includes Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Boston College, Rutgers, South Florida and Florida International.

Linder says three schools stand out at this point.

"I like Notre Dame, Miami and Florida," he said. "I'm interested in everyone. I want to see what everyone has to offer. But those three are the big three right now because they have been there since the beginning."

Linder has been to South Bend twice to check out the Fighting Irish.

"I went up there in the summer for a visit," he said. "And I went to the Notre Dame-Michigan game. It was a crazy experience. In the summer it was kind of dead. But it was crazy there for the game."

Carswell looking at his eight offers
Quarterback P.J. Jones (McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox), who has committed to Penn State, is far from a one-man show on his team. The talented Jones has an outstanding wide receiver catching his passes, Andrew Carswell.

Carswell has been a varsity starter since the beginning of his freshman season when he played outside linebacker. The 6-4, 210-pound Carswell has started at wide receiver and outside linebacker the past two seasons.

After catching 30 passes during his sophomore season, Carswell caught 40 more passes his junior season for 600 yards and six touchdowns. He also made 56 tackles and intercepted three passes.

"My recent offers have been more for wide receiver," Carswell said. "I'm getting recruited as an athlete, wide receiver or linebacker."

Carswell has scholarship offers from Pitt, Wisconsin, Stanford, Duke, North Carolina State, Boston College and Maryland.

"I'm mostly looking at schools that have offered me," Carswell said. "My favorite team is the Florida Gators, but I haven't heard from them yet."

Heard lands new offer
Defensive back and running back Braylon Heard (Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney) has added Nebraska to his list of scholarship offers. Heard has offers from Nebraska, Penn State, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina State, Akron and Indiana.

The 5-11, 170-pound Heard rushed for close to 1,000 yards and intercepted two passes during his junior season despite missing a couple games with a sprained ankle. He says Penn State and USC are his two favorite teams.