For Irish, it's never too early to wait

I could fill this column listing the Division I colleges recruiting Ursuline senior lineman Branndon Braxton. Luckily, his teammate, senior quarterback Daryll Clark, offered an alternative.
"Just put U.S.A.," Clark said.
Braxton is 6-feet-6 and weighs 295 pounds. In recruiting terms, this is the equivalent of hitting the gene lottery. The only difference is, he gets to pick his reward.
Will it be Ohio State? Michigan? Rutgers?
"I don't know yet," he said.
In another era, this response would be greeted with a shrug. Most kids played their senior year, then chose a college. No big deal.
Not now. If Braxton wants to wait out his decision, he has to deal with the consequences: phone calls. Lots and lots of phone calls.
"The attention is good at times," Braxton said. "But after awhile, it gets annoying. I get calls all the time."
So does Clark.
"Like 'BB' said, it's fun at times," Clark said. "But sometimes they'll call at night when I'm in bed and I'll say, 'Call me later.' "
Clark (6-3, 195) isn't drawing quite as much interest as Braxton, but it's close. He has offers from West Virginia, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and Toledo.
"I'm really leaning toward West Virginia," he said. "They've shown the most interest. They let you know you're important and they want you on the team."
More than talent
Both players have obvious physical talent, but that's not the only thing that's attracted recruiters.
"What I like about them, aside from the football aspect, is that they're both great young men," Ursuline coach Dan Murphy said. "They're hardworking kids and they do a very good job representing themselves at all times.
"And they're both going to get a lot better."
Braxton's first love was basketball, which is why he's only been playing football for three years. He was born in Ohio, but lived in Atlanta before moving to Youngstown two years ago.
He's still learning the game -- he said he wants to improve his footwork and his strength -- but that will come with time.
"Brandon can be as good as he wants to be," Murphy said.
Clark, meanwhile, is a three-year starter who will be counted on to take a lead role in the offense, especially after running back Delbert Ferguson transferred to Warren Harding in the off-season.
"He's got that natural charisma," Murphy said of Clark. "It's like having another coach on the field."
Looking ahead
The Irish struggled with depth last year -- they finished with just 34 players on last year's Division IV state semifinal team -- but have better numbers this season (mid-40s).
They'll need plenty of good players to survive a schedule that Murphy calls "the toughest in school history." Of Ursuline's 10 opponents, six were in the playoffs last year, four were in the state finals and one (Columbus Watterson) won the Div. III state title.
The Irish also lost a lot to graduation, but that's nothing new.
Over the past three years, they've had nine players play at Division I colleges: Louis Irizarry (TE, Ohio State), Terrence Graves (RB, Toledo), Josh Swogger (QB, Washington State), Jimmy Riley (WR, Louisville), Marcus Johnson (DL, Miami of Ohio), Ross Kollar (LB, Bowling Green), John Bartos (OL, YSU), Brandon Brown (DL, YSU) and John Angelo (LB, Villanova).
Unless they get hit by a meteor over the next few months, Clark and Braxton will join them. For Braxton, the question is where.
When Braxton took off his shoulder pads after Monday's practice, he revealed an Ohio State national championship shirt.
When I asked him about it, he just laughed, although he admitted he likes the Buckeyes. But don't count out Florida, Tennessee or Georgia.
As for Rutgers ... well, let's just say it's a darkhorse.
XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.