Randallstown, Md., defensive lineman Melvin Alaeze is getting ready for the upcoming season and he’s taking them all in -- scholarship offers, that is.
Alaeze (6-3, 280, 4.54) has scholarship offers from just about every major school -- with the exception of LSU, Texas and Oklahoma. Some of the key schools on Alaeze’s list include Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), USC, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Boston College, UConn and Virginia Tech.
But Alaeze, ranked as the nation’s No. 54 overall prospect by TheInsidersRecruiting.com, isn’t close to narrowing the field.
“I am still studying up on a lot of these schools, including Ohio State,” Alaeze said. “I really didn’t have a favorite school growing up. Basketball was probably my top sport. I started playing football in the eighth grade.
“I think I will take my visits before I make my decision. Nobody really stand out right now. I will probably sit down with my coach and talk about what schools I plan to visit.”
Alaeze kept busy during the summer looking at a number of the top schools on the East Coast. He attended the Nike Camp at Penn State and also made unofficial stops at UConn, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Maryland.
Alaeze (pronounced A-lay-zay) tallied 15 sacks and 55 tackles as a junior. He also played fullback and tight end on offense, scoring four touchdowns.
“I am just so big and so fast,” he said. “I feel I can stop the run and rush the passer. I'm aggressive and I can stop the run. I'm really good at the pass rush. I want to improve my 40 speed and get off speed. I also want to improve my agility."
Alaeze benches 310 pounds and squats 405. He holds a 3.3 GPA and scored a 790 on his first SAT attempt.
