Heavily recruited Hynoski weighing his options
By Todd Stanford
The Daily Item
August 01, 2006
The courtship of Henry Hynoski is in full swing. But Southern Columbia's star fullback is hoping that it will die down after Aug. 14. That's when he'll announce where he's going to play college football.
"The whole recruiting process has been pretty stressful," said Hynoski, a rising senior. "I feel like I owe it to my teammates (to make an early commitment). As a leader on this team, I need to get this out of the way and focus on trying to win a state title."
Pittsburgh, Iowa, Rutgers and Temple have all offered athletic scholarships. Penn State and Ohio State haven't offered, though Hynoski isn't counting them out just yet. However, it seems unlikely that he'll join Southern classmate Josh Marks in Happy Valley. Marks, an offensive lineman, has made a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.
"(Penn State) more or less said that I'd be wasted in their offense," Hynoski said. "I can do more than what they need as a fullback."
Ohio State has been in contact. However, according to Hynoski, the Buckeyes aren't sure if they want to use a scholarship on a fullback. If they do, then he could still wind up in Columbus.
Wherever he ends up, Hynoski — who's 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds — wants to be more than just a blocking back in college. A two-time all-state performer, Hynoski has rushed for nearly 5,000 yards and scored 72 touchdowns in his career. He visited Iowa last month, and was happy that the coaching staff wants to use him in different situations.
"It was a great experience overall," he said. "They said I could run the ball in all formations. If it's a two-back set, they can run me in a two-back. ... They can play me in short yardage.
"Don't get me wrong: I like to block, but I want to do a little bit of everything. That's what I'm used to at Southern, and that's what I hope will carry over to college."
Although obviously impressed with Iowa, Hynoski admits that it would be tough to leave the East Coast.
"My parents said they'd be there for all of my games in Iowa," he said. "My local following, like my aunts and uncles (couldn't make it consistently)."
Whether Hynoski's fans travel near or far to watch him play, he's hoping that they'll see him on the field in 2007.
"All of the schools that are talking to me are saying that I can play right away or I'll have a shot to," he said. "I don't think that athletically I'll have a problem. It's just learning the game at that level that will be the only setback. If I can get that down, I don't think there will be any doubt that I can start as a freshman."
Hynoski did start as a freshman at Southern, as did Marks. They've led the Tigers to three state titles, and they'll be favored to win another one this year.
Having a close friend like Marks go through the rigors of the recruiting process has been a help to Hynoski.
"Each school has a different thing to offer," Hynoski said. "It's nice to know that someone else is going through the same process. ... It's nice to talk about things and say, 'What did this school have to say.'''
Although he will make his verbal commitment on Aug. 14, Hynoski won't be able to sign a binding letter of intent with any school until February.
