Macon Not Changing Choice - Not Yet
By SHAWN RINE Ohio Sports Editor
POSTED: December 18, 2009
Steubenville's Dwight Macon is taking a wait-and-see approach these days. On Oct. 9 he committed to spend the next four years learning and playing football at Central Michigan. But that was before the major-college football coaching carousel started its yearly twists and turns, sweeping up Chippewas coach Butch Jones and taking him to Cincinnati.
Macon said Thursday that a big part of his selection had to do with academics, but that he will monitor the situation from afar.
''They have the best education in the MAC and that's the first thing I am looking at,'' he said. '' I'm still looking, but I'm not really changing my mind right now.
''I just got to see who the coach is and see what is going on.''
According to Chippewacountry.com, Macon has had several suitors for his services, including West Virginia, Ohio State, Marshall, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami of Ohio, Ball State and Wyoming. But since he gave what that same Web site has listed as a ''solid verbal,'' most schools have backed off.
''Not too many (continued to show interest) after I committed,'' Macon said. ''Basically, Toledo and Bowling Green.''
There's always the outside chance that Brian Kelly choosing to leave Cincinnati for Notre Dame last week could affect not one, but two Steubenville quarterbacks.
Zach Collaros, who will be a redshirt junior next year and more than kept the gears turning when starter Tony Pike went down with an injury, appeared to be the heir apparent to Pike, who will move on after the No. 4 Bearcats (12-0) take on No. 5 Florida (12-1) and all-world QB Tim Tebow in the Sugar Bowl. It stands to reason he'll open preseason the same way, since among other things, Jones' offense is nearly identical to that of Kelly.
''As big as this country is, and as many high schools as there are, one move affected two kids from Steubenville,'' Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia said.
