I called Bobby Wilder to catch up with what he was up to this week. He was in San Diego and Los Angeles on recruiting trips, beating the bushes for junior college players to thicken ODU's player pot before the Monarchs actually have to play a game come Sept. 5, 2009.
I teased him about where I really thought he might be: Del Mar, watching the ponies run circles?
Wilder assured me he was chasing another type of thoroughbred, the type that rambles up and down football fields.
In the background, his assistant coach Brian Scott could be heard saying, "Good thing he didn't ask if we were at Hollywood Park."
Ah, Brian Scott. A sense of humor.
While Wild Thing and his offensive coordinator were out west, here's what Heritage football coach Jason Robinson e-mailed me today:
"Nate Barnes just committed to ODU. We called his recruiting coach, Chip West, and the head coach, Bobby Wilder. Everyone is excited about the prospect of Nate being a Monarch. He was second-team all-Peninsula District at linebacker, but he projects as a defensive end at ODU. He is 6'5", 230 and runs a 4.6. He was receiving heavy interest from Norfolk State, Liberty, Navy, Marshall, Massachusetts, Richmond, North Carolina Central and Wagner. He is the fifth Division I football player from Heritage in the last four years. He is also the third to earn a scholarship after playing high school football for the first time as a junior.
"Quotes from coach Robinson ...
" * Nate is a great young man who is representative of what I want here at Heritage. He will represent Heritage and the Peninsula District well as the Monarchs begin football in 2009.
" * I believe that we have a good formula in place here that allows colleges to come in here with confidence that they are getting a good, academically qualified young man, who is also a good football player.
" * Nate is a guy with a tremendous upside. He's going to be a good college football player because of the way he works and the way he cares about his performance. Since he realized as a junior that he had a chance to earn a scholarship he has really worked hard to achieve that goal. I've helped him realize his options, but he's worked hard to make them a reality.
" * Nate waited longer that the other guys that have committed over the last 4 seasons, but it was necessary this time. He was torn between a couple of schools, so I told him to take his time and make a good decision based on the school. If he picks a school with which he is comfortable, then he's more likely to graduate in four years. That's our priority.
Quotes from Nate ...
" * I'm really excited about the opportunity to get a good education and make history as a member of the 2009 Monarch football team. Coach Robinson really encouraged me to take my time and make a good decision based on the school. I think ODU will be a good fit for me.I'm also excited to play along side some of the other Peninsula District athletes that I know will be going there too.
" * Two years ago I would have never thought that I could be a college football player. Once I started seeing what was going on with some of our other athletes who made the switch, like Lawrence Turner (Temple), I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did."
Hey, it's not often I get such a clear and concise e-mail from a high school football coach. So I ran the whole thing.