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This Raider stands out

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By ADAM ADKINS

aadkins@tampatrib.com

Published: October 7, 2009

PLANT CITY - Jordan Prestwood is the next big recruit on the Plant City High football team. And, boy, is he big.

"You can't miss the kid," Raiders coach Jason Strunk said with a laugh.

The Raiders' junior tight end/defensive end sticks out on the football field. At 6 feet 6 inches tall and 255 pounds, Prestwood towers over most of his peers. And several people - from high school football recruiting pundits to college coaches and recruiters - have taken notice.

Prestwood already holds scholarship offers from a pair of Division I college football programs - the University of South Florida and Florida International University. More could be on the way shortly, as several other major college football programs are taking a strong look at Prestwood, according to Strunk.

Prestwood also has had his name pop up in some big recruiting lists. The Orlando Sentinel ranked Prestwood as the state's No. 68 recruit for the Class of 2011, and he's also on the ESPNU Top 150 national recruit watch list for the Class of 2011.

"All of this has sort of caught me by surprise," Prestwood said. "It's a lot different than it used to be - the exposure and everybody knowing my name. It's exciting."

Prestwood joined the Raiders varsity program as a 6-foot-5-inch, 170-pound freshman, but he's gradually filled out his frame. Strunk said Prestwood made his biggest strides this offseason, when he changed up his workout routine and showed a new discipline in the weight room when workouts began in December. Prestwood added nearly 50 pounds to his sophomore playing weight of 209 pounds and increased his strength dramatically.

"He wasn't very strong, like a lot of these guys," Strunk said, "but he stayed with it, and he went at it hard."

Prestwood took that new frame on the road this summer, attending football camps at four major college football programs - Notre Dame, South Carolina, Georgia and Auburn - as well as an Under Armour football combine in Atlanta. Prestwood said the trips were a great learning experience, but the biggest benefit of each was the exposure it created for him.

College coaches in attendance, of course, loved Prestwood's size, but they also were impressed with his athleticism and toughness, Strunk said. Now Prestwood's path to playing at the next level has been paved.

"He's going to be somewhere big. I know that. He has everything you're looking for. He passes the eyeball test," Strunk said. "Then you watch him on film, and he's aggressive, he's physical and he moves well. If you have all those things, they're (college recruiters) going to suck you up."

Prestwood recognizes the opportunity at hand, but he's nowhere near content.

"I just need to keep working my butt off," Prestwood said.

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 259-7616.

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