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Lake Butler, FL.- School is winding down for most of the country. For most top football recruits it will signal a time to hit the weight room and visit some colleges. The recruiting process for some never stops and summer is not the time for a break. For Union county high defensive line star Lonnie Gosha he only has one more week to go. Entering his final week of school, the 6’2″ 260 pound star talked about his upcoming plans and who he has on top for now.
“Last day of school is Friday and I’m excited. Most schools that I talk to offer it seems like. I have 15 offers now. I have Alabama, Georgia, FSU, Arkansas, Florida, Duke, FIU, Syracuse, LSU, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Miami are the ones I can remember. Iowa State is one school that is talking to me that hasn’t offered yet. Some schools are talking tackle and some are talking end on defense.”
So far Lonnie has taken in three junior days. He has visited Georgia, FSU, and Florida. He noted none stood out above the others but learned a lot from the trips.
At one point for a very brief time period Lonnie was verbally committed to FSU. Since that time he has tried to look at all the schools as equally as possible.
“Coach DJ Elliot is recruiting me from FSU. I have a good relationship with him. One of my favorite coaches I talk to is coach Chuck Smith from Tennessee. They (Tennessee) have actually moved up my board lately. I had a great conversation with him and they officially offered. They told me they had offered but I never saw it. They came by two weeks ago to watch me, then the next day the offer was in the mail. I don’t want to say I have any favorites, but the top two schools I am looking at right now are Alabama and Tennessee.”
Currently Lonnie has no visits planned but knows he will take some this summer. He noted there are not any other schools he’s hoping to hear from and that he’s very satisfied with his current offer list.
His current size suggests he is kind of a “tweener” between tackle and end. One thing that is certain is his talent to disrupt the play at the point of attack.
“Coaches all really like my toughness. They all mostly talk about my first step, almost everyone of them comment on how fast my first step is. They comment that I’m one of the fastest they’ve seen in a while. I’m just working on getting lower, getting my pad level lower. I was first team all state last year and my sophomore year. I started playing in the 7th grade so I’m real proud of how far I’ve come.”
Recently ESPN released it’s list of the top 150 recruits in the country. Lonnie came in at number 138 overall, and the #15 defensive end in the country.
“I didn’t think I would make it. I dreamed about it growing up, but it’s very cool that I did. I want to move up and will work hard on that. But I’m still really glad to see it.”
While he was one time committed to FSU, he’s currently keeping the Noles in mind, but is also open.
“I’ve got my eyes on them. I just want to go somewhere I can make a difference. My mom lives in Tallahassee so most think I’m a lock to go there. But I don’t have any commitment set yet and anything can happen. The recruiting process is fun and I’m just enjoying it right now.”
ESPNU Scouts Inc Eval:
Gosha is an interesting kid as he will give flashes of being a disruptive defensive presence. He has good size, but at this point may be a bit of a defensive end / defensive tackle ‘tweener. He will play both spots in high school and also line up some at linebacker. While linebacker is not a good fit for him at the college level, where he plays on the defensive line could be determined by the scheme he plays in and how he continues to physically develop. We feel he could start off as a swing guy, but will eventually develop and fit best inside as a defensive tackle. Even if he ends up being a little undersized he displays the explosiveness to be able to be disruptive from the interior of the line. He will display good quickness off the ball and can be a player who is a penetrator, but you want to see that more consistently from him. He may lack some in ideal bulk for a defensive tackle, but comes across as a fairly thickly built and powerful kid. Needs to be much more consistent and active with his hands and use them to create better separation. He does display the ability to come out of his stance and generate power and deliver a blow to blockers. He can create leverage and attack half-a-man and be able to establish position and come off blocks even though he is not great with his hands. He displays good athleticism and is a kid can come across the ball and re-direct to get flat down the line. Displays adequate recognition skills. Has a good motor and speed and looks to play much faster then he tests. He is a solid tackler. As a pass rusher he has the initial burst to get up-field and be a handful, but needs to develop his pass rush arsenal and could look to benefit from having a plan. Also needs to commit at times and close on the quarterback and not worry about getting his hands up until the last second. Gosha is kid who gives flashes of being a real handful. He does some things real well, but just needs to do those things he does well more consistently. Prospect with some versatility and also the tools to be a pretty good defender with some continued development.
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