One to Watch for 2011: Kevin McReynolds

St. John’s College HS standout defensive tackle may only be a rising junior, but he is starting to draw interest from major college programs throughout the nation. While coaches cannot talk recruiting until this summer, he is drawing interest from major ACC and Big Ten schools already.

"I went up to Maryland and watched the Spring Game," says McReynolds, "I really liked their campus a whole lot. It seemed like the campus is a close knit community, everyone was really friendly. The coaches seem like they want the best for all of their players. Being that Maryland is so close to my school I know that I am on their radar. I am definitely going to give them a look.“

“Penn State is also a school that I love. I like the Big Ten so much. An offer from Penn State would mean so much to me. I have been up to Happy Valley a few times for wrestling meets. The stadium is huge, I love the atmosphere up there. The last time I visited was in February. We were on the way to Lehigh and we stopped by Penn State to look around. I just love it up there.”

McReynolds is also very fond of the University of Virginia.

“I played in a 7-on-7 event at the University of Virginia. It was a great experience. I loved the facilities in Charlottesville, the whole atmosphere was terrific. There is something about the ACC and the school itself that I fell in love with. The buildings were beautiful, the whole campus had so much heritage and culture, I really could see myself playing there. I got to meet Al Grow for just a few minutes. He was a nice guy, a stand up individual. He seems to care a lot about his players, and he runs a terrific program at UVA.”

Kevin broke down his game a little for Scout as well.

“The strength of my game is just staying low, playing with leverage. My coach, Defensive Coordinator Rashad Gillespy, has gotten me to stay low and use my strength to my advantage. Wrestling has helped me so much, using my leverage to stay low and fight through blocks and locate the ball carrier. I love getting into the backfield and disrupting the run. I just moved to the line, the first game I played at defensive tackle was against Dematha Catholic. I was strictly a tight end, but now that I have moved to defensive line my game has gotten a whole lot better. I feel like I could work on my strength, you can never be too strong. I am trying to learn my position, so my instincts get better on the defensive line. I try to work on my overall quickness and my foot-speed the most in practice. I also work on staying low and my hips. If I can stay low and get under people I feel like I have already won half the battle.”

“I want schools to know that there is more to me than just football. Family is very important to me as well. My Mom and Dad are the most important things to me. I am also very close to my cousins, we try to keep family first and foremost in my house. Academics are a big factor in my life as well. Without a good education it is going to be hard for me to succeed in life. I am blessed to be a good football player, and I am using that to get into college and further my education. I want to major in business management and hopefully start my own company when I get out of school. I have always dreamed of playing in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, but if that does not happen, then I will have a degree to fall back on and I can thank my hard work on the football field for opening those doors for me.”

Kevin currently reports drawing the most recruiting interest from Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Penn State, North Carolina, and the University of Virginia.

McReynolds reports a max bench press of 350-pounds, and reps 225-pounds a hefty 20 times.