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4 Star recruit getting ready for summer tour
Story URL: http://recruiting.scout.com/2/765384.html

Yancy Porter
SuperPrep.com

Jun 27, 2008

The 5' 11", 205 pound athlete out of Gulliver Prep (FL) is one of the more sought after recruits in the South.

"I have scholarship offers from Southern Cal, Florida, FSU, South Florida, UCF, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Boston College, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vandy, and Georgia Tech, "added Frankie Telfort. "I have 36 offers, but those are the only ones I can think of right now."

Last season Frankie played for Coral Reef and tore a ligament in his thumb. He missed the last five games of the season but still managed to pick up 66 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries at linebacker and rushed for over 700 yards in five games of action."

Which position does Telfort believe he is best suited for on the next level?

"I do not know what my best position is, but I think I am pretty good at running back because of my explosiveness (ran a 4.41 at scout combine) and speed. At linebacker, I love to hit people. People think I am too small to play LB but I can put on another 15 to 30 pounds easily. I can also play defensive back. I can cover any WR you put me up against. I am just an all around player."

Scout.com's #10 nationally rated WLB has not attended any college camps this summer but plans to attend one Sunday.

"I am going to the Adidas Passing Camp at Central Florida. I might be going to the camp at Alabama too, but that is the only one I have concrete plans for this summer."

Although Frankie will be absent from the college camps; he still will be busy taking in some unofficial visits.

"From July 16-20, I am going to Florida, Clemson, South Carolina, and Tennessee."

Are these four schools at the top of Telfort's list?

"No, one of the local coaches is taking 8 or 9 of us to these four schools. They did not ask us where we wanted to go. They just told us we were going to these four schools."

Frankie was reluctant to name any favorites, but he did give us some insight when he shared the coaches he had become closest to.

"Todd McNair from Southern Cal is really cool. I like his vibe. He seems down to earth. Coach Palmeri from Notre Dame never wants to talk football. He just wants to get to know me as a person. That is a big plus. Coach Bedford from Florida stays in contact with my parents. My mom is a big Florida fan. I guess I will keep them in the running. I have seen Coach Scott from South Florida a lot. He seems real down to earth. I can relate to him. And Coach Blackwell from Clemson has been around a few times too. We just bumped into each other and only had a brief conversation, but he also seems down to earth."

What stands out about USC?

"It is a small school. I am more comfortable in a small environment. I come from a small private school. I like small classes. Plus, it is in California and it is a great academic school."

And Florida?

"It is mainly because my mom likes them and Coach Bedford."

What are Clemson's positives?

"I like their LB coach. He has a lot of experience, and you always want to go somewhere where you can be coached by great coaches."

South Florida has been hot on the recruiting trail in the Sunshine state.

"It seems like they are trying to start something new. They have always been a mediocre team. They would win 7 or 8 games a year, but now they are on the bubble of winning big. They only need a couple more guys."

Two more colleges look to have an inside connection with Telfort.

"Our former offensive coordinator is now a coach at Ole Miss. They have offered me and a lot of my teammates (Frank Crawford, Artice Kellam, Conner Vernon). We have all been talking about going over there for a visit to check it out, but we have not set anything up yet. Ole Miss is kind of like South Florida. They just need a couple guys to put them over the top. They almost beat Florida at home last year and that kind of got me looking at them. And Alabama, our RB coach is now over there. I know I will get to play running back if I go over there. And if that does not work out, I know Alabama needs some defensive players. They were also one of the first schools to offer me."