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2018 Offers, Commits, and Signees

Billy Caughell dad is wired into the local scene-particularly mid-state.
With Coach D involved,target not necessarily on the offensive side of ball.Coach D has I-4 territory between Tampa and Daytona.Hopefully,we find a gem in the rough.Still looking for OL.Plenty of footballers here in Sunshine state but finding a UR fit ain't easy.
 
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Orlando Centinel Nov 16,2017

Boone football senior Jay Swegheimer embraces life's journey

Jay Swegheimer acquired a passion for Boone football at an early age, soaking in the sounds of the crowd and echoes of the public address announcer from his back yard on Friday nights. He grew up just a few blocks from the school.

He’d soon become a regular at games, idolizing players from the 2007 squad that reached the state finals and dreaming of one day following in those footsteps.

That same back yard has become home to pregame tailgate gatherings in recent years, hosted by Swegheimer’s grandfather, Tom Kohler, who’s compiled a scrapbook of memories reflecting Jay’s journey with the Braves.

As a dominant force at defensive end the past two years, it’s hard to imagine there was a time when he considered walking away from the game before ever realizing his potential.

Swegheimer leads Boone (9-2) into Friday’s Class 8A region semifinal at Wekiva (10-1) at 7:30 p.m.

“He’s been a Boone kid through and through. Whenever I need a defensive play, he steps up, or he puts his teammates in position to make a play,” said Boone defensive coordinator Travis Gabriel. “He’s a dominant force. Having him on the field makes life so much easier.”

Last week the 6-foot-5, 225 pound senior was instrumental in helping the Braves open an early lead at Flagler Palm Coast. He forced two turnovers and returned a fumble and interception for touchdowns in the first half of the program’s first playoff win since 2008.

That effort was hardly a surprise to anyone that’s been paying attention. If Swegheimer is not directly involved in a game-changing play, he’s making it possible for the likes of defensive end C.J. Reeves, linebacker Devonte Booker and defensive back Jack Dixson to rise to the occasion.

Falcons, and everybody brought a great attitude into the season.”

Swegheimer is so humble and such an introvert that when the 2007 Boone team was honored during a home game late in the season, he was too shy to approach his boyhood idol, Jamarcus Allen, who was a defensive tackle on that team and the reason he asked his grandfather to sign him up for football 10 years ago.

Although Swegheimer prefers to lead by example and deflect much of the attention, he boasts a résumé of plays this season that includes two forced fumbles in a 21-10 loss at Apopka.

There was also the time in the second half against Ocoee when he broke open a close game by recording three sacks, two that resulted in fumbles, and batted down a pass to help force a punt. He also recorded six sacks in the first half against Freedom and batted two passes that were intercepted and taken back for touchdowns against Orlando University.

Timber Creek defensive coordinator Marc Jackson has seen Swegheimer’s impact up close as a district opponent.

“He’s just got a good feel for the game,” Jackson said. “He knows when to speed rush, he knows when to play the run, and he knows when to jump up and knock balls down out of the air. And the kid plays hard all the time.”

That hard work is fueled by being snubbed when it comes to the world of college recruiting.

Although he’s received quite a bit of interest from Football Championship Subdivision schools and has gotten some attention from FBS programs, he wrestles with the thought of what else needs to be done to entice more major colleges to give him a chance.

Such are the things he contemplates while walking to school in the mornings and home after practice. Yet those thoughts pale in comparison to what’s occupied his mind in years past, when as an eighth-grader he struggled with understanding his place in the world after learning more about his biological father. Or when he considered giving up football to explore his newfound faith after his freshman season.

“I was pretty depressed and I didn’t really know where to go in life at the time,” Swegheimer said. “I was really lost in the world, and I eventually found Christ going into my freshman year, and that was really huge for me.”

Jim Swegheimer, Jay’s father, attended Boone as a freshman and sophomore before moving with his dad to the Evans school district when his parents divorced. At Evans in the early 1980s he played on the offensive line alongside future Florida Gator and NFL player Jeff Zimmerman.

Jay was just two years old when his dad died following a prolonged personal struggle, and he does not have a single memory to connect him with that football lineage.

What he does have at this point in his life is fulfillment where there was once a vivid void, and an appreciation for the coaches, family and friends who have helped guide him along the way.

“It’s all about my effort. Every time I step on the field I’ll pray to God, and I don’t know how many people say this, but if I step on the field and I die in that moment, I’m not afraid of it, because I know that I’ll be going to heaven,” Swegheimer said.

“There’s nothing more inspiring to me than that,” he said. “If it’s my time to go, then I’ll go. And that’s what I feel like really separates me from other players. And that’s what a lot of the kids on our team are like, they’re willing to risk their bodies for the team.”

 
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Jay visited UR this past weekend,shown in upper right in #9

Colby Ritten,FCS frosh All American for UR,attended same high school with Jay-Boone HS in Orlando,FL.

Lower left wearing #2 is from CC having verballed to C.

 
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I like what I see of Milan

There ya go.This is shaping up to be an exceptionally fine incoming class.

2017 Charlotte Observer All-Mecklenburg offensive team

ATH: Milan Howard, Charlotte Catholic, 5-11, 182, SR – MVP of 3A state championship game ran for 2,018 yards and 190 carries and caught 28 passes for 446 yards. Howard had 32 total touchdowns. He sat out the second half of nine games due to blowouts.






 
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...and he picks up an offer from Troy.

Sounds like he has a decision to make. Play in the sunbelt at Troy and at best make the jimmy Johns bowl or one of those obscure bowls or come to Richmond and compete for and win conference and National titles although it is FCS. I know what my decision would be and I don't think the jimmy johns bowl would be a part of it.
 
The kid has visited Princeton on an invite.He gets that its not just about football,I’m sure.
In that case I'm guessing Troy isn't as good a school as Richmond, Princeton is a better school than UR but not by that much. If he truly wants the best of both worlds he would come to UR. Great school and also knowing that you will win a lot of games over 4 years.
 
Another commit...only local guy on my list was Foster Singleton. There was some thought our offer might have been PWO considering a lack of other offers for him, but maybe not.

 
Hope I'm wrong but I got the feeling in reading certain tea leaves that both parties moved on a couple of weeks ago.

When he got that PWO slot at Georgia, I think that ship sailed. Considering his excellent grades and the in-state cost, that wasn't going to be a huge tuition nut to crack and he'd be playing in the SEC for his home state school. Tough to compete with that.
 
That's 18 guys, are we done or room for any more? I think we need at least 1 more OL and maybe a TE or LB?
 
Had a bad feeling that might happen but hoped it would be to a better program than ULL.
 
Hopefully,we’ll learn from this one.Cant take anything for granted when you receive a verbal especially from the top player in Alabama in Class 6-7.Gotta camp out.

He’ll be closer to home for sure and he definitely won’t have to read and write as diligently anywhere to the degree as if he had enrolled in UR.That’s for sure.
 
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AJ was on a visit to Alabama A&M when he tweeted about our offer.
 
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