VERO BEACH — Vero Beach High School offensive lineman Marcus Jackson and safety Larry Franklin, have been named to Florida’s Top 100 by Scout.com and are among eight Fighting Indian football players in the hunt for Division I scholarships from the class of 2011.Jackson is not only ranked 42nd amongst all football players in the state, he’s ranked the 17th best offensive guard in the country by Scout.com. “I love the way Marcus plays,” said Geoff Vogt of Scout.com. “He’s an athletic offensive lineman that is a bruiser in the run game.” Mike Bakas of SuperPrep.com had high praise for the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder as well. “Jackson emerged as one of the best guard prospects in the state as a junior,” said Bakas. “He has a chance to be one of the state’s best in 2011.”The 6-1, 200-pound Franklin was rated by Scout.com as the 98th-best prospect in Florida.”Franklin is a physical presence in the secondary,” said Vogt. “He’s a great athlete with a lot of upside.”These two seniors have about 20 scholarship Division I scholarship offers between them with more on the way. Jackson, who silently committed to University of Miami last summer, is now verbally committed to the Hurricanes. Aside from Miami, his list of offers includes Florida, Michigan State, South Carolina, and Tennessee.Franklin’s list of offers includes Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, University of Louisiana, and Memphis. Look for this list to grow by at least one, as the coach who was recruiting Franklin for Memphis is now at South Carolina.Two other players drawing a lot of interest are defensive ends Cody Horstman and David Dixson. Horstman currently has offers from Florida International, Memphis, and Illinois State. Dixson has drawn interest from several schools (Memphis, Rutgers, and UConn to name a few) but is still waiting on an offer. Vogt watched both Horstman and Dixson this spring at the Vero practice and liked what he saw. “They are a pair of good looking defensive ends,” said Vogt. “I would give them (both) a Division I grade.”Last year’s leading rusher, running back Jormonte Hunter (1,098 yards and 17 TDs), has caught the eye of Cincinnati. The Bearcats recently started recruiting him along with Horstman. Linebacker Dion Holmes led Vero Beach High School in tackles last year with over 100, and he’s being recruited by Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Western Kentucky, and University of Louisiana. Wide receiver Joe Garafalo has hit the road for the summer in hopes of picking up a scholarship offer. He’s going to go to camp at Citadel, Western Michigan, and Marshall to name a few.Punter/quarterback Todd Fennell is going into the summer as Kohl’s Kicking Camps fifth-rated punter in the nation. According to VBHS Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Peter Deluke, there several schools looking at him. “Florida, Miami, and Rutgers are interested but he will have to go their camps to get an offer,” said Deluke. “I know he is going to Rutgers and Florida camps.”
