De Smet sophomore OL Bauer already a hot commodity
By Nate Latsch | STLhighschoolsports.com | Posted: Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Andy Bauer is a 16-year-old sophomore, but already he is in demand by some of the top programs in college football.
An offensive tackle at De Smet, Bauer stands 6 feet 5, weighs 295 pounds, carries a 4.58 grade-point average and has major skills on the field. Not surprisingly, he has attracted interest -- and piled up offers -- from college football programs coast to coast.
?It?s just all a blessing,? Bauer said. ?I?ve worked really hard to be in the position I?m in today, and I?ve had a lot of good people help me to get here. I just have to keep working and keep staying humble.?
The top St. Louis area prospect in the sophomore class and one of the best in the Midwest, Bauer has eight scholarship offers, from Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Miami, Michigan, Boston College, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Bauer said he also is receiving interest from others, including LSU, Southern Cal and Tennessee. Open to everyone, he said he wants to hear what every school has to offer before he can trim down his list.
?I?m just trying to find the best fit for me,? said Bauer, who cannot make any decision official until singing a binding letter of intent on the first Wednesday in February of his senior year, which is 2014. ?Obviously I?m really close with my family and coach (Pat) Mahoney, so I want to sit down and talk to them and see if they agree with how I feel about each school and then go from there.?
In recent months Bauer and his family have made unofficial visits to Michigan, Arkansas, Missouri, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
?A lot of it is to get a feel for the players and the coaches and see what the atmosphere would be like,? he said. ?Every place is a little bit different. But every place has a weight room, every place has a stadium, every place has facilities and everything. You have to take in the other aspects of the campus and everything.?
Though he cannot sign for another 22 months, Bauer could make a verbal commitment on his college destination at any time.
