NWTimes
STRESS TEST
Merrillville's Dexter Larimore has three D-1 scholarship offers, but that hasn't eased his anxiety about the recruiting process.
BY BRIAN WADDLE
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This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, July 15, 2005 12:57 AM CDT
COLLEGE RECRUITING | A TIMES SPECIAL REPORT
It's been the ride of his life.
Dexter Larimore is riding shotgun for most of it, alongside his father and chauffeur, Jeff, on their whirlwind tour of Big Ten football camps. Even though they're in a car, it's been like a roller-coaster ride for Dexter, a highly-regarded defensive tackle from Merrillville.
"Every camp is a showcase for me. I'm showcasing what I've got and from what I've been seeing I'm beating pretty much everybody," the 6-foot-3, 265-pound Larimore said. "That's why it's so stressful. I'm eating up guy after guy, but coaches except IU (and Ball State and Western Michigan) haven't offered (a scholarship). It's so stressful. I don't know what else I can do.
"If you put a guy out there, I'm going to beat him. But why don't they offer me a scholarship?"
Larimore is one of many football players traveling to high profile camps all over the Midwest, and sometimes beyond, trying to make a final push for a scholarship and a safety net for the next five years of their lives. Their goal is to play big-time college football and give mom and dad some checkbook relief from the rising costs of a college education.
Larimore is the third recruit from Merrillville's Class of 2006 expected to receive a major-college football scholarship. Running back James Aldridge didn't even attend a camp, yet had 30-some offers on the table. He committed to Notre Dame in early May. Offensive tackle Brandon Jordan committed to Illinois the same month.
Larimore went to a camp at Illinois this summer and thought he did enough to impress the coaches.
"I was killing everybody at Illinois, but it got real quiet," Larimore said. "I don't know what (the knock on me) is. My 40-time isn't the greatest, but one-on-one there's very few kids I've went against at these major camps that can beat me. That's what I don't understand. If I was going to camp and beating only a few, I'd see why. But the stress of not knowing why is killing me."
Most of Larimore's summer has been spent on the road. He's attended camps at Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia and Michigan State.
Larimore's dream is to play in the Big Ten. His dad, Jeff, played college football at Indiana State. His older brother, Riley, a former Times Defensive Player of the Year, is a starting defensive lineman at Ball State. Even though the Cardinals have offered -- and Dexter was happy they did -- he's still waiting to hear from the bigger suitors.
"Truthfully, I'd like to be committed before the season starts," Larimore said. "I don't want my senior season to be a showcase for colleges. I want it to be about the team, because we have a chance to be really successful. I want our team to excel this year. I don't want it to be about, 'Oh, Ohio State's watching me, I better get three sacks.' "
Crown Point's Matt Jansen has been trying to enjoy the ride while it lasts. The 6-foot-4 quarterback showcased his skills at six different camps.
"I knew I wasn't going to have much time this summer," Jansen said. "(Crown Point) Coach (Chip) Pettit told me it was going to be long and tiring, but I don't think I realized it would be this much."
Jansen attended camps at Bowling Green, Michigan State, Purdue, IU, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. He's been offered scholarships by Ball State, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.
Jansen is also a standout pitcher. The All-Area lefty is getting plenty of attention for baseball, too.
"It gets stressful, and it's a lot to deal with, but it has its high points, too," Jansen said. "It's a good position to be in."
Jansen was so busy this summer he didn't have a chance to play summer baseball. It did, however, give him a chance to rest his arm.
"It was fun to go and see all the schools," Jansen said. "It's only one-day camps, and that's a long drive for one day, but I'd definitely tell (younger athletes) to do it. It's good to let people see you instead of them coming to you. It also gives you a chance to see the school."
Like Jansen, Larimore has the added pressure of picking a sport. A two-time state runner-up in the heavyweight class, Larimore is ranked No. 1 in the nation at his weight class in USA Wrestling Magazine and has already been offered a full ride to Iowa State. It's not common for wrestlers to get full scholarships.
Larimore was in middle school when Riley was being recruited by colleges. He said his brother didn't go to many showcase camps back then. But he's noticed the big change over that short time in the recruiting process.
"My brother didn't even get offered until the end of (the high school) season," Larimore said. "Nowadays, there's Web sites and tons of information on the Internet. You can see everybody's offers -- you can see everything. It's nuts how recruiting has changed so much."
Theresia Larimore, Dexter's mother, stayed behind to run the family's financial planning business in Hobart while Jeff drove Dexter everywhere. It helped that the family had some experience with recruiting when Riley was being courted. Theresia said you have to do your homework early, like your child's junior season, to get their name out to colleges.
"You have to take charge of promoting your kid," Theresia said. "You're selling your athlete and the reward is a five-year school to play for, getting an education and doing something they love.
"But you have to educate yourself with the Web sites. Know how to get a hold of the coaches and stay in contact with them -- don't be afraid to call them. Let them know when you're coming, stay in contact with them, and make sure you're on top of it.
"Don't wait for somebody else to step in and do it for you."
