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Jason Pughe
Updated March 14, 2009...
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T.J. Leifheit is a 6-7, 300 pound tackle from Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Hoggard is a traditional powerhouse in North Carolina and won the state title during Leifheit’s sophomore season. Leifheit has already received offers from a number of elite college football programs but he’s waiting to hear back from a few other schools.
“I have offers from North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, East Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson, Texas Tech, Cal, Florida State, Tennessee, Maryland, Arkansas, LSU, Boston College, and there’s others but I can’t remember them all,” said Heifheit. “I’m also hearing from Alabama right now and they saw my film and really liked it. They need to show it to the offensive line coach. I’m also waiting to hear back from Stanford, Georgia, and Southern Cal.”
Currently there is one school that has recruited Leifheit the hardest.
“North Carolina is recruiting me the hardest and they were the first to offer me,” he said. “I talk with Coach Pittman mostly but I talk to someone at North Carolina at least two to three times a week.”
Despite all of Leifheit’s impressive offers, he’s not ready to name a favorite. Originally born in New York, he moved down to North Carolina at an early age. Growing up, there was one school that caught his attention every Saturday.
“Right now I don’t have a list of top schools,” he said. “I grew up an Ohio State fan and that’s actually another school I am waiting to hear from. They just got my film so we’ll see what happens. I couldn’t honestly tell you why they were my favorite team growing up; I just liked them. I’m originally from up north and Ohio is close by. Since there aren’t a lot of colleges near there, I guess you could say that Ohio State is one that was close in the area.”
Leifheit has a number of things he is looking for in each school. As of late, the state schools have done a good job of keeping North Carolina talent in state. For Leifheit distance doesn’t seem to be a factor, the main thing is finding the right fit.
“The biggest thing for me is education and I want to go to a school where a degree from there is going to help me after I finish playing football,” he said. “The other things important to me are coaching, facilities, and the football tradition of the program. Location isn’t a big thing for me because I want to find the best fit. If it’s here, or California, or Florida, if that’s the best fit that where I’m going to play.”
The next few months will be extremely busy for the talented offensive lineman. Not only will it be a busy time but also an important time since Leifheit plans on making his decision this fall. Graduating early will allow him to practice next spring and hopefully prepare him to make an instant impact for the college of his choice in 2010.
“I’m not going to any camps this summer but I am going to take some unofficial visits to some spring practices,” he said. “I’ve already been to Wake Forest, Duke, North Carolina, and NC State. In the next couple of weeks I’m going to hit some out of state schools like Cal, Tennessee, and Florida State. I’m plan on making my decision in October. It’s a little bit earlier than most people but I’m also going to be graduating in December.”
*Special thanks to Rivals.com for allowing us to use Leifheit’s picture*