By: Sam Webb (DetNews.com) –

Cheering for Michigan can be an unpleasant experience when you do so from behind enemy lines. Such is life for one of the top junior prospects in the country, Springfield, Ohio, linebacker Trey DePriest. The Buckeye State star is considered a Benedict Arnold in his own home when November rolls around and the Wolverines do battle with their arch rivals.

“He’s not allowed to be there that day,” said DePriest’s mother Angela, a devout Ohio State fan.

“He’s got to go somewhere else and watch the game because we can’t be in the same house,” she added with a laugh.”

That somewhere else is often the place where he first developed his appreciation for the Maize and Blue.

“It was one of my friend’s dad,” DePriest said. “Trey Thomas is my friend and his father is John Thomas. I’ve been playing football with his son and I was always over there. He actually goes to (Huber Heights) Wayne (a rival school), but that is my real good buddy and we’ve always been cool. He had me watching (Michigan) and I’ve always liked them.”

That distinction is certainly something Michigan has tried to build on. The Wolverines leveraged their status to get DePriest to their one-day Elite Camp last summer. Despite being one of the few junior prospects in attendance, he stood out as one of the event’s top performers. That, however, is par for the course for this explosive athlete.

DePriest wreaked havoc on opponents in 2009, notching 101 tackles, including 10 for loss, and seven sacks. He also doled out punishment on offense, rumbling for 812 yards and 13 touchdowns. It was that kind of impact play on both sides of the ball that caught the attention of the who’s-who of college football. From the onset of each of them showing interest, DePriest made it clear that he was open to all comers and that his boyhood affinity for Michigan would not afford the Wolverines any special consideration.

“I can’t lie, I’ve been a fan of Michigan growing up, but that doesn’t mean that they are my school of choice at this time,” DePriest told Scout.com. “I’m going into this with open eyes. I want to go where I can play early and go to a school that has a winning tradition. I like to win. I’m going to treat them just like all the rest of the schools. I have to go through the process with eyes wide open. I’m just looking at everything. Another school might have something that Michigan doesn’t.”

That openness is music to the ears of the increasing number of college coaches beating down his door. DePriest has collected 18 offers from schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. That list is destined to grow in the coming months as more bear witness to his terrific blend purchase antibiotics online of size and speed.

Currently rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com, DePriest lived up to that billing at the recent Under Armour All American combine in Orlando, Fla. He measured in at 6 foot 2 and 225 pounds, vertical jumped 32 inches and did 28 reps of 185 pounds. In one-on-one drills, his 4.55 speed in the 40 and outstanding quickness allowed him to cover the nimblest of backs like a blanket. When the dust settled, Under Armour officials recognized him as one of the combine’s top performers and extended one of the first invitations to next year’s Under Armour All American game. Back home in Ohio, the flow of mail already flooding in turned into a tidal wave.

“(Recruiting) has been busy,” DePriest’s mother said. “Very, very busy. Very hectic. The mail is just crazy! We’re just gathering information right now. We’re going to sit down together later in the year and probably get his top five and go through that process together.”

A major part of the vetting process will be unofficial campus visits. During the fall DePriest took in games at Ohio State, Cincinnati and Michigan, and plans to see those schools and many more on their respective junior days in the coming months.

“The main thing is if they’ve got what I want academically,” he explained. “One of my coaches told me something and I got to thinking about it. Knock on wood, if I got hurt would it be somewhere that I’d want to stay for four years?”

DePriest’s suitors are very limited in how they deliver their sales pitches since it is against NCAA rules for coaches to initiate phone contact with junior prospects. That’s why their visits to his school and his visits to their campuses are so key. Both measures have helped Ohio State make a huge push of late.

“They’ve been on me for real,” DePriest noted.

The Buckeyes’ cause may also be getting a little help from another highly touted prospect. Huber Heights Wayne quarterback Braxton Miller is one of the top recruits in the 2011 class, and though not a commitment to the Scarlet and Gray, many pundits consider the dual-threat signal-caller to be a heavy Ohio State lean. He also happens to be one of DePriest’s longtime friends.

“We talk about (going to the same school) all the time, for real,” DePriest admitted. “It would be a plus because I got my boy and we’d be playing together, but it comes down to both of our own decisions of where we want to go. It’s not that serious.”

DePriest insists his recruitment is long way from the serious stage. He plans to steer clear of confining himself to a timetable for determining the best fit.

“Whenever I feel like I need to make that decision, that’s when I’m going to make it,” he said. “I’m not in a rush.”

Sam Webb is managing editor of GoBlueWolverine.com and co-host of the “Michigan Insider” morning show weekdays on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA

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