May 15, 2009
T.J. Thorpe - Jordan (Durham, N.C.), Class of 2011 (Courtesy: Jordan High School)
Jordan sophomore T.J. Thorpe isn't even halfway through his high school career, but college coaches in football and basketball are taking notice of his athletic ability.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Thorpe may be one of the heaviest recruited prospects in the Class of 2011 from the Triangle.
Recently, Thorpe received his first offer, one from Duke football coach David Cutcliffe. However, Thorpe said the offer wasn't something he saw coming.
"It was completely unexpected," Thorpe said. "I was not expecting anything from them. I knew that they had been looking at me. I knew that they had some interest in me... But I was not aware that they would be offering anytime soon."
Thorpe took an unofficial visit to Duke on Wednesday with his parents.
"I sat down and talked to [Cutcliffe] and coach [Scottie] Montgomery for a while," Thorpe said.
The coaches talked with Thorpe and his family about school work, what a season would be like at Duke, plans for college, and other topics.
"It was all just real good fun," Thorpe said about the visit. "They're real good people. I enjoyed talking to them a lot. They're very easy to connect with, and they seem to have a nack for connecting with their players - both with on field things, as well as everyday life type things."
Thorpe plays five different positions for the Falcons - wide receiver, defensive back, running back, kick returner and punt returner - but Duke appears to be focusing on one position.
"Right now they're recruiting me as a receiver," said Thorpe. "They want me to catch passes when they need me to... Really they want me to be their go-to man."
Although Duke is the first school to offer Thorpe, other nearby schools are showing interest.
"I have been getting interest from [North] Carolina, as well as a few letters from Wake Forest," said Thorpe.
As he moves through the next season and towards his senior year, Thorpe will likely see more offers. He already knows what factors he is looking for in a school, though.
"First, I want to be in an atmosphere that I enjoy, and also I want it to be an atmosphere that my family is comfortable with as well," said Thorpe. "I want to be at a place where I can immediately come in and have a huge impact on their team, as well as them having a huge impact on me."
Thorpe added that he wants to be able to connect with the players and coaches, and that he would sit down with his parents prior to making a decision to discuss his options with them.
But could Thorpe already have a favorite?
"At Duke, when I went there yesterday, I felt all of those things," he said. "I'm not going to just go ahead and commit to them, but that is a place that I would like to look a little deeper into because they did show me all these things. They made me feel just like one of them."
Before Thorpe makes his commitment, he knows he has work to do in high school.
"First and foremost, I want to get stronger and faster," he said. "Each year I want to progress in catching as many passes as I can. I want to be able to just go out there and dominate."
Thorpe, an honor student, carries with him a 3.7 Grade-Point Average, something that makes him attractive to schools like Duke.
"Academics to me is the most important thing," he said. "I love playing football, but it's not always going to be there for me. I don't know what the future holds... I just want to keep doing what I'm doing in the classroom."
Thorpe also participates in a number of community service projects - such as volunteering at the North Carolina Soup Kitchen in Durham, working as a CAARE Center of Durham volunteer, and participating in service projects at Jordan.
His athletic accomplishments are also impressive.
Last season, Thorpe was an honorable mention selection to the PAC 6 All-Conference teams for both football and basketball. He also made the All-Region 2nd Team for basketball, and was named the VYPE Player of the Week in 2008.
At the 2008 National Underclassmen Combine, Thorpe ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver, and was named the Most Valuable Player for skill positions at the combine in 2009.
Thorpe said he wants to focus on football, but his basketball recruiting is also heating up.
"I was getting recruited by Virginia for a while," Thorpe said. Virginia's interest has fluctuated recently due to the coaching change after last season, but other schools - like Richmond, Bucknell and Oregon State - have expressed some interest in Thorpe as a basketball player as well.
"I'm willing to play both football and basketball, I do want to focus more on football, but I do have a real big interest in basketball as well," said Thorpe.
With two seasons left at Jordan, Thorpe has plenty of time to make his decisions about which sports to play and where. But he can assure everyone that he will work hard to gt to the level he wants to be at.
"I'm the type of person that, if you challenge me, I'm going to do everything to prove you wrong," said Thorpe. "I try to go 120-percent all the time."
Know of a local prospect that we should consider for "On The Trail," send us an e-mail to sports@wral.com.
This blog post is closed for comments.
