More college football powers offer Alexander

Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hanna defensive lineman Ben Alexander has seen his offer list increase to 17 schools, including a few more of college football's powers recently stepping forward with tenders.

"Some of my most recent offers are from Georgia, LSU and Texas," the 6-foot, 285-pound Alexander said. "And I talked to Ohio State's defensive line coach and he offered me on the phone and told me the offer letter was in the mail."

Alexander, who bench presses 370 pounds, only plans to attend one camp this summer.

"I leave this coming Saturday and I'm flying to Austin, Texas," he said. "I'll be there from June 5th through June 8th. That's the only camp I'm attending this summer as of today."

Despite the fact that he's only attending one camp, Alexander still has a very busy summer ahead of him.

"I've already visited Duke and Clemson unofficially, and I have something set up with Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Notre Dame, Auburn and Tennessee. And I plan to set something up with Ohio State, too."

Alexander, who has yet to receive an offer from the in-state South Carolina Gamecocks, believes he makes up for his lack of height with other strengths.

"I'm not 6-foot-5, so I know how important other parts of my game are," he said. "I think I have good quickness and a good first step. I also think I have great leverage and good power in my arms and legs because I spend a lot of time in the weight room. Even in the off-season, I know how important it is to keep my edge. I also think I have great leadership skills."

Alexander has several items he's seeking in a school.

"I want to get the kind of college degree that I can walk into any job interview and be proud of," he said. "I also want to make sure I fit in with the players and the coaches because I'm going to be at a place for four years. And I want to compete for conference and national championships."

Alexander plans to choose his school after the season, unless some school manages to outdistance the others.

"My plan is to narrow my list of schools down to a top three-to-five schools after I take all my visits this summer, and then go to some games at those schools during the season," he said. "Then I'll probably decide sometime after my season. But it's possible I'll be blown away by someone and I could go ahead and commit this summer. I'll just have to see how everything goes."

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