Koonce taking advantage of opportunities

Carlton Koonce, by way of Rancocas Valley Reg. HS (Mount Holly, NJ), stands at 5-foot-8 and 165-pounds. Koonce, who recently impressed at the BigTime Showcase held at Rutgers Stadium last week, will be making the rounds in an effort to garner his initial scholarship offer.

Carlton Koonce stands at 5-foot-8 and weighs 165-pounds. The south Jersey running back attended and performed in the BigTime Showcase held last weekend in an effort to increase his recruiting exposure. One would have to think that if running a pair of 40s, each sub 4.5 seconds, would help sway some of the attention his way. Koonce not only topped 4.5 seconds, but he also clocked in at 4.37 seconds during his second attempt, recording one of the top overall times of the entire combine.

"I thought it was a very good opportunity to showcase my skills and show what I can do out there," stated the well-spoken Koonce. "I'm trying to get more colleges interested in me and I wanted to go out there and really showcase my speed."

In addition to his individual testing, Koonce also ran smooth routes and displayed very good hands, showing a potential ability to play the slot at the next level. The idea of course, is that colleges and recruiters take notice.

"The process has been picking up a little bit now. Coaches are stopping by to visit the school. Quite a few colleges have come in and are showing interest in me," continued the Garden State speedster.

Among the schools are a pair from the Big East Conference. Both Connecticut and Rutgers have expressed interest and the Huskies are slated to drop by the school either this or the upcoming week. In addition to the aforementioned schools, Minnesota will be dropping by next week. "A lot of 1-AA school are also showing a lot of interest," stated Koonce.

Perhaps the school closest, geographically speaking, to Koonce are the Owls of Temple, a program that has been revived with newfound life in recent years. "I'm going to Temple for their Junior Day this Saturday. I'm really excited about that also," stated Koonce.

Still in May, no summer camp schedule is completely finalized at this time, though most prospects have at least pondered the idea of where they intend to camp in June. At the top of Koonce's list are Temple, Boston College, Rutgers, and perhaps New Hampshire.

Koonce will also be attending the upcoming Scout.com Camp in Baltimore, on June 3rd.

A football player by fall, Koonce is a two-sport star, participating in track during the spring semester. He participates in the long jump (20-feet 3-inches), triple jump (40-feet 4-inches), 200-m (23.5 seconds), and 100-m sprint (11.00 seconds).

When not performing athletically, the Mount Holly native is busy with schoolwork. "I pride myself on my schoolwork. I take pride in all my studies." Already fully qualified Koonce currently finds himself in the top one-third of his nearly 600-student class, with a GPA exceeding 3.0.

Matei may be reached at [e-mail]