SUCCASUNNA, N.J. -- Roxbury High School offensive lineman Angelo Mangiro is quickly emerging as one of the top prospects at his position in the nation and with that, comes the big decision of which program will land him.
The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder is a tremendous athlete (he's 271 points away from 1,000 career points in basketball) and he's leading the way for a redesign of his high school's athletic Hall of Fame. So obviously, he's in high demand.
Mangiro has scholarship offers from programs across the country, including Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, USC, Florida, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and North Carolina State, among others.
It's going to be a tough decision for the rising star and he's looking at each of his options in depth.
"My coach and I just made an Excel spreadsheet where we list all of the criteria," Mangiro said. "You can rate and then add it all together at the end. It's been pretty accurate so far."
Here are the four major factors Mangiro is considering.
Campus
"Is it in the city or is it more suburban-like. I want to look at the campus itself."
Distance
"I'm not going to just be looking at the distance from home to the campus, but also the schedule they play. The ACC and Big East are all in the East, so it's easy for my parents to travel to every game. You get into the Big Ten and it's more in the Midwest. But, talking to my parents, they said that's not really a problem that they would get out to games."
Championships
"[I am looking for a school that competes for] national championships, conference championships. At Roxbury, we do have a winning tradition, so I don't want to go to a program that is not going to have a chance to win."
Early playing time
"I understand that from a lineman's perspective, it isn't easy getting on the field as a freshman. I really don't mind redshirting or not redshirting and getting to play as a sophomore. I understand wherever you go, you have to put the pads on and hit and prove yourself, but I want to make sure there is opportunity and a fair playing field, so I am ready to go."
Many of the programs that are in the mix for Mangiro are from the Northeast and given the fact he is considering proximity to his home in northern New Jersey, he very well could end up at Rutgers, Penn State, Pitt or Boston College. However, Mangiro is not ready to narrow his options geographically at this point.
"I am not ready to say that quite yet," he said. "There are a lot of schools around here. But when I visit Florida or USC -- I have never been to Florida or to California. So, I don't know if I am going to like those places or the coaching style of those programs out there. Most of the schools I am looking at are in the Northeast, but there always are a couple of schools."
The program that has been recruiting Mangiro the hardest is the one that's the closest to home.
"The one that sticks out the most is Rutgers," Mangiro said. "I get a lot of mail from a lot of schools, but they've been on me since my freshman year. I remember my coach sent the tape out and one of the coaches got back to them. Sophomore year, I had a great season. They are always e-mailing my coach and my father, too. They've probably been the most active recruiting-wise toward me."
Wright has two visits locked in
Defensive lineman Marquis Wright (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) has nearly a dozen scholarship offers and said Thursday there are two schools that will definitely get official visits when he sets them up. Class of 2011 prospects can begin taking official visits during the season.
"Miami and Oklahoma," Wright said. "I also want to visit Florida State unofficially this summer. I honestly didn't know that Miami was recruiting me. It just sort of came out of nowhere. I have seen Miami play on TV plenty of times."
Penn State, Maryland, North Carolina State, Georgia, South Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, in addition to the Canes, Sooners and Noles, are among Wright's offers. The Nittany Lions and Terps have been recruiting him the hardest, according to Wright.
McEvoy getting ready
Athlete Tanner McEvoy (Oradell, N.J./Bergen Catholic) has been busy preparing to make the transition to full-time starting quarterback for his high school team this season.
The 6-5, 210-pounder, who has a big reputation as a seven-on-seven tight end/receiver, has offers from Miami, Minnesota, North Carolina, Duke, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, Maryland, Vanderbilt and Boston College.
McEvoy projects as a tight end or receiver in college.
JC Shurburtt covers recruiting for ESPN.com. He can be reached at jcsespn@aol.com.