KINGS MILLS, Ohio - Jared Dorsa isn’t surprised by the amount of college recruiting attention his friend Matt Sichterman has received this winter.
Three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Thursday – the Kings football teammates can be found lifting weights at 6 a.m. at the school.
Dorsa, a senior linebacker signed with Ohio University, often looks up certain workouts on YouTube and puts them on the board in the weight room. Sichterman, a junior offensive lineman, never backs down.
“He hasn’t missed a single day,” Dorsa said. “We started right after the season.”
Sichterman, who is 6 feet 5 and 267 pounds, has also been proficient with his college recruiting. He has 19 scholarship offers entering Friday.
Cincinnati, West Virginia, Nebraska, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Colorado State, Kentucky and Illinois are just some of the schools that have offered. He’s projected to be a tackle by several schools. Ohio State has shown interest in him as a center.
“It’s been pretty crazy lately in the past couple of weeks,” said Sichterman, who turns 17 on Friday. “I’m just trying to balance things.”
Sichterman has done his homework. Twitter makes it convenient for him to interact with college coaches. Longtime coach Andy Olds also keeps in communication on the latest offers.
Text messages start to arrive in the morning for Sichterman. He may hear from three to four coaches by mid-day. He will call a couple of coaches at night.
But, Sichterman isn’t allowing the process to overwhelm him. He sought out a Nebraska recruiter recently and told him he liked the locker room and player facilities the program has highlighted on YouTube. The coach offered him on Monday.
“Matt is playing the game,” Olds said.
Olds has been impressed with the composure of his young standout. Sichterman has a 4.4 grade-point average and a 30 on his ACT. He is interested in studying engineering. With those academic credentials, it's easy to see why the offers continue.
Olds can’t say enough about Sichterman and his family. Sichterman is a triplet.
His brother, Dan, is a junior defensive lineman who had 10.5 sacks last season for the Knights (11-2) and is earning college interest. Their sister, Megan, is a standout swimmer who won a state title in the 100-yard butterfly last season.
Matt’s recruiting has shed light on his brother and junior quarterback Tyler Knecht – both of whom will be highlighted to college programs.
Kings offensive lineman Matt Sichterman is a triplet. His brother also plays on the football team and his sister is a state title-winning swimmer.
Colleges have been impressed by Matt Sichterman’s sudden change of direction and movement on the offensive line. He gained 25 pounds starting midway through the season and played basketball this winter.
“It’s been fun,” Olds said. “It’s been interesting. His tape looks phenomenal.”
Sichterman had a 6,000-calorie diet, which included two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at breakfast and lunch and a protein shake, late last year. He did well on the basketball court this winter for the Knights, averaging 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Mark Porter, director of ScoutingOhio.com, said Sichterman is very athletic and very competitive and is a top-flight football prospect in Southwest Ohio for good reason.
“He has a long frame and quick feet – two assets that will let him play the edge in college and be able to handle big-time pass rushers,” Porter said. “He has room to grow and add weight which will give him power in college.”
Sichterman has taken weekend trips to UC, Miami University, Toledo and Ohio State. He’s planning to take in some spring practices and consider his options this summer.
Olds has no doubt Sichterman will make a solid decision when the time is right.
“I’ve said all along he would be the biggest recruit to come out of our program,” Olds said.
