toledoblade.com --

In his classroom at Rogers High School, Rams football coach Rick Rios has a desk that sits front and center.

Off to the side, near a bank of computer terminals, is a file cabinet, the contents of which have nothing to do with the subject (mathematics) he teaches.

This is "the Fred Davis drawer," used exclusively as a storage area for the hundreds of letters sent to Rios by colleges around the country who are interested in what a certain standout junior wide receiver might do for their teams.

In math terms, the algebraic equation would go something like hq + 2t = 20s (height times quickness plus twice the talent equals 20 scholarship offers).

Name the school, and Davis has probably received at least a few mailings from it, stored either here or at his home, where he has an even greater quantity of letters.

The 6-4, 215-pounder is considered one of the top high school receivers in the nation, and is getting attention worthy of that assessment. Thus far, 20 Division I schools have tendered scholarship offers.

Heading that list are offers from the schools Davis currently considers his top five - reigning national champion Ohio State, Miami (Fla.), Southern California, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Also on the offers list for Davis are Mid-American Conference rivals Toledo and Bowling Green; Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue and Minnesota of the Big Ten; Texas and Colorado from the Big 12; Maryland and Virginia from the Atlantic Coast Conference, plus Pittsburgh from the Big East, Kentucky from the Southeastern Conference and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Davis is just one member of a local, talented, athletic Class of 2004, which includes several current juniors who have been or will be recruited by Division I colleges.

That list includes St. Ursula Academy volleyball star Sarah Florian, St. John's Jesuit basketball standout Brian Roberts, girls basketball notables Nikki Smith of Northview and Jazlyn Davis of Bowsher, and Whitmer's outstanding football running back, Edwin "Petey" Hood, among others.

Davis first made a splash among recruiters when he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash time at a football camp held at Ohio State in the summer of 2001, before his sophomore season at Rogers. His stock climbed significantly when he was named the top receiver at the USA All-American Bowl combine held in January at the Alamo-dome in San Antonio. Texas offered him a scholarship on the spot.

Since that combine, Rios has had requests from more than 30 schools for game tapes on Davis. To date, every school that has received a tape has followed with an offer. Earlier this week the coach sent tapes to Nebraska, Alabama and Texas A&M.

"Sometimes it gets a little stressful when you're trying to make decisions and you can't tell people `no,'" Davis said. "You want to keep your options open. But it's not that hard really.

"I'm just trying to figure out what's best for me and to see what all the schools have to offer before I make my decision. A lot of different people come to you and try to be your friend. You try to at least be nice to everybody, even though you might not want to talk to them."

Just about the only major school that has declined to make an offer is Stanford, which has high academic qualification standards which Davis would not likely meet. Michigan and Notre Dame have taken a wait-and-see position on Davis, who recently boosted his cumulative grade-point average from roughly 2.0 after his sophomore year up to its current 2.33 with a 3.2 first-semester (two quarters) performance.

The cumulative mark will climb with Davis' third-quarter grades, which included an A- in algebra II, a B+ in chemistry, Bs in American history and psychology, and Cs in sociology and English III. He is also retaking an earlier English course in quest of a higher mark. He took his ACT college entrance exam last Saturday, and should receive results within four to six weeks.

"I think he's dealt with it pretty well," Rios said of Davis' reaction to the recruiting process. "I haven't seen a lot of difference in how he interacts with the other students. In fact, one of our complaints sometimes is that he treats himself too much like the other students. There's certain things that he's got to learn to stay away from and people he's got to learn to say no to.

"He's got to do his homework and not go out and have fun with his friends all the time because, if he gets carried away and messes up on his grades, even one quarter, it could be the end of his scholarship chances."

Athletically, Davis is in the midst of the track season, competing in the 110 and 300 hurdles, the long jump and on Rogers' 4x100 relay team. He was a City League champion in the 110s last spring, and was a state qualifier in both hurdles and the 4x100 relay. During the winter, Davis led the basketball team in scoring (14.7) and rebounding (8.4).

He received first-team all-district, All-City League and All-Blade honors for the 2002 season after leading the CL in scoring with 162 points in 10 games on 26 touchdowns and three two-point conversions. The running back/receiver/ cornerback rushed 151 times for 1,070 yards, and caught 32 passes for 520 yards.

Although Davis said he will likely wait until signing day in February to announce his college choice, he hopes not to let the recruiting pressure distract him from his personal and team goals for his senior season, which include becoming a better leader for his teammates and helping Rogers contend for a City League title.

For Florian, considered one of the nation's top high school volleyball players, the drama has been over since late February, when she verbally committed to reigning NCAA champion Southern California. She picked the Trojans over Pac 10-rival Stanford, which lost to USC in the NCAA finals last season.

A first team All-Ohioan the past two years after making second team all-state as a freshman in the fall of 2000, Florian has already helped the Arrows to three trips to the final four in Division I. St. Ursula lost in the state finals in 2000 and in the state semifinals the past two seasons.

The 6-1 Roberts, a superb point guard/shooting guard, has already received scholarship offers from Toledo, Bowling Green and Akron of the Mid-American Conference, according to St. John's coach Ed Heintschel, and will likely get many more after the summer basketball season.

Roberts started on St. John's top-ranked 25-1 varsity team as a sophomore in 2001-02, and helped lead the Titans to a 21-5 mark and the Divsion I state semifinals this past season, when he averaged 19 points per game and earned third-team All-Ohio honors. He was picked City League and the All-Blade player of the year, and was selected to the all-district first team.

Smith, a 5-8 guard who averaged 19.3 points per game, has received scholarship offers from three Division I universities, according to her father, Whitmer boys basketball coach Bruce Smith, who declined to reveal the schools. Nikki Smith led a young Northview squad to a 24-2 finish that closed in the Division I regional finals this past season.

Coach Smith said that his daughter may reach a decision as soon as a week from now at the earliest, and would prefer to make her choice before the summer season begins to eliminate the recruiting pressure. She was selected to the All-Northern Lakes League, All-Blade, and all-district first teams, and received special mention All-Ohio honors.

Bowsher's Davis, also a 5-8 guard, has received a scholarship offer from the University of Toledo and expects several more D-I college offers prior to her senior year. Ohio State and every school in the Mid-American Conference have shown interest.

Davis led the City League in scoring at 24.1 points per game en route to second-team All-Ohio honors in Division I. She was the All-Blade player of the year and shared the CL honors with Central Catholic senior Kelly Helvey.

Hood, a 5-11, 185-pounder who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, has yet to receive a scholarship offer, but Whitmer coach Dan Fought said that Toledo, Bowling Green, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Virginia have shown interest. Much will depend on Hood's remaining academic work, as he needs to improve on his current 2.15 grade-point average.

Hood is the Panthers' career rushing leader with 2,421 yards. He led the Great Lakes League with 1,246 on 202 carries and scored 10 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2001. He topped the GLL again last season with 1,175 yards on 213 attempts with 16 TDs, despite missing 21/2 games with an ankle injury and Whitmer (5-5) losing to five teams who were a combined 46-4 and ranked among the top 10 in either Division I or II. He also competes in the same four track events as Fred Davis.

Some other top juniors to watch next year include girls basketball players Mattie Mays of Scott, Kate Achter of Clay and Laura Markwood of Perrysburg.

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