Lining up for Terrell - a year early

There wasn't much interaction between Dominique Terrell and the host of college coaches who traveled to Osbourn Park High School last month for a quick meet and greet with Virginia's top-rated high school junior football player. And that was expected.

Technically, the coaches were forbidden by NCAA rules from talking with the prospective recruit, especially at any great length. Plus, Terrell is still a year away from making his decision final by signing his National Letter-of Intent.

But even if it was for just a brief hello, head coaches like Maryland's Ralph Friedgen, Virginia's Mike London, Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel still dropped by the Manassas high school to ensure that Terrell knew how interested they were in him.

It's a group that has plenty of company.

Terrell currently holds offers from 13 Division I programs: Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

With any college, Terrell has been up front from the start by stating he has no favorite.

What he's doing instead is taking everything in stride without getting too caught up in the hoopla that has made Osbourn Park a must-see stop on the recruiting trail.

When Beamer arrived at the school two weeks ago, Osbourn Park's student body was doubled over in excitement at the sight of the Hokies' highly accomplished coach in their hallways. Terrell, though, remained low-key through it all.

Then there was the arrival of Neuheisel in early January. When Terrell came down to Yellow Jacket head football coach Brian Beaty's office, he didn't initially recognize the Bruins' head coach until after introductions.

"This coach comes in or that coach comes in and Dominique says nothing," said Terrell's father, Zach Sr. "If you want to find out what's going on, you talk to coach Beaty."

Terrell is aware of the attention and is by no means aloof about it. It's just that there is still so much to consider before he makes a decision.

Terrell said sometimes he knew ahead of time what college coach was coming in. Other times, he did not.

But in either case, he knew something was up when he received word while in class to report to Beaty's office.

"It's just for a few minutes and then it is back to class," Terrell said.

Terrell has had opportunities to showcase his talents with other top-rated juniors, but so far has declined to commit to any combines or Junior Days. Last month, he was invited to participate at the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio, but he opted not to go primarily because college coaches were telling him the trip would be unnecessary.

"They've told him to not worry because they've seen what they needed to see," Zach Terrell Sr. said.

Coaching changes haven't affected a program's interest in Terrell either. When Mike London replaced Al Groh as Virginia's head coach, Terrell received a note from London within a few days after taking over that the Cavaliers' scholarship offer was still on the table. London, along with one of his assistants, came to Osbourn Park a week ago.

This past season, Terrell helped lead Osbourn Park to a 10-3 record and a spot in the Division 6 Northwest Region final. Playing quarterback, Terrell rushed for 1,317 yards and eight touchdowns and threw for 827 yards and nine touchdowns, despite being slowed by an ankle injury that kept him out of one game and part of another.

Colleges continue to recruit the 5-foot-10, 155-pound Terrell as an athlete, which means he could play a number of positions at the next level.

To keeping working on his speed and agility, Terrell has been training at Sports Network three days a week for 90-minute sessions. He's also maintaining his academics and preparing to take the SAT next month.

He's in good shape. Zach Terrell Sr. said that Terrell's grade point average combined with his pre-SAT tests he's taken would qualify him for admission as a freshman.

With coaches now prohibited by the NCAA's dead period to make in-person, off-campus contact with recruits, things have quieted down at Osbourn Park. But Terrell still stops by Beaty's office almost daily to pick up his recruiting mail to take home and add it to the growing stack that is already on the family kitchen table.

The interest and attention will only pick up now that colleges can close the books on their 2010 recruiting classes and start focusing more on next year's group. For Terrell, that can mean only one thing.

"One day this is going to be over, but this is going to be hard at the end," Terrell said.

Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-878-8052