Sherrod eyes Irish

When Derek Sherrod received word from his high school coach to call the coaches at Notre Dame, the 6-foot-6, 302-pound offensive tackle from Columbus, Miss., wasn't sure what to expect. But, he was pleased with the outcome.

"My coach told me that the coaches at Notre Dame would like a phone call from me and that they might have good news for me," Sherrod said. "Me and my mom called and talked to coach (John) Latina and (Bernie) Parmalee and eventually we got to talk to coach (Charlie) Weis. He said they really wanted me and that he was offering. It came in the mail three or four days later."

The chat with Weis left quite an impression on Sherrod.

"It was an honor to talk to a man of his caliber," he said. "I was ecstatic (about the offer) from a school of that stature; it was a great feeling."

In addition to Notre Dame, Sherrod holds 11 other offers including scholarships from Mississippi State, Ole' Miss, Florida, Miami, Louisville and Michigan. He's only had the chance to see a few of those schools firsthand.

"The only ones I've been able to see is Mississippi State (where his brother plays), Florida and Ole' Miss," he said. "I made plans to go and see the coaches at Notre Dame this summer."

That trip could comes this month.

Sherrod is very interested in checking out South Bend, but this isn't the first time he's thought about the Irish.

"Everybody at some point in their life imagines playing for the Fighting Irish," he said. "It's a school with great tradition and they do have the most national championships."

Following his summer visits Sherrod hopes to make a decision, but he also said that the process could drag out to the end of his senior season.

He carries a 3.5 grade point average and scored 23 on the ACT.