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St. Petersburg Catholic dual threat Deondrea Lindsey was so effective last year at running the ball and catching it that many of the colleges recruiting him had as tough a decision as he did.
In their case, it was: running back or wide receiver?
Ultimately, it was that answer that helped Lindsey to make his choice.
Marshall University said running back.
Tuesday, Lindsey said Marshall.
"He picked them because they said they would use him at tailback," Barons coach Dan Mancuso said. "That's what he wanted to play."
Lindsey, who visited Marshall this past weekend, chose the Thundering Herd over USF and Rutgers. Mancuso said the Bulls were hoping to turn him into a flanker, a position that did not interest Lindsey.
It's easy to see why any school would want him as a flanker ... or a running back. Last season, Lindsey was third in the county in rushing with 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and was third in receiving with 605 yards.
Lindsey scored six touchdowns on passes and averaged a county-best 38.7 yards a catch. He was a first-team All-Pinellas County, All-Suncoast and All-State.
Lindsey (6 foot, 185 pounds) must still qualify academically to play next year. Mancuso said he has a core GPA of 2.3, but he has yet to attain the mandatory test score on his SAT, which he took again recently and will take again at the end of the month if he needs to.
"I think he'll get it," Mancuso said. "If he doesn't, they will take him as a Prop. 48."
NINE MEN IN: It can't be Tulane or Wake Forest every year, but that doesn't stop Gibbs coach Al Davis from flooding the college landscape with his Gladiators.
Today in the school's library at 9 a.m., Davis said nine of his players will sign with colleges to play football next year.
Davis has been a master at getting his kids college offers, however obscure some of those schools may be. Last year, he sent six players into the college ranks. In 2002, he had eight sign on national signing day (two others signed later).
In 2001, five Gladiators signed scholarships, with another five doing so in the months after national signing day.
Not bad for a team that has gone 12-19 the past three seasons, including 4-6 in 2003.
This year's list:
Wide receiver Deon Jackson, who had six catches for 112 yards, will sign with Florida A&M, which is preparing to move from Division I-AA to Division I-A.
Wide receiver Darrell Woods, who had nine catches, 240 yards and four touchdowns, will sign with Loras College, a Division III school in Dubuque, Iowa.
Wide receiver Jason Vazquez, who led the Gladiators with 27 catches, 367 yards and four touchdowns, will sign with Division II West Virginia Tech in Montgomery.
Offensive linemen Tony Eveland (6-foot-1, 275 pounds) and Tim Atwater (6-0, 270) will join three other Gibbs grads at William Penn University, a NAIA school in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Defensive lineman Janssen Hayes (6-3, 295) and linebacker Marece Farrar (6-2, 190) will sign with Division II Fort Valley State in Georgia.
Defensive end Tyler Calhoun (6-1, 175) will sign with the University of Virginia-Wise, an NAIA school.
Offensive lineman David Macfeat (6-2, 275) is signing with Si Tanka University, an NAIA school in Huron, S.D.