2016 is 'Year of the Big Man'
- By GRANT TRAYLOR
HUNTINGTON - The 2016 high school football season is shaping up to be one of the biggest in recent memory for Tri-State teams.
That's because there are some big-time big men who are leading the way for several area programs.
The area has three offensive linemen committed to Power 5 conferences prior to the start of the season.
On the cover, those three linemen are featured: from left to right, Huntington High's Billy Ross, Spring Valley's Riley Locklear and Point Pleasant's Seth Stewart.
Ross, who committed to North Carolina on July 31, is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle that was rated first at his position in West Virginia by several scouting services. Ross burst onto the scene last season and continued his ascent with his performance in camps during the offseason.
Ross' physicality and strength are great assets and he worked this summer on agility that will help him at the next level with the Tar Heels.
Locklear, who committed to Tennessee on July 9, is a 6-6, 295-pound offensive lineman that is intriguing because, until the beginning of the 2015 season, he had always been a skill player, seeing time as a running back during his freshman season before morphing to tight end during his sophomore campaign with the Timberwolves.
Locklear's name really grew in the Adidas Georgia Showcase this year when he was named overall MVP, besting some of the nation's top prospects for the honor. The Spring Valley leader features terrific athleticism for his size and has progressed consistently in his early time as an offensive lineman. Given his relative newness to being an offensive lineman, Locklear has the most upside of nearly all offensive linemen in the eastern United States.
Stewart, who originally committed to Marshall before verbally committing to LSU on July 23, possesses the greatest size of any of the trio seen on the cover page of The Herald-Dispatch's 2016 Tri-State High School Football Preview.
Stewart certainly stands out in the high school football world at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds, but he is by no means just some big lineman.
The athleticism of Stewart and wide base have morphed him into a hot commodity in the recruiting world - one that LSU's Les Miles wanted badly.
These three players represent the signature players in West Virginia's Class of 2017, but they are by no means the only big men in the Tri-State that are gaining accolades.
Other senior offensive lineman who could find their names inked to a Division I scholarship by season's end include Cabell Midland's Hunter Hicks (6-2, 285 pounds) and Ironton's Tyler Webb (6-6, 300 pounds).
Along the lines, underclassmen are also gaining national attention with a pair of Class of 2019 prospects generating the most steam: Spring Valley's Doug Nester (6-5, 285) and Huntington High's Darnell Wright (6-6, 275).
The 2016 season is shaping up to be a memorable one. It will be the "Year of the Big Man."
