Duke Among Early Favorites For PA Product

Shawn Bodtmann played running back and linebacker for West Scranton High School as a junior, racking up over 1500 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for four touchdowns and was one of their main offensive weapons along with senior quarterback Matt McGloin. We caught up with Bodtmann and his head coach recently to check on his recruiting.

At 6-foot, 205 pounds Scranton, Pa., product Shawn Bodtmann could line up at fullback or linebacker at the collegiate levels. His recruiting is just getting rolling at this point, however several schools have started to show interest according to him and his head coach Mike DeAntona who we caught up with on Thursday night.

“Right now I’m hearing mostly from Pittsburgh, Duke, Louisville, Maryland and Boston College,” Bodtmann said. “They are all good schools and I would love to go to any of them, so I have no favorites at all right now.”

“I did go to see Pitt play Connecticut last season and the crowd was pretty good considering how hard it is for them to fill Heinz Field,” Bodtmann added. “I like the tradition of the program and think they’re an up and coming program.”

West Scranton Head Coach Mike DeAntona filled us in on what he’s hearing from college recruiters.

“Coach Brian Angelichio from Pitt loves his aggressive style of play and toughness,” DeAntona explained. “This is a kid that has started for me since he was a freshman and Pitt says they are looking at him as a possible fullback right now. Next Wednesday they’re going to have the defensive staff look at his film as well, so he may get interest there as a linebacker too.”

“I have talked to Syracuse and Boston College and they’ve essentially said the same thing about Shawn,” DeAntona stated. “He’s a great kid with a bright future ahead of him.”

Bodtmann reports a 92-percent GPA, bench presses 275 pounds, squats 450 pounds and dead lifts 465 pounds.