Arundel WR Lemon thinking Orange

by Aaron Gray
agray@digitalsports.com

The summer is just about over and the Alec Lemon football college tour has wrapped up.

The Arundel High School senior officially started football practice at the Gambrills school Saturday but wanted to take care of a little business before he put the green and white back on.

Lemon went to 10 different college camps and combines across the country over the last few months and on Friday, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver accepted a full scholarship offer from Syracuse University.

"I just felt it was a place I could see myself at for the next four to five years," said Lemon, who had 70 receptions, 969 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for an Arundel squad that advanced to the Class 4A state championship in 2007.

"Everything up there made me comfortable. The coaches were nice and I just liked the program. As soon as I got there, I felt a connection."

Lemon chose Syracuse over an offer from Delaware. James Madison, Richmond, Vanderbilt and UConn also showed interest.

"I'm very happy for Alec and his family," Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz said Saturday.

"There's a lot of kids that say they want to do that and all they do is say that. Alec decided he wanted to do it and that was his focus. He's traveled the country, he's gone to combines, he's hired a personal trainer to make him faster. He's done everything he had to do and now look at him."

Working the college football camp circuit taught Lemon a lot and exposed him to the other talents in the country.

"It was a long summer," Lemon said. "But finding Syracuse and making the right decision is a big relief. There's a lot of stress off my shoulders and now I can focus on my senior year."

Visiting colleges during the summer is nice, even the schools in up-state New York. But the weather changes a little bit during the football season, something Lemon said did not affect his decision.

"I grew up in Colorado so I don't have a problem with the snow," he said.

In 2008, Lemon will headline a strong corps of receivers for the Wildcats, which also includes Sean Fitzgerald, Ronnie Harris and Auraum Nuiriankh. Junior quarterback Billy Cosh has been described by Markiewicz as a "pure passer" and Arundel's no-huddle, four- and five-receiver sets will be in full stride when the Wildcats host Broadneck to open the season Sept. 5.

"I can see (Cosh) as a Nick Elko, he just needs some varsity experience under his belt," said Lemon, who averaged 14.1 yards a catch every time he hooked up with Elko (Delaware State) last year. "We've been throwing during the summer and we're getting our timing down."

To the rest of the state's surprise, Arundel (13-1) made a spirited run towards the state title game last season but fell to Quince Orchard, 36-30. It was the Wildcats' third appearance in the state championship -- they won it in 1975 and were runners-up in 1979 -- and it was also the fifth straight season Arundel advanced to the playoffs.

Check out more video interviews, a photo gallery and in-depth coverage of the Arundel football team when the team's official DigitalSports preview comes out on Wednesday, Aug. 20.