Presenting our first Football Sleeper of the Day

We’re starting a Sleeper of the Day item that will target under-noticed Carolinas football recruiting prospects. It will run regularly to start with, then morph into a Sleeper of the Week and finally, as we exhaust the possibilities, maybe into a Sleeper of the Every Now and Then. As always, if you have a candidate, email me at solson@charlotteobserver.com.

CHRISTIAN INSLEY, Linebacker, Gastonia Ashbrook

Insley is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound inside linebacker who is starting to attract considerable notice from BCS schools.

Right now, his only offers are from Akron and Buffalo, but a number of schools have recently dropped by during the spring evaluation period, including Clemson, East Carolina, North Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina and Wisconsin, and he plans to visit the summer camps of most of those programs.

Among other schools that are expressing interest are Duke and Louisville (he’ll attend their camps), Michigan State, Nebraska and Stanford. What is attracting their attention is Insley’s combination of speed (a 4.7-second 40), strength (300-pound bench-press) and academics (a 3.75 grade-point average).

On the field, he was an impact player as a sophomore, with 83 tackles and six sacks. Last season, Insley was in on 87 tackles, including three sacks, and had two fumble recoveries and an interception.

Watching video of Insley, you see a player with the speed to play sideline to sideline but who also knows when to “stay at home,” or remain in the coverage area he is responsible for.

Oh, and he sings in the chorus as well.

--Stan Olson