Sleeper of the Day, and a Big One

MARQUES PAIR, offensive line, Sumter (S.C.) High

At first glance, you wonder how Sumter High offensive lineman Marques Pair could ever be considered a sleeper. Hey, he’s 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds; he almost blots out the sun. How could you miss him?

“And he is very, very athletic,” says Grayson Howell, Sumter’s offensive coordinator. “And yet he hasn’t received one offer.”

That may all be changing. Monday, Pair was one of three offensive line MVP’s at Tennessee’s camp in Knoxville. The other two were well-known prospects. But while Pair was knocking down DEs, the assembled coaches had to be saying, “Who the heck is this guy?”

Howell will be glad to tell you.

“He’s so athletic that in the ninth grade he was actually a tight end. He’s got very, very long arms. And he played basketball before tearing his MCL (medial collateral ligament). He put on 30 pounds last summer and did a great job at tackle for us as a junior.”

So where were the scouts?

“The biggest knock is that Marques doesn’t have enough upper body strength yet, but with his frame you know that’s going to develop. That’s kept the big schools from offering, and the smaller schools haven’t offered because they’re sure he’ll end up at a big school.”

Pair will indeed. His performance at the Tennessee camp is part of the awakening.

--Stan Olson

Our Sleeper of the Day item targets under-noticed Carolinas football recruiting prospects. As always, if you have a candidate, email me at solson@charlotteobserver.com.