Wednesday, Aug. 08, 2007

Local football star picks Clemson

Loris High rising senior Jonathan Willard verbally committed to play college football for Clemson today at the high school.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound hard-hitting linebacker is rated by Rivals.com as the 10th best prospect in South Carolina's 2008 class, and the No. 16 outside linebacking prospect in the country.

As a junior last season, Willard registered 130 tackles, including and also used his speed - sub 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash - and size to play running back for the Lions.

Willard chose Clemson over other interested schools that included North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

- Read more in Thursday's edition of The Sun News. Check MyrtleBeachOnline.com this evening for video from the announcement.