FOOTBALL
Bucks County Courier Times
Change is good.
And it was really good for La Salle High rising senior Grayson McKeough.
After never playing on the offensive line for the Explorers, La Salle's new coaching staff, led by head coach Brett Gordon, McKeough was given the opportunity to switch to offensive tackle before his junior season.
To say he took to the new position well would be an understatement.
A big understatement.
Switch to left tackle a huge move for La Salle's McKeough
"A year ago, Grayson was not on the radar of any big colleges," Gordon said. "Even last fall after a couple of games he really wasn't. Then he started coming into his own and showing what he could do.
"And now, he's one of the most desirable left tackles in the country that every big school program would love to have."
La Salle's McKeough was hesitant about switching positions
The 6-foot-8, 280-pound McKeough finds the whole transformation a little hard to believe.
"Honestly, I was a little hesitant at first to move positions," said McKeough, a Perkasie resident.
"In eighth grade I played wide receiver and in ninth grade I was a tight end and then as a sophomore I was playing defensive end, and I really liked playing defense.
"At the beginning of last season I was a little shaky, but after our first game I started to get the hang of it and really grew into the position."
Indeed, he did.
Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas the final three for La Salle's McKeough
So much so that McKeough has whittled his college choices down to three programs: Penn State, Notre Dame and Texas.
He has final visits planned to all three over the next few weeks (Penn State first, then Notre Dame and Texas) before it's decision time.
"I'm making my decision on July 1," said McKeough, who plans to major in business or pre-law.
"I don't want to wait any longer than that. All three of these schools have what I'm looking for and these official visits will be what decides it.
"I want to meet the players and get to know the coaches better and then we'll see what the best fit is."
Whoever gets him, according to Gordon, won't be disappointed.
"Every single offensive line coach that has come here to see him — Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, you name it — has raved about him," said Gordon, a 1998 La Salle grad and standout quarterback, whose team went 10-1 a year ago with the only loss coming against archrival St. Joseph's Prep in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game.
"Texas came in late to the recruiting process because they recognized how good he is. Texas doesn't recruit Pennsylvania because they don't have to.
"They recruit Texas and Florida. But the fact that they are here for Grayson says a lot. And all of the coaches from all of these schools that have come in have said they see Grayson playing football for a long time and they're not just talking about playing in college. That's what they think of him."
It's bigger, stronger, faster for La Salle's McKeough
McKeough, who is now taking boxing lessons to help with his footwork and coordination, played at 207 pounds as a freshman and was at 245 a year ago.
"He's just so athletic and has a great frame," Gordon said. "He's at 280 now and in two years he'll be playing at 330 and will be unbelievable."
Now, with school over, McKeough's decision is less than a month away.
"It is starting to sink in," McKeough said.
"I can't be more thankful for my coaches that trusted in me and assured me that switching to left tackle would be a good move. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's really worked out well for me."
Drew Markol covers local sports forPhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.