Meade Co. QB drawing UKs attention
BRANDENBURG, Ky. - The letters arrive on almost a daily basis.
They come from schools like Stanford, Tennessee, West Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Kentucky and Louisville.
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Some schools write daily.
Others are more personalized than others.
It is a position Meade County High School junior quarterback Blake Powers has always wanted to be in, to be wanted by Division I schools looking for someone to lead their offense.
Most letters say the same flattering things.
"It's been a fun thing to go through,'' the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Powers said. "Some days you hear from somebody new.''
At this point, Powers is most serious about Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
The list could grow with a big senior season.
"Most of the schools that have shown a lot of interest in me are close to home,'' he said. "When you're picking a school, there are a lot of factors to consider. They all seem to be good schools.''
Powers has attended a Nike Camp in Chapel Hill, N.C. and been to the spring games at Kentucky and Louisville.
He was invited to and attended Junior Day at the University of Tennessee.
Wake Forest will visit Meade County High School Tuesday and Indiana will be there Wednesday as Powers goes through a workout.
Not bad for a 17-year-old who was told as an eighth-grader that he wasn't good enough to play the position.
Now he's in demand by several Division I schools.
"When I was in the eighth-grade everybody told me I had a gifted arm,'' Powers said. "And the coach told me I wasn't good enough to play quarterback. I always wanted to play quarterback. That has really fueled my motivation ever since.''
Instead of playing quarterback, he was a receiver on a Conference Championship team.
The next year at Meade County, he was at quarterback for the freshmen and junior varsity teams.
It wasn't until last year when Powers became a starting quarterback.
"When I finally got my chance, it came in a year when Meade County had more talent than they'll probably ever have,'' Powers said. "I happened to be in the right place at the right time. It wasn't all about me.''
Right now Powers is weighing his options for a college home, in no hurry to make a decision.
He says he has felt comfortable with Kentucky's coaching staff.
"They're a great bunch of guys,'' Powers said. "I've talked a lot to (offensive coordinator) coach (Brent) Pease and the coaches just seem to know a lot about kids and what they're going through.''
Football runs deep in the Powers' family.
Blake's father, Dan, was a tight end at Indiana University, graduating in 1979.
Now Indiana is targeting his son.
"My whole life I've wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and go to Indiana,'' he said. "He's always been my hero.''
Now his options are many when it comes to making his college choice.
He says it is unlikely he will commit to a school early. The national signing period is in February.
"The Nike Camp (in April) really set me off (with schools),'' he said. "A lot of schools have given me a look since then.''
Aside from his on-field talents where he threw for 1,129 yards and 11 touchdowns as Meade County reached the region final last season with road wins over St. Xavier and North Hardin, Powers also excels in the classroom where his grade-point average is around 3.8.
Powers has already scored high enough on the ACT to be academically eligible as a college freshman.
His work, in many ways, is just beginning.
He plans to attend summer camps at Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville and Tennessee and then try to get Meade County back into the state playoffs in the fall.
"Right now I'm just working out and lifting and trying to get stronger,'' he said. "I'm just trying to get better.''