Here's a thumbnail look at one of the high school players who is expected to sign with the Falcons Wednesday, LB Jhalil Croley.
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-3, 245
HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL: Cincinnati/Princeton
BY THE NUMBERS: As a senior Croley finished with 109 tackles and also had four fumbles forced, two fumbles recovered, six sacks and two interceptions. He was named All-Greater Miami Conference first team, all-city first team, and second team All-Tri-State (an all-star team that includes the best players from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio near Cincinnati). He also was named defensive player of the year in the city and All-Ohio second team in Division I.
WORTH NOTING: Croley comes to the Falcons from the same school as All-MAC linebacker Dwayne Woods. "Jhalil has the same type of work ethic that Dwayne has," coach Gary Croley said. "And they are the same type of linebacker: they come downhill at you. Hard." Coach Croley, by the way, is Jhalil's cousin.
HIGH SCHOOL COACH GARY CROLEY SAID: "I commend Jhalil's work ethic -- he has worked out starting at 5:30 in the morning during the off-season since his freshman year. Some days he tries to sneak in another workout after school -- no one will outwork him. He also studies the game. When he's watching a game, he'll call me with questions about why a team did this or that or what a player was trying to do and why. He's very athletic; on offense we used him at tight end, and he can block."
COACH DAVE CLAWSON SAID: "Princeton High School has been very good to us, because two starters -- Dwayne Woods and Jordan Hopgood -- came from there. Jhalil was very, very heavily recruited, with BCS offers and offers from more than half of the MAC schools. ... I know Jhalil broke some of Dwayne's records in high school, and he'll be out to break his records here, and that will be a fun competition."
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