It’s hard to miss Andrew Steger. That’s how it goes for somebody who stands 6 feet, 7 inches.
College football programs no longer seem to be missing on the Fremont junior lineman. He’s captured the attention of some, having drawn scholarship offers from a couple of Division I schools.
Indiana University and Eastern Michigan University have offered the raw but agile 260-pounder, who started at left tackle and defensive end at 300 pounds for Fremont’s football team last fall.
“In January, me, my mom and my sister sat down and made highlight reels from my season. We decided that it would be a good idea to try and get my name out there,” Steger said during a break at the 8th annual Kent City Elite Invitational track meet last Friday. “So then we started posting on Twitter, reaching out to a bunch of coaches, going to a camp or two. And then they started reaching out to me. That’s kind of how it started.
“It’s kind of weird – it doesn’t really feel real, kind of. I don’t know, I guess it hasn’t really hit me yet. It doesn’t feel real.”
Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
Steger’s frame suggests that he could be molded into a college football prospect. The fact that he’s run the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds at the size could catch people’s attention, too. He was a first-team All-West Michigan Conference Lakes Division selection as a defensive lineman.
Steger admits that strength is an area where he still has some work to do. His current maxes are 265 pounds in bench press, 275 in power clean, 455 in squat and 600 in deadlift. He’s still looking to get faster and more agile.
The three-sport athlete, who also plays basketball, is a solid student as well with a 3.3 GPA.
Forty pounds is a lot of weight to lose, but Steger attributed it to “running and jumping a lot” in during basketball season.
It appears as though Steger is just scratching the surface of what he could become.
Photos by CatchMark
“Andrew has had a big spring recruiting-wise. Starting during spring break, he began visiting some schools at the tail end of the spring practices,” Fremont football coach Jared Hudson said. “Ferris and GVSU were a couple of his first visits, then he got invited to some of the MAC schools in the state and Ball State.
“After his Eastern visit, coach (Chris) Creighton called him to offer. Indiana reached out and got him to go down there a couple weeks ago and they offered during his visit.”
While he appreciates the attention and opportunities from both schools, the IU offer was an eye-opener to Steger.
“That was shocking. I really don’t believe it – still don’t. I don’t know, I just really didn’t expect it,” he said.
One peek at his track and field profile on Athletic.net may tell a little more of Steger’s story. While his times in running events and distances in the throws may not jump off the screen, the fact that he has competed in the 100-meter dash and long jump at his frame in addition to shot put and discus gets one’s attention.
During a recent meet at Fremont, Steger ran the 100 in 14.17 seconds and long jumped 13 feet, 11.75 inches. He’s raw in the throwing events still, and his best efforts this season are 108-9.5 in discus and 41-3.75 in shot put.
In football, he’s also looking to improve his technique, particularly with hand placement and pad level.
These are busy times for Steger and things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Steger said he doesn’t really have a timeline on when he might make a decision on his college future.
“Overall, he has been very busy and I am expecting this month to continue to be busy in our school as coaches are on the road stopping by,” Hudson said. “Andrew will then schedule some officials in June and start narrowing down his focus on the schools he feels are a best fit for him. I am very happy for him and proud of him.”
