Top recruit Cyrus Kouandjio is set to sign soon

Cyrus Kouandjio is good enough right now to be the No. 3-ranked high school football player in the nation by CBS/MaxPreps recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

Lemming calls him "a prototype left tackle. He's thin at 300 pounds and very athletic. He has real good feet, long arms and quick hands. He's smart, aggressive and a hard worker. It's tough to find those guys."

However, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound senior offensive tackle from DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) is just scratching the surface of his immense potential, according to his coach, Bill McGregor.

"He's not there yet, but he's going to be a pro," McGregor told MaxPreps. "He won the skills test at the Under Armour All-Star Game (which included all the top offensive and defensive linemen). His potential is unlimited. Some day he's going to be able to do anything he wants."



The force behind one of America's premier programs for many years, McGregor adds an exclamation point when he says, "He has as much potential as any player I've ever had. He could go in the first round (of the NFL draft)."

Kouandjio was born in Cameroon, West Africa, but his family moved to Maryland when he was 4 years old.

"I don't remember much," he told MaxPreps. "I kind of picked up the (American) language pretty quick because I was such a young age."

Video of Cyrus Kouandjio

Cyrus and his older brother, Arie, couldn't play Pop Warner football because they were too big. They did, however, begin playing the sport for the Laurel (Md.) Boys and Girls Club when Cyrus was in seventh
grade and Arie in eighth grade.

"I played offensive guard and defensive tackle," Cyrus recalled. "They put me there because I was big. I started right away. They told me to block this guy and I did whatever they told me. It wasn't tough. They told me to get this guy and I got him. All I had to worry about was the gaps."



As a freshman Cyrus made the varsity at High Point (Beltsville, Md.). He was a two-way starter, but was not pleased with the season.

"We won zero games," he sighed. "I kind of got tired of that."

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As a sophomore he transferred to DeMatha because "I had heard good things and I knew they were winning."

He spent much of the year learning how to read plays and schemes and was able to start a couple of games due to an injury to another player.

As a junior, Cyrus benefited from a summer loss of 40 pounds and was able to start at offensive tackle and defensive end against a power-packed schedule.

"I always had around three pancake (blocks per game)," he said. "There were some serious players out there."



The powerful tackle really came into his own this year, blocking at an outstanding 90 percent, allowing no sacks and having as many as six pancakes in a single game. He was equally effective blocking for a run or a pass.

Being ranked No. 3 in the country "feels good," he said. "I'm grateful for that. It hadn't crossed my mind (that he could attain such lofty status)."

Colleges from coast to coast are recruiting him, because he not only has great size, but also great athletic ability. He can run 40 yards less than 5 seconds, bench press 360 pounds and has a 2.5 GPA.

He also is a student of the game, studying current and past NFL linemen such as Walter Jones and Jake Long.

So who is going to win the Cyrus Kouandjio Sweepstakes?

He has visited Alabama and New Mexico, and he will visit Iowa on Saturday. He also lists Southern California and Auburn in his top five, but said he has not scheduled an official visit yet. He plans to sign on Feb. 2.



Arie, a 6-6, 313-pound lineman, is a freshman at Alabama.

Arie told MaxPreps, "He's a real good player – real athletic. His upside is real crazy. I told him to make his own choice. I really meant it."

Cyrus said he is looking for a college with "good people, a good environment. I want to be able to trust the coaching staff, that they'll give me tools to excel my football knowledge."

He added that he wants to major in psychology with an eye on becoming a therapist some day.

His brother's presence has to be a plus for Alabama, but don't discount New Mexico, because Cyrus admitted, "I wouldn't mind helping them (turn their program around)," though we believe he will join his brother at Alabama.