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When the mail arrives at the home of Kadeem Custis, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound athlete knows the biggest pile is his.
The Neumann-Goretti senior-to-be has some of the nation’s top Division I football programs hot on his recruiting trail. Scholarship offers are on the table from Temple, Duke, West Virginia, NC State, East Carolina and Pittsburgh. Maryland and Vanderbilt also are showing interest.
"It’s going to be real tough," Custis said of his impending decision. "I am still sorting through all the schools right now. It’s all up in the air right now."
The defensive end/offensive tackle from 32nd and Dickinson streets has made unofficial visits to seven of the schools on his list this summer, including Pittsburgh, West Virginia and NC State. Once the 2008 Catholic League football season comes to a close, the 17-year-old, said he will make his five official visits, spending a weekend on each campus with the players and meeting with the coaches.
The irony of all this attention is, as a rookie, Custis didn’t see his football career going beyond the high school level.
"As a freshman, I was just focused on being a good high school football player," he said. "Now that I’ve gotten to this point, I still can’t believe I am getting all this attention."
Custis earned All-City and All-Catholic recognition for his play junior year. Scout.com, a college recruiting Web site, has the athlete ranked 31st nationally at offensive tackle. The prospect said Pittsburgh is recruiting him to play offensive line, while the others see Custis playing defensive end. The interest level is so high Neumann-Goretti coach Bill Sytsma said his cell phone has been ringing nonstop.
"I have spent more on long distance over the last six months than I ever had in my life," Sytsma said. "He works hard so he deserves it."
Being such a highly touted prospect comes with its share of pressure to score high marks as a student-athlete. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the situation, the Neumann-Goretti standout is motivated to succeed.
"It makes me want to go harder knowing that I have something to prove to my family and friends," he said. "I have to stay focused on my grades so I can be eligible."
Trimming the growing list of suitors will be tough and luckily its a task Custis doesn’t have to do on his own. Mom Jeanette Miller and uncle Ernest Wilson are helping sort through the interested parties. Schools that offer physical therapy/kinesiology as a major and are an easy commute for family will earn high marks. Custis added he is looking for an ethnically diverse campus.
"I am going to sit down with my mom and my family to see how the schools are academically and the best way for my mom and other family members to get there," Custis said.
West Virginia is where former teammate and 2008 Neumann-Goretti grad Chris Palmer is attending. Custis is under no pressure to pick the Mountaineers.
"He just wants me to see the campus," the athlete said of Palmer.
The Neumann-Goretti coaching staff also is providing guidance.
"They’ve been helping me a lot," Custis said of his coaches. "They tell me you don’t have to rush anything or commit early."
Before finalizing his choice, the lineman will look to close out his Catholic League career on a high note. With the Saints now being Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association members, there will be league, district and state titles up for grabs. It marks a big change from the previous three years where Neumann-Goretti battled for the Catholic League Blue crown.
"I think it’s great," Custis said of the new format. "We have a young team coming back. I like the whole PIAA thing."
This week, the athlete is in North Carolina participating in line camps at NC State and University of North Carolina. On his return, there will be another large stack of college brochures and letters to sort through. All this for someone who never envisioned putting on the helmet and shoulder pads after senior year.
"This is far above what I expected," Custis said.
