Rivals.com Rankings
Rivals100 for 2007: No. 7 overall
Rivals.com weakside defensive ends: No. 1
Rivals.com South Carolina top 25: No. 1
Five-star defensive end Carlos Dunlap is excited about the opportunity to show his skills on the national level. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder plans to participate in the East-West All-American Bowl in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 4.
Rivals.com is the official selection partner for the game. The all-star matchup will be televised live on ESPNU.
"I think it's a really big honor to be invited," he said. "It's great for me because I see that all my hard work is really paying off. It's going to be fun to play against some great competition. Everyone is the best from their state and city."
Five facts about Carlos Dunlap
? Personal hero is civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
? Sports hero is Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens.
? Second favorite sport is basketball.
? One of two five-star prospects from South Carolina this year, the other being Duncan Byrnes quarterback Willy Korn.
? Admires former president Abraham Lincoln.
Without a doubt, Dunlap has been the fastest rising recruit in the country this season.
"I can't explain what the difference is this year," he said. "All I know is that I felt like I did a really good job in the big rivalry games we played this season. My coach needed me to get the season started right and I did by returning a kickoff 95-yards for a touchdown. Since then I've done well in every game I've played, and I think it helps this year now that I'm getting more recognition."
It's hard to ignore the South Carolina lineman's statistics. His numbers are mind-boggling for a defensive end.
"This year I've had 104 tackles, one interception, 16 sacks and 34 tackles for loss," he said. "I finished up the year a couple weeks back and feel like I did pretty well. I can tell I really improved on my strength and speed this season."
At this time, Dunlap hasn't narrowed his list at all and continues to hold offers from a wide variety of schools including Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, South Carolina and more.
"I just want to play up to my reputation in the game," he said. "I've been getting a lot more recognition recently and I want to prove it's not a fluke."
var CurrentYear = 2013;
