Custer's stock is rising
By Carl Lukat
Loudoun Valley High School offensive guard Matt Custer shined in the Vikings' freshly instituted spread offense last fall as a junior.
Custer's ability to pass protect, combined with his size (6-foot-5, 287 pounds) and upside – he's only played one season at the varsity level – has caught the attention of several Division I colleges.
“I've always been a bigger kid, so I thought my size could get me into the next level of playing college football,” Custer said. “I didn't know [which level]. I sent my tapes out to a a whole bunch of different colleges and coaches seem to like them. That's when I realized I could play D-1.”
While he has yet to receive an official offer, Custer said he began receiving letters of interest in February and has entertained visits from college coaches in recent months.
He participated in camps at West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, N.C. State and Liberty, and visited North Carolina and Duke in late June.
Custer said scouts like his footwork and technique and feel he can play anywhere on the offensive line, though he will need to bulk up even more to play tackle in college.
“It's pretty exciting and it's aggravating also,” Custer said of the recruiting process. “You see these kids that have all these offers and you know that you are as good as them if not better. And you're like, 'Oh man, I should have an offer from that school.'”
“But it's exciting to go around and see all the different colleges,” Custer continued. “You get to go out on the game fields and you know big players have played here before.”
Custer, also a thrower (discus and shot put) on the Viking track and field team, trains four times a week at Velocity Sports Performance in Ashburn. His senior high school season is nearing, with fall practices less than a month away.
The Vikings, coming off a 2-8 campaign in 2007, are in the process of hiring a head coach after Bruce Sheppard resigned in May for family reasons. Sheppard led Valley to a 35-27 record during his six-year tenure, including the 2005 National District title.
“It was pretty much a shock at first, but we are working through it,” Custer said. “We are going to work hard and get better.”
His team goals for 2008 are “to beat Stone Bridge and have a pretty good season and make it to the playoffs.” Individually, Custer aspires “to have a great season and be able to have a tape that would get me an offer from a school.”