Delta lineman Kaleb Slaven, 71, is seeing his recruiting profile rise.
Even as his recruiting stock is blowing up, Delta offensive lineman Kaleb Slaven is still staying busy.
The 6-foot-5 offensive guard has already picked up four offers, most notably Ball State and Cincinnati. But as the school year winds down, he’s laid out a full camp itinerary for the summer months.
“I’ll be going to Purdue’s, IU’s, Michigan, Kentucky, Western Michigan, Miami of Ohio, I think maybe Toledo,” Slaven said. “Five or six (Mid-American Conference schools), be busy.”
In addition to the offers (he added Colgate on Wednesday), he’s also had some interest from Purdue, Indiana and Western Michigan. He already picked up a first-team offense spot at the Midwest Elite Big Man Camp and attended an exposure camp in Cincinnati (the staff helped him prepare a highlights package to distribute to college teams).
A starter as a sophomore, Slaven came on as a junior last season. To take advantage of size on the line that also included Luke Overfield (6-foot-4, 285), Eagles coach Grant Zgunda switched the team to a power-running, I-formation scheme.
All that did was produce 336.1 rushing yards a game, with Joe Spegal (1,960 yards, 30 touchdowns) carrying the load, often behind Slaven’s blocking.
“It was better for me because it shows my strength and power,” Slaven said. “A lot of double teams, can also show my one-on-one blocking. It’s just more of a strength offense rather than a spread.”
Slaven had played tackle in the team’s old scheme and moved inside to guard, and he’ll likely stay inside next fall. He said Cincinnati prefers him as a guard, but looked at him some at tackle, while Ball State sees him as more of a tackle.
He said he hasn’t set a timetable for his recruitment and when a decision might come. He also didn’t name any favorites. He did say he liked the direction Ball State is headed, especially in terms of facilities, and spoke highly of the consistency Cincinnati has found.
“Cincinnati wins a lot of games,” Slaven said. “Compete in their conference every year, goes to a bowl game nearly every year the past 10 years. That stands out quite a bit.”