HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Graduated from Merrillville (Ind.) High School ... one of 16 candidates for Parade All-America High School Football Player of the Year award ... one of nine running backs on Parade prep All-America team ... rated 19th on list of top 100 prep players nationally by USA Today ... rated 26th on Dallas Morning News list of top 100 players in the country ... rated 30th on list of top 100 players nationally by Chicago Sun-Times ... rated 47th on list of top 150 players nationally by CollegeFootballNews.com ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... rated 13th on list of top 20 players in Midwest on Detroit Free-Press Best in the Midwest team ... named to Indiana Top 50 all-state team by Indiana Football Coaches Association, as one of seven running backs ... rushed for 1,433 yards and 21 TDs on 237 carries as senior in 2005 at Merrillville High School in Merrillville, Ind... . caught five passes for 59 yards ... helped team to 11-3 record and semifinal of Indiana Class 5A playoffs ... finished with 3,808 all-purpose yards in two years at Merrillville ... rushed for 110 yards on 25 carries in semifinal loss to Hamilton Southeastern ... rushed 23 times for 227 yards and three TDs in earlier playoff game vs. Crown Point ... first-team running back in '05 on all-area team by Northwest Indiana Times ... listed 58th on '05 preseason list of top players in the country (and 10th among running backs) by The Sporting News ... rated one of top 100 players nationally on '05 preseason list by Lindy's ... one of 14 running backs on '05 national preseason top 100 list by CBS SportsLine.com ... rushed for 2,067 yards and 20 TDs on 281 carries as junior in 2004 ... also caught 11 passes for 190 yards and two TDs and threw a 36-yard TD pass ... accounted for 2,411 all-purpose yards as junior ... transferred to Merrillville from Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis, Mo., after his sophomore year ... junior high school teammate of fellow '06 Irish freshman Munir Prince ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January of '06 ... born July 6, 1987 ... high school coach was Jeff Yelton ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
