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A source told ESPNBoston.com this afternoon that two more Class of 2013 recruits will be joining the UMass football program as walk-ons: Running back Shadrach Abrokwah of St. John's of Shrewsbury, and athlete Mike Rapoza of New Bedford High.

The 5-foot-8, 205-pound Abrokwah was one of the state's most productive backs last fall for the Pioneers, as they advanced to the MIAA Division 1 Central Super Bowl. In 2012, his first season as the Pioneers' full-time starter, he carried the ball 213 times for 1,540 yards and 22 touchdowns, with just one fumble; he also caught 21 passes for 437 yards and two more scores. Abrokwah has reportedly run a hand-timed 40-yard dash in the 4.5 range.

Rapoza was one of the more decorated quarterbacks from the South Coast region in 2012, most notably winning the Otto Graham Award as the best overall player in Southeastern Massachusetts. He threw for 15 touchdown passes, ran for two more, kicked 20 extra points, and was among the Whalers' leading tacklers at linebacker.

A source confirmed to ESPNBoston.com tonight that UMass has added two more in-state prospects to its growing list of preferred walk-ons for the 2013 season.

Bob McGovern of the Maroon Musket was the first to report that Worcester Tech offensive lineman Chris Sotir will be walking-on to the Minutemen's program. The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder was a captain for an Eagles squad that went 3-8 this past season.

The source also confirmed that former Brockton High standout Jesse Monteiro will be walking on. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder did a post-graduate season at Tabor Academy this past fall. In 2011 with Brockton, Monteiro caught 14 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and had two interceptions on defense. Monteiro was an impact at several positions last fall for the Seawolves -- most notably wide receiver, slotback, cornerback and kick returner -- but generally projects to either cornerback or slot receiver at the college level.

That adds to the growing list of Class of 2013 prospects set to walk-on. Sotir and Monteiro join Barnstable's Andrew Ellis, Dennis-Yarmouth's Joe Tyo, Dexter's Costa Toubekis, Medfield's Will Giggi, Mystic Valley's Klysmann Afonso, and Mashpee's Jordan Keli'inui and Zak Orcutt among the preferred in-state walk-ons.

Everett High Class of 2014 defensive back Lubern Figaro received an offer today from UMass, a source told ESPNBoston.com.

The Minutemen become the second Division 1 FBS school to offer the 6-foot, 180-pound Figaro, joining Boston College. Temple has also expressed interest in Figaro.

Figaro started all 13 games this past season for the Crimson Tide, alternating between strong safety and slot cornerback, as they captured their third straight Eastern Mass. Super Bowl title. Alongside seniors Jalen Felix, Gilly De Souza and Wisconsin signee Jakarrie Washington, Everett's secondary was considered the state's most feared.

Shortly after the 2013 recruiting class was signed, the Rutgers coaching staff met to discuss their needs for 2014. They determined that one of those needs was Jon Baker, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman from Millis High School.

Rutgers offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski extended an offer to Baker during a trip to Massachusetts earlier this month.

"I'm not sure how they heard about Jon, but he (Wroblewski) told me that after reviewing his film and looking at his transcript, based on their needs he would be a good candidate for their program," Millis coach Dale Olmstead said. "Then, when Holy Cross saw the update, they offered as well."

Before he received offers from Rutgers and Holy Cross, Baker had offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Harvard and Yale.

Baker plays right guard for Millis, but because of his height is projected to be a center in college. He played center for Millis as a freshman.

"Not only his height, but he has the football IQ to handle the position," Olmstead said. "He plays guard for us, but he makes all the line calls from that position."

Olmstead said Baker is interested in the medical field, and that he will likely visit Stanford this summer.

"He's getting letters from a lot of major programs, but Boston College has kept his interest the most," Olmstead said. "BC has him rated as the top lineman in New England, and they're constantly calling. They've lost some top talent from Massachusetts to other programs in recent years, and the new staff wants to keep those kids here.

"BC is his top choice right now, but that could change."

HENDREN ADDS OFFERS
February has been kind to Dexter School offensive lineman James Hendren.

Hendren, a 6-foot-7, 295-pound tackle, entered the month with no scholarship offers, but has since landed four: Holy Cross, Rutgers, Massachusetts and Old Dominion.

"Things are picking up," Dexter school coach Casey Day said. "He's really close with a couple other schools. I think he's going to visit Wake Forest and Duke during spring break, so hopefully he get offers then. We're still waiting to see what BC is going to do."

Old Dominion has also made an offer to Dexter School junior Dan DiNicola, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle.

TOP PAIR
Two Massachusetts players in the Class of 2014 are included on the ESPN Watch List: St. Sebastian's linebacker Connor Strachan and St. John's Prep running back Jon Thomas.

Strachan, who lives in Wellesley, has offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia and Wake Forest.

"The schools I think are close that we might visit soon are Penn State, Iowa and Rutgers," Strachan said.

Strachan's uncle Steve played at Boston College and in the NFL for the Los Angeles Raiders, and his brother Brian is a sophomore wide receiver at Brown.

Thomas, a Peabody resident who helped St. John's Prep win the Division I Super Bowl last season, has offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Maryland and Massachusetts. The Maryland offer came earlier this month.

"I got offered on the spot when I visited [Maryland] two weeks ago," Thomas said. "Maryland was very nice. Great facilities."

Thomas finished his junior season with 1,794 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 220 carries. He also caught nine passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

Recruiting information regarding high school or prep school football players in New England can be sent to Roger Brown at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.

Know this about Exeter (N.H.) High School kicker Logan Laurent: He's dedicated to his craft.

Even when he was talking to a reporter on the phone Wednesday night, Laurent had a football in the other hand practicing the correct way to drop the ball before a punt.

“I walk around the house with a football in my hand all the time,” Laurent said. “Stuff like that has to be second nature.”

Laurent's dedication paid off this week when he gave a verbal commitment to play for the University of Massachusetts. Laurent said UMass recruited him primarily as a punter and that his scholarship money will kick in starting with the 2014 season.

“They want me to join the program as a walk-on and be a red-shirt next season, then I'll be on scholarship for the next four years,” Laurent said. “That's unless I earn a starting job.”

Laurent helped Exeter win New Hampshire's Division I championship in his junior and senior seasons. The Blue Hawks beat Pinkerton Academy of Derry each year.

"Everything heated up pretty quickly with UMass after the season," Laurent said. "I kind of figured out that I wanted to play close to home, and it's cool that UMass plays its home games at Gillette Stadium.

"(UMass head coach) Charley Molnar has been at some big schools and I loved his energy. I think the program has a lot of promise."

The University of New Hampshire was the only other school that offered Laurent a scholarship. He said Dartmouth, East Carolina, Elon, Minnesota and North Carolina are among the other schools that showed significant interest.

“A lot of the bigger schools wanted me to spend a year in prep school,” Laurent said. “I kind of figured out that I wanted to play close to home. UMass is a little more distance from home than UNH, which gives me some comfort. UNH did a great job recruiting me.”

Laurent, who played varsity soccer as a sophomore, made 41 of his 42 extra-point attempts and four of five field goal attempts last season. Thirty-six of his 54 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

"He really works at it," Exeter coach Bill Ball said. "He travels all over the place to attend camps. He's also really athletic. If we had a decathlon at the school he'd win it. His upside, down the road, could be huge."

Although Laurent was better known for his kickoffs and place-kicking in high school, he said he isn't surprised UMass wants to bring him in as a punter.

“I have the build (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) of someone who will punt and handle kickoffs,” he said. “The smaller, quicker guys are better suited for field goals, because they can get the ball in the air in a hurry.

“They said I'd have the chance to compete for the placekicking job, but I'm just looking forward to playing college football at the highest level.”

COGGINS STILL UNDECIDED
With less than a month remaining before national signing day (Feb. 6), Sacred Hart (Waterbury, Conn.) wide receiver David Coggins is the highest-rated uncommitted New England recruit.

Coggins committed to Boston College in July, but de-committed in September. Coggins missed all of his junior season with an ankle injury, and was suspended for four games last season after his legal guardian received money from former Naugatuck High School coach Rob Plasky. Coggins had announced his intention to transfer to Naugatuck, but remained at Sacred Heart

ARMY STRONG
Everett's John Montelus, a four-star offensive lineman, suffered an injury to his left shoulder during practice last week and played a limited role in the East's 15-8 victory over the West in Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

“I didn't really recover that well, but I did get in there a little bit,” Montelus said. “I was basically blocking with one shoulder. There were a lot of Division I guys and it felt great to play against them. I liked the challenge.”

Montelus, the top-rated recruit in Massachusetts, has committed to Notre Dame.

Recruiting information regarding high school or prep school players in New England can be sent to Roger Brown at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.

It looks like former Catholic Memorial offensive lineman Garrett Fitzgerald will be playing football for the University of Massachusetts next season, but he sure took a roundabout path to get there.

UMass offered Fitzgerald a walk-on spot last week. Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound sophomore, enrolled at UMass last fall.

“I just want to play,” Fitzgerald said. “I'm not worried about a scholarship. If money comes that's great. If not, that's OK. I'm just happy with a walk-on spot.”

Although several FBS and FCS schools showed interest in Fitzgerald during his senior season at CM, he ended up playing Division II football for St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. He left St. Anselm after the 2010 season and enrolled at Monroe Community College, a school in Rochester, N.Y., that does not have a football program.

“St. Anselm just wasn't a good fit for me at the end of the day,” Fitzgerald said. “My grades weren't good. My father lives in Rochester, so I went there [Monroe] to just focus on my grades.”

He was accepted by several colleges after his time at Monroe, but said he chose UMass because of its Sports Management Program.

“I applied to a bunch of schools with the intent of just being a student because after my time at St. Anselm I wasn't sure if I wanted to play football, but after a semester at UMass I decided I wanted to give it another try,” Fitzgerald said. “I emailed the coaches and they got right back to me with a list of things I have to do.”

Fitzgerald, who lives in West Roxbury, said Boston College, Maryland, Penn State, New Hampshire and UMass are the schools that recruited him the most during his high school career. He played guard during his one season at St. Anselm.

“My grades weren't good enough for BC,” he said. “UMass wanted to offer me, but couldn't because that was the year Northeaster and Hofstra dropped football and they had to take those kids in.

“I was also offered a walk-on spot at Oregon pending acceptance to the school, but that didn't happen. I was pretty excited when I found out about in invitation at UMass.”

VERMONT'S FINEST
Harvard, Yale, Holy Cross and Colgate were among the schools in the mix for Jake Stalcup, a 6-foot-5, senior quarterback from Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vt. Stalcup passed on all of his Division I opportunities, however, and announced earlier this month that he would continue his football career at Division III Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.

Stalcup passed for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. He was named Vermont's Gatorade Player of the Year following his junior season, when he threw for 2,587 yards and 31 TDs and led BBA to the Division II championship game.

Middlebury quarterback McCallum Foote, a junior, set a NESCAC record for passing yards (2,897) and passing touchdowns (31) last season. He also led the nation in average completions per game (32).

TIGER TALE
Nick Peabody, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback from Barnstable High School, committed to Princeton last Thursday.

Peabody guided Barnstable to a 12-1 record last season, when the passed for 2,627 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 73 times for 366 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior.

Barnstable's only loss came against Everett in the Division IA Super Bowl.

Peabody visited Princeton earlier this month.

BULLDOG MENTALITY
Boston College High School linebacker/fullback Luke Catarius committed to Bryant University on Saturday.

Catarius, who lives in Sandwich, missed most of the 2012 season with a broken bone in his right ankle. He suffered the injury during BC High's first preseason scrimmage. Catarius, who also had an offer from Colgate, led BC High in tackles (129) during his junior season.

He'll join Xaverian linebacker Hunter Taute, who committed to Bryant earlier this month.

MASS. APPEAL
Five New England players from the Class of 2013 have committed to UMass: defensive end Cole Ormsby/Windsor High School (Conn.); quarterback Todd Stafford/Greenwich High School (Conn.); defensive end/offensive lineman Terrel Correia/Nantucket High School; offensive lineman Tyshon Henderson/St. George's School (R.I.); and linebacker/defensive end Peter Ngobidi/Catholic Memorial.

The Minutemen are also among the schools pursuing Portsmouth (N.H.) defensive tackle Ricky Holt, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior.

Recruiting information about high school or prep school football players in New England can be sent to Roger Brown at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.

Tabor Academy junior Miles Wright picked up his first Division 1 football offer from UMass on Sunday.

The 6-foot-4 Wright is a two-sport standout who transferred to the Marion, Mass. campus this past summer and reclassified, following a solid junior season at Boston Latin School. He's generated interest from several notable Division 1 programs this fall due to his performance and physical talents.

Wright quarterbacked Tabor to a 6-2 record this year, compiling 23 total touchdowns (12 passing, 11 rushing). The impressive run included a stellar performance against St. Thomas More (Conn.) in which he threw for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and gained 235 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

“I talked to [members of the UMass staff] previously, but I’ve never been to campus or seen a game or anything like that,” Wright said. “I think [senior RB/DB) Jesse Monteiro and I are going to their game on Saturday at Gillette Stadium though.”

Also a Division 1 prospect in basketball, Wright is gradually making the adjustment from the gridiron to the hardwood, as he will be expected to be one of Tabor’s leading scorers this coming season.

“We’re good, we’ll definitely be a smaller team, but we’ll be good. We’ve only had four or five practices so far, but I’m really excited about it,” he said.

Wright also has football interest from Boston College, Virginia, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

U.S. Senator John Kerry used to live in Millis, which is also known for the Millis Lights and a ginger ale company now known as Canada Dry.

The next big thing from Millis? It will likely be Jon Baker, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound two-way lineman who plays for the Millis-Hopedale co-op program.

Baker, a junior, picked up a scholarship offer from the University of Massachusetts –- his first offer -– last May. Offers from Boston College and Connecticut came shortly thereafter.

“Harvard has also offered him in the way that they can,” Millis-Hopedale coach Dale Olmstead said. “They'll support his application is the way they put it.”

Baker has been a varsity starter since the first day of his freshman season. He played center that year, but has since been moved to guard. He lines up at noseguard as well.

“All four of the schools are great schools,” Baker said. “Obviously education is important, but so is football. Right now everything is still an option. It's still pretty early.”

According to Olmstead, Baker is being recruited to play one of the interior offensive line positions. Baker said he would prefer to play offensive line, but hasn't ruled out playing defense in college either.

“BC has shown the most interest,” Olmstead said. “Coach [Sean] Devine is pretty thorough. They want to make him their center. They want to make him their poster child because he's a 4.0 student interested in pre-med.”

Baker, 17, popped on the radar after a strong showing at BC's camp last summer. That's where the Harvard coaches first noticed him.

Virginia defensive coordinator Jim Reid is scheduled to be at Millis-Hopedale on Monday. Michigan and Stanford are among the other schools that have shown strong interest. He attended a camp at Virginia this summer, and visited Michigan as well.

“Michigan [assistant coach Curt Mallory] has been by three times,” Olmstead said. “They're very interested in him. Stanford is a strong academic school with good football, so that might be a good fit. After the season I expect every school in the country to come calling.”

Baker said he has no timetable for committing to a school, but added that he would prefer to have the decision made before the start of his senior season.

“That would be nice,” he said. “I'll make it when it feels right. There's no hurry.”

Mass. appeal: No one can accuse the University of Massachusetts of ignoring local talent. The Minutemen extended an offer to St. John's Prep junior running back Jon Thomas on Tuesday night. Thomas ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-8 victory over St. John's (Shrewsbury) last weekend.

Five New England players from the Class of 2013 have committed to UMass: quarterback Todd Stafford (The Brunswick School, Greenwich, Conn.), defensive end Peter Ngobidi (Catholic Memorial), defensive tackle Terrel Correia (Nantucket), offensive tackle Tyson Henderson (St. George's School, Middletown, R.I.) and defensive end Cole Ormsby (Windsor High School, Windsor, Conn.).

UMass has made an offer to at least one Class of 2013 player in four of the six New England states.

Footnotes: Twelve players from Connecticut (Class of 2013) have committed to Division I schools. Massachusetts currently has eight Division I commitments in the Class of 2013...The highest-rated uncommitted player from New England is Tabor Academy's Tevin Montgomery, a three-star defensive tackle who has narrowed his choices to Boston College, Vanderbilt and Virginia...Three-star wide receiver David Coggins (Sacred Heart, Waterbury, Conn.) said Massachusetts, Stony Brook, Temple and Illinois are the schools showing the most interest. Coggins decommitted from Boston College last month.

Recruiting information regarding high school or prep school players in New England can be sent to Roger Brown at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.

UMass extended a scholarship offer tonight to St. John's Prep junior running back Jonathan Thomas, ESPNBoston.com has learned.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Peabody resident was a unanimous Preseason All-State selection by ESPNBoston.com's staff, and has been among the state's most productive running backs thus far. Through six games, Thomas has racked up 987 yards and nine touchdowns on 110 carries for the No. 3 Eagles.

Thomas said this is his first such offer from a Division 1 FBS school. Boston College, UConn, Notre Dame, Virginia and Nebraska have also expressed interest to this point.

Hours after news broke of his decommitment from UMass, Springfield Commerce linebacker Sha'ki Holines is verbally committing to UConn, his head coach Tyrone Mathis tells ESPNBoston.com tonight.

Holines had initially committed to UMass late last June, and was the Minutemen's first in-state commitment of the Class of 2013, before telling The Springfield Republican's Terrence Payne this afternoon that he was decommitting.

"Personally I thought he committed [to UMass] early," Mathis told ESPNBoston.com. "I thought he should've went to several other camps [before making a decision]. But he's a young man with growing to do, and some decisions to make on his own in life, and that's one of them."

Earlier this evening, Mathis expressed surprise to learn of Holines' change of heart. But after reflecting some more, Mathis says Holines had a fond liking for UConn's camps after coming out to a one-day camp at the Storrs, Conn. campus following his sophomore year. The Huskies didn't extend a scholarship until early July of this summer, however, and by then Holines had apparently made up his mind to shut it down until the beginning of preseason, with a UMass commitment in tow.

"I can tell you this decision took a lot out of him," Mathis said. "It's tough for him talk about, it's a hard decision for a young man to make. I think he just followed his heart and that's where he wants to be now."

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Holines is currently the No. 8 ranked overall prospect in Massachusetts, according to ESPNU, and yesterday was named to ESPNBoston.com's Preseason MIAA All-State Team. Holines helped the Red Raiders advance to the Western Mass. Division 2 Super Bowl last December after going 2-9 in 2010. For the 2011 season, he registered 132 tackles, including six sacks, and recovered four fumbles. As a tight end offensively, he caught 22 passes for 232 yards and three scores.

FRANKLIN –- Terrel Correia understands it, and he’s OK with being labeled as an unfinished product.

“I’m a project,” Correia admitted, in between games Sunday afternoon at the Under Armour Northeast 7-on-7 South Regional, at Franklin High School.

Then again, what else is there to say about the Whalers’ 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end? At the time of his commitment to UMass back on July 2, there were no evaluations for him on any major recruiting websites, including ESPN's database. No other Division 1 FBS school had extended an offer to this player generally unknown outside the Cape & Islands region.

His stats for the Whalers’ Division 5 Super Bowl championship run last fall –- 13 catches for 195 yards and two scores, 44 tackles –- left more to be desired, too. That the Whalers play in the Mayflower League, one of the lowest levels of competition in the MIAA, doesn’t give credence to those numbers either.

The weekend of UMass’ one-day prospect camp at Gillette Stadium, the Whalers brought over a dozen players from their program. But the prized one of the bunch, Correia, was down in Raleigh at North Carolina State’s prospect camp – a performance he said was a wake-up call, and a reality check.

“It told me I needed to hit the weight room, and work on my conditioning,” he said. “I’ve been working on that every day. I’ve been working in the weight room four times a week.”

With his commitment on July 2, Correia will become the first Nantucket player in a quarter-century to move on to the Division 1 FBS level. Former linebacker Brian Ryder graduated Nantucket in 1987 and ended up at Tulane University following a two-year stint at Dean College. From there, Ryder made it deep into Patriots’ training camp in 1991, before coming up just short of the final roster cut.

In Correia, UMass sees a player with plenty of upside to convert into an offensive tackle, what with the big hands, long frame that has yet to fill out, and fast-twitch footwork welded during the winter basketball season.

On the hardwood, he’s known to drop a variety of drop steps and baby hook’s (he averaged a double-double last winter), and some of that athletic crossover was on display this afternoon.

In the Whalers’ final game of pool play, for instance, Correia came across the middle on a post route, anticipating a ball thrown slightly behind him, twisted his torso and effortlessly snagged the ball out of the air with one of his big mitts. Plays like that, along with his quality footwork, make some wonder if he is headed for a breakout campaign this fall.

Asked about motivating factors for the season, Correia says the scholarship offer from UMass, and subsequent commitment, has become a primary driving force.

“Big motivation, yeah,” he said. “It’s pretty much the only thing that drives me...I just want to play college football. I want to prove to myself that I’m capable of doing it. I’m the first player from Nantucket since 1987 to get a Division 1 scholarship, and I want to make the most of it.”

Catholic Memorial defensive athlete Peter Ngobidi gave his pledge to UMass yesterday morning, making him the third in-state verbal commitment for the Minutemen's Class of 2013. In what has become a recurring theme here with UMass' 2013 in-state commitments, Ngobidi had no other Division 1 FBS offers (UMass offered in March); from the FCS level, only Bryant and Fordham offered at the time of his verbal.

And like the other two locals who pledged -- Springfield Commerce linebacker Sha'ki Holines and Nantucket tight end Terrel Correia -- Ngobidi is not a high-profile recruit, but an underrated one that is viewed by college scouts as having plenty of upside. Ngobidi is a hybrid edge defender who lines up at both defensive end and linebacker. With a long wingspan for his compact 6-foot-2 frame, a d34-inch vertical, and a 40-yard dash timed as low as 4.61 seconds, it will be interesting to see his development over the next few years.

Ngobidi, a Hyde Park resident, spoke to ESPNBoston.com earlier tonight for a few more comments on his commitment.

Deciding factors: "Pretty much I talked to my dad, my sisters, my coaches, a few friends, I talked to Deijon [Evans, teammate and close friend], they seemed to all like it. One of my sisters goes there, so I talked to her to see what she liked about it. I went around and looked at it myself -- obviously, I've been around the school, from when I would visit her. And then A.J. Doyle [CM teammate and incoming UMass QB] has been persuading me of course, telling me everything that's been going on there up to this point."

His role: "They kinda have me at both [end and linebacker], wherever they need me at any time. I'm like a stand-up defensive end, if they need me in the rush I can support that, and if they need me to drop back in coverage I can do that as well."

On joining A.J. Doyle next year: "That would be pretty good. Me and A.J. are pretty good friends, I'd be happy to be with him again."

What he's been working on, and needs to improve: "I've noticed what I made a lot of mistakes on last season -- finishing through tackles. I'm good in space, but I need to make sure to run through people. I could have had more tackles last season if I ran through people instead of reaching."

Per a source, Catholic Memorial senior defensive end/linebacker Peter Ngobidi gave a verbal commitment to the University of Massachusetts this morning for the 2013 season.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Hyde Park resident was an integral force off the edge last season for the 7-2 Knights, making plays at both defensive end and outside linebacker. He led the team in sacks (9), recorded nearly 20 tackles for loss, and ranked fourth on the team in tackles (60).

He is the fifth member of CM's 2011 team to pursue Division 1 college athletics, and will re-connect with a former teammate of his -- quarterback A.J. Doyle -- upon his arrival.

Ngobidi is the third in-state pledge for the Minutemen in the last month, joining Springfield Commerce linebacker Sha'ki Holines and Nantucket tight end Terrel Correia in the 2013 recruiting class.

The source said the plan is currently for Ngobidi to play the edge as either a defensive end or outside linebacker.

Nantucket's mammoth tight end Terrel Correia turned some heads this afternoon with his commitment to UMass, placing a call to the Minutemen's coaching staff a 2 p.m. to mark the program's eighth commitment for the Class of 2013. Correia joins Springfield Commerce linebacker Sha'ki Holines among the in-staters committed for 2013. When he arrives in Amherst, he will team up with a fellow Islander, defensive back Randall Jette of Martha's Vineyard.

More intriguing, perhaps, is Correia's sudden rise. He is considered a project at 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds; but "project" is the operative word there, because there is great potential to be had. Correia had no other offers aside from UMass, but visited camp at NC State two weekends ago. Outside of that, Division 1 interest has been minimal to this point.

Correia, who projects as an offensive tackle, spoke with ESPNBoston.com tonight about his commitment to the Minutemen.

Deciding factors: "I visited UMass yesterday, and driving back I was just thinking about how much I loved the place. Once I saw the campus, all the majors they had to offer, all the possibilites, it was a good feeling."

His other interest: "I had no other offers. I talked a little bit to NC State. As a sophomore I talked to BC a little bit, but they didn't follow through. I talked to Sacred Heart literally for about 10 min. I didn't really talk to anyone else."

On his visit to NC State camp during the Minutemen's camp at Gillette Stadium: "I had attended [UMass] camp the week before that, so I wanted to see some different competition, see where I rank myself...I saw myself as just an average player honestly, and that's motivated me to work harder."

What UMass saw in him: "They like my work ethic and my body structure, I work 100 percent to finish and listen to what they say."

"They like the fact my body is structured to put on more weight. I'm not as big as I could be, I could add 50-60 pounds and still have athletic abilty. Right now, I'm weighing 275 and I'm 6-7. I'm always woprking harder to make myself better, no matter what. I don't compare myself to other people, I just always look at myself and try to reach a higher level."

His reaction to his first and only scholarship offer: "Honestly it was a shock at first. I couldn't believe I had an offer -- I thought it was a joke. Then when it finally hit me...I dunno, I'm just grateful."

On the rising talent in the Cape & Islands region: "I feel like we're all just raising the bar. This past year a lot of Cape teams went to Super Bowls and won [four to be exact]. I guess we're just raising the bar for our football level and being seen, letting everyone know our schools on the Cape and Islands can play. I don't think people here have a chip on their shoulder to prove people wrong, we just do it for ourselves to prove we can do it."

A source confirmed to ESPNBoston.com that Nantucket tight end Terrel Correia has verbally committed to UMass for the fall of 2013.

The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Correia caught 13 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Whalers, who won the Division 5 Eastern Mass. Super Bowl title last December with a win over Latin Academy.

Correia is a bit of an under-the-radar prospect that has been gaining Division 1 interest recently; two weekends ago, while UMass was hosting its one-day camp at Gillette Stadium, Correia was in Raleigh, N.C., on an unofficial visit to NC State. The plan for Correia is to eventually develop into an offensive tackle for UMass.

Correia's commitment to the Minutemen is the eighth for the Class of 2013, and second by an in-state prospect in the last two weeks. Springfield Commerce linebacker Sha'ki Holines committed to the Minutemen on June 24.