• Despite huge stats, Gehrig Dieter waiting

  • By Jared Shanker | August 31, 2011 10:25:21 AM PDT
Watch Gehrig Dieter's highlight tape -- or even just the first play of it -- and you wonder how many offers he has.Look at Dieter's stats through two games -- more than 700 yards and eight touchdowns -- and you wonder whether Alabama, Florida or USC leads for the Washington (South Bend, Ind.) receiver.Then you look at his offer sheet, and wonder how is that possible?Despite getting attention throughout Indiana, the Midwest and even nationally the last two weekends, Dieter's offer list consists of seven MAC schools and pass-happy Southern Methodist."He is frustrated, especially because David Perkins is so highly recruited as our running back," Washington coach Antwon Jones said.In the season opener against Bloomington North, Dieter, rated a two-star prospect by ESPNU, set the Indiana state record for receiving yards in a single game with 373 yards on just eight catches; it's the eighth-highest total all time nationally and just 48 yards off the national record. He also had five touchdowns.And it all came in just three quarters of action."If I had known that (Dieter was close to the national record), I would have thrown him another fade," Jones said laughing.General knowledge would say that there is no way Dieter would be able to come close to those numbers in Washington's next game. Washington opponent Michigan City's game plan would focus on preventing Dieter from making the big play after averaging 46 yards per reception against Bloomington.Michigan City would line up its cornerback 15 yards off the line of scrimmage in man coverage against Dieter and supplement him with help over the top from a safety severely shaded to Dieter's side and just another few yards behind the corner.It helped slow down Dieter ... if Michigan City's goal was to keep him from re-breaking the state record.Dieter caught 11 passes for 343 yards and three more touchdowns. For the season, he has 19 catches for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. He's on pace for 3,222 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns, which would shatter the previous national records of 2,427 yards and 32 scores (including postseason). Washington only has nine regular-season games on the schedule, too."He's one of the best pure football players I've ever seen," said Washington athletic director Chris Matthys, who has been coaching football since 2000.None of Gehrig's touchdowns have come from inside 45 yards, either, and rarely has Dieter had a free pass into the end zone, often avoiding as many as four or five tacklers on each score. On the first play of his highlight tape that will be sent to college coaches, Dieter out jumps the corner, makes the first two defenders miss him altogether and then breaks two tackles before outrunning the rest of the team over the final 40 yards."If someone gets in my way, I'm going to go around them or run over them," Dieter said. "My mentality is not to get tackled."Seven hundred yards is better than a video game," he adds. But don't mistake Dieter for being cocky. He's confident in himself, a byproduct of the lack of respect he feels he is getting from BCS coaching staffs.In early July, Dieter went to a camp at Wisconsin and "killed it," he said. The Badgers staff said it would likely offer him after his SAT scores were received, said Dieter, who added he scored 500 points more than what the Badgers' minimum is. The offer never came, though."I've been trying to contact them, but they aren't answering their phones," he said.Recently, some Big Ten and Pac-12 schools have noticed Dieter's remarkable start to the season. Dieter said he's been in contact with Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, California, UCLA and especially Oregon, which could be looking for a possession receiver to replace Jeff Maehl, an integral part of the Ducks' BCS run last year.Dieter said he keeps in contact with Ducks receivers coach Scott Frost, who told him he is one of the remaining receivers on the board.Four-star quarterback and Auburn commit Zeke Pike is a good friend of Dieter's and is trying to get Auburn to take a harder look at his friend. Dieter has visited the campus twice."(Offensive coordinator Gus) Malzahn wants me to update him with my games," Dieter said. "They want to see me stretch the field a little more."Opposing defenses sure don't, though.

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