Plant's Madhu Heads West for College

When Eric Dungy accepted his offer to Oregon, it was the first sign of a trend that looks to continue at Plant High School.

The trend: That Plant football players are able to attract west coast schools, and darn good ones at that.

The Oregon Ducks have a reputation for producing standout skill players, and their acquisition of Dungy evidenced the reach of Plant football. However, Dungy is a big name and it’s no surprise that the Ducks had at least heard about him.

But the recent commitment of Plant’s Drew Madhu to Stanford University makes a powerful statement about the reach of Plant football’s reputation.

That shouldn’t diminish a thing about Madhu and his ability. Last season, he led the Panthers in tackles (58), assists (63) and total tackles (121), averaging 9.3 per game en route to a third straight state championship appearance.

“His combination of size, speed and intelligence make him lethal as a defensive player,” said defensive coordinator John Few. “Any one of those attributes is important to have at the next level…Drew’s unique combination of all three make him special.”

Anyone from Tampa perks up when the name of John Lynch is mentioned. While it’s a stretch at this point to mention Madhu and Lynch in the same sentence, they bear uncanny similarities that should only increase as Madhu continues to improve as a player.

Madhu, like Lynch, was first a quarterback who then found his way over to strong safety. Even as a youth in TBYFL, Madhu played quarterback for the Dolphins and then the Colts. In middle school at Wilson, he was the quarterback on the flag football team.

When he was brought up to the Varsity squad at Plant, he was brought up as a quarterback and a strong safety. Plant usually has two or three strong, veteran quarterbacks; and Madhu’s play at strong safety cemented him into the position by the end of his sophomore year.

The two positions entail similar responsibilities.

“Both positions require you to be able to direct people on the field,” said Madhu. “You usually have to be the smartest guy on the field.”

You have to be a smart guy to get into Stanford. It doesn’t matter how good of a football player you are. Madhu is currently sitting on a 4.9 weighted GPA with two semesters left to pump it up even further. He no doubt presented an irresistible case to the Stanford recruiters.

When he accepted the offer from Stanford, his profile fell even more in line with that of John Lynch’s. Lynch was not only a quarterback turned strong safety, Lynch was recruited by Stanford as a strong safety and quarterback. Lynch was known as a brainy guy that could figure out opposing offenses and know his own defense like the back of his hand. The only major difference was that Lynch was recruited out of Torry Pines High School in the San Diego area, while Madhu was recruited from the other side of the country.

“I know the playbook in and out,” Madhu said. “I always know where everyone’s supposed to be. I pride myself on that.”

Madu is grateful for all that the coaches and school have done to help him get to where he is.

“Coach Weiner helped so much about helping us decide where we want to go to school,” said Madhu.

According to Madhu, coach Weiner at the beginning of the school year had the players write down a list of 30 schools they’d like to attend. With the Plant Panther and coach Weiner influence, many of the schools on Madhu’s list did not need to be approached; the schools approached Weiner.

“I had Stanford as my #1 school on the list,” said Madhu. “When your #1 school makes you an offer, there’s not much to wait around for.”