On The Trail

          UA jersey tour: TE Tyler Petite

          Football has always taken a back seat to other sports at Moraga (California) Campolindo High School when it comes to famous alumni. Matt Biondi leads the way for men's swimming, and five former baseball players, along with announcer Matt Vasgersian, made their way to the major leagues. While the football program hassent kicker Giorgio Tavecchio and punter Jackson Rice to California and Oregon, respectively, it's about to get a significant boost from ESPN 300 tight end Tyler Petite, the No. 132 prospect in the country.

          Petite will be the first highly recruited position player from Campolindo. He was honored for that Tuesday afternoon, when Petite was presented with his Under Armour All-America Game jersey in a ceremony sponsored by American Family.

          "It's crazy," Petite said of the attention heaped upon him Tuesday. "I don't really have a manual on how to take it all in or handle it. It's surreal almost. I'd watch the Under Armour Game on TV and always thought it would be so cool if I could play in that."

          Petite said there were a lot more people than he expected who showed up for the ceremony, though he probably shouldn't be too surprised considering the family atmosphere that's been established with his football team. It was one of the things that led him to commit to Duke this past summer.

          "This is one of those places -- it's a little hard to explain if you don't go to Campo," Petite said. "Our team is to tight-knit. It's like Duke in how we aren't expected to be the best team in the area, but we're starting to build that rep. We have four losses in four years and we're playing some top-tier teams. That's what Duke is doing. They're playing with incredible teams and winning games."

          Petite said he still speaks with USC coaches -- one of his two finalists, along with Duke -- but added that at this point, he is still "100 percent" committed to the Blue Devils.

          Five questions with Tyler Petite

          What one player are you looking forward to competing with or against at the game?

          "Honestly, I'm just ready to go up against some of the top players in the country, but I want to see what these quarterbacks have. There's a lot of hype around [Josh] Rosen and [Blake] Barnett and I want to go out there and play with them. I want to show everybody what I have and play with the top dogs.

          What was your earliest football memory?

          "My first memory in football was my first play. Back in third grade -- we played flag football back in the day -- I was playing quarterback and faked a hand off on a bootleg and went 60 yards for a touchdown. That feeling you get running by everybody. I was watching college football later that day and I started thinking about how much I would love to play college football."

          If you could take on any pro player in their sport who would it be?

          "I would love to go up against LeBron in the NBA. I would get totally murdered, but it would be crazy to see that guy fly around."

          Why do you wear your number?

          "Right now I wear No. 8. There's a tradition at our school with that number. Two of the best quarterbacks to come through here wore it and Vince Graziano, who was here my freshman year when our team went to State. He played tight end too and is a guy with a mind set that I want to follow.

          What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

          "I'm kind of rocking a beard right now so I look like I'm about 28 years old. But really I'm like a little kid, always ready to have fun."