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New Market -- As genuinely happy and excited as Linganore 's Rob Havenstein was to announce he had made a verbal commitment to play football next year for the University of Wisconsin, there was a sobering reality that accompanied the big news. This was going to be the end of a recruiting process the 6-foot-8, 346-pound Havenstein thoroughly enjoyed. "Rob was inquisitive. He's a very bright kid," Linganore coach Rick Conner said of his big left tackle who is rated among the top 30 in the country at the position. "He likes investigating and he likes learning. He got a chance to go and visit some places and he enjoyed that." Havenstein received hundreds of offers, including several from the who's-who of college football. He eventually whittled his finalists down to Wisconsin, Maryland, Penn State, Wake Forest and Virginia. At times, he admitted the whole process was a bit overwhelming, but he managed it by following his mother Cheryl's rule of not taking any phone calls after 9 p.m. "Just to think I am their caliber of football player is amazing," Havenstein said. In addition to loving the campus and the Badgers' home city of Madison, Wisconsin plays the brand of football that Havenstein really likes. "Run behind the left tackle," he said with a broad smile stretched across his face. That was enough to give the Badgers the edge over Maryland and Wake Forest when decision-time arrived. "I wanted to play in the Big 10. It's my kind of football," he said. "I have family up in Michigan and they are all big Michigan and Michigan State fans." Havenstein delivered the news to the Wisconsin coaching staff Wednesday morning from Conner's office. Then, he watched as it scrolled across the bottom of the screen on ESPN later that night. It felt like a big weight coming off his shoulders. Havenstein has been smiling ever since and seems to be relaxed and in a very light-hearted mood. "At practice, I saw a happy Rob," Conner said. Havenstein joins teammate Zach Zwinak and Nick Forbes of Thomas Johnson at the head of one of the most highly-touted recruiting classes in the history of Frederick County football. Forbes committed to California, while Zwinak is headed to Penn State. Both players are running backs and linebackers and were among the 90 players chosen to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9, 2010 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Zwinak was recognized for that honor before a few hundred students Thursday morning in the gymnasium at Linganore . That ceremony, combined with Havenstein's college decision, made it a special day in the history of Linganore football, according to Conner. Zwinak leads the county in rushing with 800 yards and 11 touchdowns on 55 carries thanks, in part, to Havenstein. Zwinak congratulated his future Big 10 rival when he learned of the news. According to Havenstein, Zwinak said, "Congratulations, man. That's great. I'll see you in a couple of years." Havenstein is also the latest member of his family who won't have to pay a cent to attend college. His older sister, Holly, accepted a full scholarship two years ago to play basketball at Colgate. "It's a perfect fit for Rob. He'll fit in well there," said Linganore assistant Andy Brown, who coaches the offensive line. "The thing about him, too, is he's pretty football smart. I think that's probably his biggest strength. Having the size and ability is one thing, but he's a thinking man. He's out there directing guys and telling them what to do. That's what's nice about him. Not only does he have the physical attributes, he has the football sense. Usually you only get one or the other."
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