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Of all the handoffs the Lancers running back has taken, this could go down as one of the most memorable.

On the other end of the line was Notre Dame assistant coach Ron Powlus with an intriguing bit of news. Powlus offered Zwinak a scholarship to play for the Fighting Irish, one of college football's most storied programs.

During that phone call, which took place in Conner's office, Zwinak eventually talked to Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

"He asked me if I liked Notre Dame and would I have an interest, and I said yes," Zwinak said. "They told me I was a good player."

Once upon a time, a Frederick County football player getting interest from such a major Division I team was a rarity. These days, it's becoming almost commonplace.

Zwinak, St. John's-Catholic Prep defensive end J.R. Ferguson, Linganore offensive lineman Rob Havenstein and Thomas Johnson linebacker Nick Forbes are each being recruited by numerous big Division I teams. All are rising seniors.

So far, nine football teams in last season's final AP Top 25 poll have made offers to local players. (Colleges that made offers to them so far are listed in the illustration below.)

Ferguson has also been offered a scholarship by Notre Dame, one of 37 offers this big-time recruit has received. To put this in perspective, the last Frederick County player to play with the Fighting Irish was Thomas Johnson defensive back-quarterback Troy Wilson during the 1980s. And now, two local players have offers from the vaunted program.

Usually, it's noteworthy for just one local player to draw interest from any major Division I school. Heading into last season, the only county senior with a big-time football scholarship offer was Tuscarora's Dominic Clarke, who is going to Ohio State.

Reasons for the surge

How did Frederick County become such a magnet for Division I recruiters?

"Football over the years has really picked up some speed here," Conner said. "The coaching in the area is outstanding, and the players have responded."

Thomas Johnson coach Ben Wright has had Division I prospects before -- the Patriots' Randall Jones and Leroy Ambush went to Maryland, and Terence Kerns went to West Virginia. But Wright couldn't remember seeing this many from the county in one year since he started coaching at TJ in 1984.

"The county's getting bigger and bigger, which means you have more people to draw from," Wright said. "And the fact that every school has a good weight training program, and coaches work year-round here."

Many prospects see their stocks rise after attending combines and camps, where college coaches can see their speed, strength, size and

skills. Recruiting activity picked up for Havenstein after the 6-foot-8, 333-pound tackle attended a camp last summer. Did he expect such interest from big schools?

"Three years ago, I had no idea this would happen," Havenstein said. "Everyone saw my size and talked about it. But until I went to a Maryland camp, I never dreamed it was possible."

Technology can play a role in promoting prospects. Recruiting websites rank players. Forbes even has a personal website, set up by his uncle, that lists his athletic and academic information. It has links to highlight videos, where anyone can watch the TJ standout chase down a ball carrier and make a nice tackle.

And good old videotape still does the trick -- that's what convinced California to make Forbes an offer.

When asked what initially drew scouts to him, Forbes mentioned that Wright was a renowned coach and that recruiters came to see his older teammates. Forbes started on TJ's varsity as a sophomore.

In fact, recent Division I recruits like Kerns and Clarke may make the entire county look like a worthwhile destination for talent-seeking recruiters.

"More and more people are stopping by," Wright said.

Plenty of activity

More and more people are calling on the phone, too. During what are called "dead periods," college recruiters can't call high school players. They are allowed to call high school coaches, and the players can call the college coaches any time they want.

St. John's coach Jimmy Ward figured he talked to 20 or 30 college coaches a day. Not only is Ferguson a prized prospect, but the Vikings have two rising underclassmen who got offers -- Forrest Mason (Connecticut) and LaMont Wims (North Carolina).

"I live on this thing," Ward said, referring to his phone. "I talk to college coaches between three and four hours a day."

This could go down as the biggest local recruiting class since 1982, when Thomas Johnson had four Division I-A bound players in Wilson (Notre Dame), Rob Klein (Maryland), Paul Nelson (Virginia Tech) and Doug Mattax (Duke). That team was coached by Lynn Carr, who is now supervisor of athletics for Frederick County Public Schools.

Since, there have been years when the county sent a player or two to high-profile programs like Penn State (Urbana quarterback Zack Mills and Linganore lineman Mike Lucian went there), and other years when there were no big Division I prospects.

"It ebbs and flows in the county," said Carr, who pointed out that many quality local players also move on to Division II and III programs.

Athletes must have a specific height, weight and speed to play at the Division I level. Outside of movies like "Rudy," there are few exceptions to that rule.

Conner is in the unique position of having more than one major Division I prospect on the same Frederick County team.

"It's exciting," Conner said. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Like all of these sought-after prospects, Havenstein and Zwinak both had stellar junior seasons, helping the Lancers reach the Class 4A State championship game. Typically, when a recruiter comes to see one of the Linganore players, he ends up interested in the other one, too.

"All the big schools. It's unbelievable because they're really good," said Zwinak, who has been recruited as a running back and linebacker. "I never thought I was that good, but I guess I am."

Sizing up the recruits

Combines and camps take some of the guesswork out of it, meaning colleges no longer need to rely solely on watching a player in games or on film. For recruiters, combines provide a central location where numerous prospects are sized up by how they perform in events like the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, medicine ball throw and 20-yard shuttle.

Recruiters are looking for those specific Division I traits. They can see them all in prospects like Ferguson.

Ferguson, whose real name is Ego, has the size -- 6-foot-3 1/2, 275 pounds -- and strength. But he also has the footwork, great hands and a lightning-quick first step. At first glance, recruiters see an athlete, one who played for the Vikings basketball team in the competitive MIAA.

Such assets allow Ferguson to pull off nifty spin, rip or swim moves on the football field. Ward said Ferguson can do things many are taught at the collegiate level. He must be a fast learner.

Ferguson, a Walkersville resident who moved from Miami to Frederick County during the middle of his eighth grade year, didn't start playing football until his freshman year at St. John's. Why the late start?

"I thought I was going to be a basketball player," said Ferguson, who started his football career under former Vikings coach Phil Martin. "He said I could be special, and I took that to heart."

Forbes, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, is an athletic playmaker who runs the 40 in 4.61, the shuttle in 4.34 and has a 34-inch vertical jump. His ability to move his hips, run well and drop back into coverage make him a coveted prospect. He's also a talented running back.

Forbes and Ferguson were both just picked to play in the Army All-American Bowl, which features some of nation's top high school players, next January in San Antonio. Right now, they are the only Maryland players chosen for that prestigious game. Both are also ranked among the nation's top 100 prospects in the Class of 2010, regardless of position, by Rivals.com -- Ferguson is No. 15, and Forbes is No. 97.

Zwinak is blessed with an ideal speed-size combination -- he's 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and can run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He has power, explosiveness, agility, excellent coordination and great stride length. He also has Division I pedigree -- his father B.J. played football at Virginia Tech and his mother Diane was a track star at Frederick High and North Carolina.

Havenstein's most striking asset is his size -- his 6-foot-8, 333-pound frame fits the prototype of a Division I offensive lineman. And he's a big guy who can move well, a trait that allowed him to be a fine basketball player at Linganore . He's been working with Zwinak to make his footwork and technique even better, allowing him to block for a pro passing set.

These prospects haven't decided which college they'll choose. They can take five official visits. They can also take unofficial visits -- Ferguson rattled off a list of colleges he's been to.

"I haven't narrowed anything down yet," Forbes said. "I'm keeping my options open and being open-minded about it."

Forbes isn't the only member of his team to get interest, either. East Carolina offered a scholarship to TJ linebacker Jeremy Grove, and that college also made an offer to Tuscarora offensive lineman Hansen Barrick.

The offers are flooding into Frederick County, and many players have mailboxes stuffed with letters from colleges to prove it.

"At first, it was kind of overwhelming," Forbes said. "During the week when I was doing homework, it was hard to open them. I've got a system now. I do it on weekends."

He wasn't complaining: "It's a nice feeling, that schools want you."