Monrovia’s Ellis McCarthy is third-highest SPARQ rated defensive lineman at Nike’s “The Opening”, rated No. 7 overall in the country in Tom Lemming’s Top 100 List.

Just last week, Monrovia’s Ellis McCarthy took part in Nike’s “The Opening” which brought together the country’s most coveted recruits. McCarthy, a 6-foot-5, 306-pound defensive behemoth, was every bit as advertised. He scored a 103.5 SPARQ rating while running the 40 yard dash in 5.11 seconds, running an agility shuttle in 4.77 seconds, has a vertical jump of 28.1 inches and netted 43 feet in a power ball toss competition.

In case you’re wondering, SPARQ stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. It’s a scoring system designed to measure sport-specific athleticism with results through various tests. To put McCarthy’s number in perspective, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and current Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow scored a 96.92.

It’s no wonder McCarthy is No. 7 in Tom Lemming’s latest Top 100 List. Lemming says “He has come out of nowhere to become one of the most recruited defensive players in the nation. 2010 film shows him dominating at both the end and tackle positions.” McCarthy is a five-star recruit by most scouting services and is ranked No. 5 in the nation at his position, with offers from Arizona, Cal, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, UCLA, USC and Washington.

That list undoubtedly will continue to grow in the next months, and a decision won’t be easy with more from the SEC coming into the mix. McCarthy will visit Alabama. You have to wonder if the San Gabriel Valley’s sensation will stay home or hit the road before making it big in the NFL. Don’t mean to get ahead of myself, but we all know he can pretty much start picking out a house for his mom.

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