Hello, my name is Charles Rush. I am a senior at Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pa. Currently, I am playing for one of the top high school football teams in the nation, the Cathedral Prep Ramblers.

	Charles Rush will attend Penn State.

Over the past two years, we have had very successful teams with records of 12-5 and 13-1. My sophomore season, we lost in the semifinal round of the state playoffs. Last season, we advanced to the state finals, but lost, 14-13, on a blocked punt with less than four minutes to go in the game. This year, we still have many outstanding players who will give us a chance to make it back to the state championship game and win it.

While playing for Prep, I have had the privilege of being recruited by major Division I programs. Since last year around this time, I have been contacted by more than 80 colleges. I have made an effort to respond to each of these schools, especially those that have offered me a scholarship. My family and I have made unofficial visits to several schools that have shown interest in me. Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Duke, Ohio State and UCLA are some of the schools I have visited.

The recruiting process can be exciting and also tedious. It is exciting because I am receiving interest from many schools, but tedious because, at times, it can be hard to budget time with schoolwork, football, the phone calls every night and everyday things. My parents help with monitoring the calls.

I know that I am blessed to possibly have an opportunity to play Division I college football and receive an education. Currently, I am narrowing down my choices to find the right college for me. The things I am looking for are a great education, a good football team and a good alumni network.

This first week of September finds me completing homework assignments, working day-to-day to contribute to my team and trying to schedule official visits.