Nova nabs two South Jersey linemen

Villanova received oral commitments from two of South Jersey's top offensive linemen last week.
Woodstown High School rising senior Jake Prus and Holy Spirit rising senior Nico D'Angelo are Wildcats coach Andy Tally's first recruits for the Class of 2012.

"Academically it is a great school and a great fit for him," Holy Spirit coach Charlie Roman said of D'Angelo choosing Villanova.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder offensive tackle/guard, chose the Wildcats over offers from Tulane, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, William & Mary and Old Dominion. Temple also expressed some interest.

Prus, a 6-6, 260-pounder, picked Villanova over Columbia, Penn, James Madison and Bucknell.

In the Woodstown standout, Villanova gets one of the area's most versatile linemen. Prus lined up at center and defensive tackle the last two seasons. He'll move to offensive tackle in the fall.

D'Angelo, on the other hand, has only made 12 career starts in high school.  But his strength and speed makes up for his lack of experience. He covers the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and bench presses 365 pounds.

- Keith Pompey