Adam Buirge
Park Center • DB • 6-0, 190
College: Northern Illinois
If motivation was the sole element to football success, Buirge would be shoo-in All-America selection before he has played his first collegiate game.
Buirge spent three years dispelling the notion that he wasn't fast enough, turning his sub-4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash and his knack for big plays into a Division I scholarship to play defensive back. He did this while playing at a school not associated with football success.
"I think the last player from Park Center to play [Division I] football was … 20 years ago," Buirge said. "And he was a walk-on."
Going to Northern Illinois, Buirge knows he'll again have to prove himself, at least to fans.
"I'm going to go out to each game, each practice, with a chip on my shoulder," he said.
Drayton Carlberg
DeLaSalle • OL/DL • 6-5, 285