60 for ’16: St. Thomas Aquinas defensive end Nick Bosa

Originally published on USA TODAY High School Sports

USA TODAY High School Sports is launching a series called “60 for ’16” to highlight 60 members of the Class of 2016 who we will be watching in the coming 12 months. The athletes were selected by the USA TODAY HSS staff. 

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Name: Nick Bosa

School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Sport: Football

Position: Defensive End

What we’ve seen: Everything you could ask for from a strong-side defensive end. The 6-foot-4, 265 pound rising senior is ranked No. 8 in the Class of 2016, No. 2 at his position and in the state of Florida by the 247Sports Composite rankings. Bosa, a five-star recruit, had 56 tackles as a junior, 29.5 for loss with five sacks for a state championship team.

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If the name sounds familiar, that’s because the Bosa family pedigree is rather strong. Nick’s older brother, Joey, is a sophomore at Ohio State and led the Buckeye defense to a national championship. His father, John, is a former defensive lineman, selected in the first-round of the 1987 NFL Draft (No. 16 overall) by the Miami Dolphins.

Most recruiting analysts expect Bosa to follow his brothers footsteps and attend Ohio State University next fall. According to his father, Nick is down to Ohio State Florida State, Florida and Notre Dame with visits likely this summer to all but Ohio State. As you might imagine, he’s been there plenty of times so a visit is not necessary. He could decide before the start of the school year.

Why we’re watching: Aquinas had a dominating defense last season in going undefeated and Bosa was a big reason why. He explodes off the ball and is a major challenge for any-and-all opposing linemen. He swarms to the ball and makes his presence known with every hit.

Exhibit A: Watch the video from 2:30-2:50.

Exhibit B: Watch the video from 3:04-3:15

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