The atomic clock actually says that we have just 57 days until the Ducks hit the blue turf (hard).
So, today we'll continue our countdown by briefly highlighting the Bronco player with the jersey number that corresponds with the number of days remaining till the opener. Sorry there isn't a more clear and concise way to explain that.
And we're off..
#57 Garrett Pendergast, OL
Garrett Pendergast was one of the stars of the Bronco recruiting class of 2007. The 6'4" 288 lb. guard out of Servite High School near Anaheim was given a 74 rating by ESPN and ranked their #34 OG in the class. Pendergast played alongside a couple of 5-star recruits at Servite in MLB Chris Galippo and OT Matt Kalil (both now play for USC), but garnered plenty of attention on his own. Pendergast was named first team All-League and second team All-Orange County by the Orange County Register as offensive guard and second team All-CIF as a Defensive Lineman. His skills led to him being named a top-50 player on both sides of the ball by Scout and Rivals recruiting services and landed him in California's top-100 as well. Pendergast also was named All-CIF as a shot-putter and likely won more than his share of pie-eating contests while still a Servite Friar.
Pendergast only saw time in 3 games last season, and they were all blowouts. Likely reasoning for Pendergast's few minutes in 2008 was his sliding over to the center position where Thomas Byrd held serve. Pendergast looks as if he can play multiple positions and moving away from center can only help his chances as T-Byrd is a Rimington Award Watch List caliber center and one of the only pieces of the O-line puzzle that looks figured out. Personally, I think that Garrett is too good to spend the next 3 years backing up Byrd...but it let all of Bronco Nation rest easy knowing that depth is no issue on the line. Look for Pendergast to make a move in Fall camp for a possible guard spot as he has a better shot at upsetting Kevin Sapien or Cory Yriarte's applecart than Thomas Byrd's. In the world of Bronco football, however, I wouldn't even be surprised to see him play some Defense. Ok, I probably would.