Salem's Cannone is bigger than ever
Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
(Editor's Note: This story also appeared on ESPN.com.)
Salem High School's Matt Cannone has a Division I body. He's hoping he'll soon have a Division I scholarship to go with it.
Cannone is one of at least five senior quarterbacks from New Hampshire who have the chance to play college football at the Division I level. Most of the interest he's drawn has come from FCS schools in the Colonial Athletic Association and the Patriot League.
"UNH and UMass are definitely my two favorites," Cannone said. "I'm in touch with both schools on a weekly basis. UMass is recruiting me as an athlete. They said I could also play receiver or defensive back, but quarterback is the position I want to play.
"I really liked what the Bucknell and Colgate coaches had to say. The Bucknell coach said I could be their quarterback of the future.
"Towson and James Madison just started to show interest. I've also heard from Columbia and Princeton of the Ivy League, and Lehigh, Lafayette and Holy Cross."
Cannone was 6-foot-1 and 167 pounds when he led Salem to the Division I championship last season. He said he's grown at least an inch and gained close to 35 pounds since then.
"This offseason the weight room was my second home," he said.
Cannone's recruiting has been hampered by the fact that he's a passing quarterback who plays in the run-based double-wing offense. He's also been overshadowed by teammates Max Jacques and Jerickson Fedrick, running backs who rushed for 3,034 yards and 42 touchdowns last season.
"Everyone knows about Max and Jerry, but it's hard to get your name out there when you're a quarterback from New Hampshire," Cannone said.
Cannone also plays varsity baseball and varsity basketball for Salem. He's entering his third season as the team's starting quarterback.
"He's throwing the ball stronger and he's a lot more accurate," Salem coach Jack Gati said. "We've seen that in practice and in scrimmages.
"I've been real impressed with his footwork on our play-action passes. He worked real hard in the offseason and he's obviously gotten bigger. He's getting a lot of interest."
