August 12, 2009

Jeremy Crabtree
Rivals High Recruiting Editor

For Todd Peat Jr., football is all in the family.

Peat is the son of former NFL offensive lineman Todd Peat, who was drafted in 1987 out of Northern Illinois University by the St. Louis Cardinals. Peat's father played with the Cardinals, relocating to Phoenix when the organization moved in 1988, until he was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders in 1990 and retired after the 1993 season.

Last season as a sophomore, Peat Jr. was named first-team all-Central Region and was an honorable mention all-state selection. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive tackle had 40 assists, 24 solo tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery for Tempe (Ariz.) Corona del Sol High School.

Peat is now making waves as one of the top 2011 prospects in Arizona, and he surely will be a national recruit next season. He said he owes a lot of his development and success to his father.

"I learned a lot from my father," Peat said. "He taught me a lot about the fundamentals. He worked with me on staying low, taking the right steps, and how to be a good leader and teammate. He always stressed with me to listen to what the coach says and never give up."

Peat also said his father stressed to him about being a well-rounded teammate and a true student-athlete. Peat is proud of his football accomplishments, but he's also proud of his 3.0 grade-point average.

"My dad is my sports hero," Peat said. "He played [six] years in the NFL, and I learned how to be explosive, strong and a good pass rusher from him. I also learned how to be a great teammate and also that being a student-athlete is the most important part of the game."

Arizona State and Wake Forest have already offered Peat scholarships, and the Sun Devils are No. 1 on his early list. Other schools, however, like UCLA, Clemson, California, USC and Wake Forest are high on his list. He also is receiving mail from Arizona, Notre Dame, Florida State, Oregon State, Houston, Utah, North Carolina and others.

Peat won't be the only player in his family bound for college.

His younger brother, Andrus Peat, will be a sophomore lineman this season at Corona. Plus, local observers are already raving about 11-year-old Cassius Peat, who stars in both football and AAU basketball with the Arizona Premier. The youngest Peat was ranked as one of the top players in the nation in his age group by one basketball scouting service.

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