Rich Magdon says even he's overwhelmed by it all. In the past six months, the Fairfield Prep football coach has been inundated with phone calls, e-mails, faxes and letters — lots and lots of letters.

Here, there and everywhere across the country, Magdon is virtually crushed by requests for film and almost every physical statistic known to mankind.

And he's just the coach. Imagine how Prep junior Masengo Kabongo feels.

Kabongo, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound soon-to-be senior lineman at Fairfield Prep, is a hot commodity in college football circles.

According to Magdon, Kabongo is a big blip on the radar of at least two dozen Division I programs from Bowl Championship Series conferences, with potentially more on the way.

From the Big East, ACC, Big Ten, SEC and as far away as the Big 12 and Pac 10, name the school and Kabongo's most likely on their list. Yes, even Notre Dame, USC and Florida have all been in touch with Magdon.

“We're getting stuff from schools that we've never got,” Magdon said. “And I've been here a long time.”

“We've never had a kid here have as much attention like this kid. He's getting hounded.”

Kabongo, who made 87 tackles, 27 for a loss, and 9.5 sacks during his junior year, is one of the country's top 100 prospects for the Class of 2008, according to Rivals.com.

Some recruiting bureaus don't even call him the state's best.

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That honor goes to Stratford's Torrey Mack.

While at least three Division I schools have already offered scholarships to the Fairfield Prep star, Stratford's Mack, a 6-1, 190-pound tailback who ran for 1,689 yards and scored 21 touchdowns last year, leads the region with six Division I offers.

“A few schools haven't seen his film yet,” Stratford coach Duanem Shirden said. “Once they do, he'll be getting more.”

Those two are just the top of the pyramid. There are at least eight high-profile recruits in southwest Connecticut this upcoming football season. (The Connecticut Post will chronicle the recruiting of these prospects on its Web site connpost.com.)

The list includes Stratford tailback Octavias McKoy, Greenwich fullback/linebacker Jonathan Meyers and center Chris Bisanzo, and Staples lineman Ryan Sedlacek. And, of course, Ansonia lineman Erik Kuraczea and tailback Alex Thomas are also hot prospects.

Central's Trevardo Williams has already given a verbal commitment to UConn. Some recruiting sites have listed others like Norwalk's Cyprian Oyomba and Bunnell's Mike Easley.

Outside this region and in Hartford, Northwest Catholic lineman Michael Golic, whose father, Mike Golic, played nine years in the NFL, has verbally committed to Notre Dame.

And there are potentially more.

“For Connecticut seniors, this is going to be an outstanding football year,” Ansonia coach Tom Brockett said. “Just look at all the attention these kids are getting, from schools that have never come up here. ”

Hot prospects
A look at some of the region's top football recruits in the Class of
2008:
- RB/DB Torrey Mack, Stratford (6-1, 190)
- OL/DL Masengo Kabongo, Fairfield Prep (6-3, 280)
- FB/LB Jonathan Meyers, Greenwich (6-1, 220)
- RB/DB Octavias McKoy, Stratford (5-11, 180)
- DL/OL Erik Kuraczea, Ansonia (6-2, 300)
- OT Ryan Sedlacek, Staples (6-5, 295)
- C Chris Bisanzo, Greenwich (6-4, 265)
- LB Trevardo Williams, Central (6-2, 192): Committed to UConn
- LB Cyprian Oyomba, Norwalk (6-0, 225)
- RB Alex Thomas, Ansonia (5-9, 180)
- S Mike Easley, Bunnell (6-2, 192)

— SEAN PATRICK BOWLEY