QB recruit hits road in search of offers

Lassiter's Hutson Mason, one of the state's top high school quarterbacks, is making the most of his opportunity to show off his football skills to college scouts. By the time his dizzying tour ends next week, he will have traveled nearly 4,500 miles to nine college campuses and two football camps in 17 days. It's an itinerary that would make a U.S. president proud. "I'm having the time of my life," Mason said. "It's always been my dream to play big-time college football , and I'm getting to visit with all these colleges to prove what I can do. Every day has been exciting." The trip has been expensive, costing the Mason family more than $3,000 in airplane tickets, fuel, hotel rooms and meals. However, it also has been fruitful, landing Mason at least three scholarship offers, which have an average value of about $100,000. And there's still more college coaches left to impress. "It has been Hutson's dream to play college football since he was 4 years old, and our entire family has made one huge commitment to put Hutson in a position to make it happen," said his mother, Kelly Mason. "Everybody is doing their little part to help." Last year, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Mason led the state in passing, completing 298 of 430 passes for 3,705 yards and 31 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Mason put up the monster numbers in the state's largest division and came within 5 yards of breaking the state record for passing yards in a season. "We had no idea he was that close to the record, or we would've gone after it," Lassiter coach Chip Lindsey said. "We were just focused on the playoffs and our next opponent." The eye-popping numbers drew the attention of colleges , whose representatives stopped by the Cobb County school over the past two months to examine film. Many colleges expressed heavy interest, but early on only Iowa and Georgia Southern offered scholarships. "Quarterback is a little different than other positions when it comes to scholarship offers," Lindsey said. "It's not like a 6-foot-6, 290-pound lineman that you can see on film. "With quarterbacks, it seems like the colleges really want to see them up close and in action. They want to watch the footwork and see how a live ball comes out of their hands. They want to spend time with [him] to learn his personality and make sure he can lead the team." Mason identified the most flirtatious colleges and committed to seeing them all. He said he got rave reviews at his first two stops, Alabama and Georgia, but neither was ready to offer. The Midwest tour began Monday in Iowa, with Mason accompanied by his mother and 11-year-old brother Daulton. It was a mini-family reunion, with an uncle picking them up at the airport and then Mason's 76-year-old grandmother driving the group five hours in the middle of the night to Indiana's camp. Indiana offered after seeing Mason throw about 15 times, and he got more good news when Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan called with offers earlier in the week. "Indiana said they couldn't let me leave without an offer," Mason said. Next up is North Carolina this weekend, where his father will join the group. They are scheduled to visit North Carolina, N.C. State and East Carolina. Lindsey has volunteered to drive his prized prospect to Troy University on Monday. "It's part of what we do for a living as football coaches," Lindsey said. "It's important to promote our players to the colleges . That's what I'll always do wherever I am, for sure." Hutson's college tour Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason has traveled all over the country for most of June in an attempt to attract more football scholarships: June 6: Football University Camp, Stockbridge June 7: Football University Camp, Stockbridge June 8: Off June 9: Off June 10: University of Alabama June 11: University of Georgia June 12: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 13: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 14: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 15: University of Iowa June 16: Indiana University June 17: Purdue University June 18: Travel day June 19: University of North Carolina June 20: N.C. State June 21: East Carolina June 22: Troy University June 6: Football University Camp, Stockbridge June 7: Football University Camp, Stockbridge June 8: Off June 9: Off June 10: University of Alabama June 11: University of Georgia June 12: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 13: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 14: Football University Camp, Philadelphia June 15: University of Iowa June 16: Indiana University June 17: Purdue University June 18: Travel day June 19: University of North Carolina June 20: N.C. State June 21: East Carolina June 22: Troy University