HS coach says Pagano has "grown-man'' size and a mean streak

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jul 25 14:44:33 GMT-04:00 2012

Arnold Martinez, the head coach at Honolulu (HI) Moanalua High School, says that his star defensive tackle has a mean streak.

That mean streak, paired with a remarkable size and strength, is the recipe that allowed Scott Pagano Scott Pagano
Defensive Tackle
6-4, 280
Honolulu, HI
View Full Profile , Martinez’ prize pupil, to accumulate 50 offers before finally becoming Clemson’s 15th commitment of the 2013 recruiting cycle Tuesday evening.

Martinez told TigerNet Tuesday evening that Pagano, a 6-4, 280-pounder, has a ton of upside.

“He is tough. Hard-nosed. He is gritty,” Martinez said following Pagano’s commitment announcement. “He plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he has enough of a mean streak to get after guys without being dirty or over the top. He is also a high-energy guy, and he has a great motor. He is also very, very strong. He has that football savvy that you like, and he understands what we are teaching him. He has lots of potential. Put it this way, if he was a stock, you would want to invest in it. There is nowhere to go but up.”

Martinez said that Pagano is currently benching around 405 pounds, and can squat 500. He called Pagano a “gym rat” and said that his work ethic has allowed him to have the kind of strength not normally seen on high school football fields.

“He is benching over 400 pounds, and his squat is out of this world,” he said. “He has great dead lift strength. It’s just grown-man strength, not high school strength. He also has grown-man size to go along with it.”

Martinez said he thought he might have a Division 1 player on his hands as early as Pagano’s freshman year.

“Probably his freshman year I thought he might have a chance to develop into something good,” he said. “And then he started to grow and to fill out, and even then it was hard for people to block him. And by his sophomore year, I really knew.

However, Martinez was quick to point out that Pagano is not just a strong man – he has freakish athletic ability to go along with that strength.

“You are looking at a guy that has an unbelievable first step for a guy his size,” Martinez said. “He is a great athlete, and he could even play tight end up there. He has great motor control. He can rush uphill, and we even play him out at end. We play at the 5-technique, the 3-technique and the 1-technique against heavier guys and against power teams. When he is in his strike form, he is unmovable. He just uses that leverage and you can't knock him back.”

Pagano had offers from all of the major programs, including schools that were closer to home. Late in the process, the Tigers were still considered a dark horse while Pagano flirted with the likes of LSU, Alabama and Florida.

However, he has family in the Greenville area, and a visit last Friday with the coaching staff and current crop of Clemson players helped Pagano make the decision to become a Tiger.

Martinez said he was surprised.

“There is no question that Clemson was a dark horse,” he said. “But I think this was family decision. They have family nearby. When you throw that into the equation, there is a high probability the kid goes somewhere near the family. I think the dad will be stationed about five hours away from there as well. I think there were a lot of things that went into calculating and making that decision.”

As a junior, Pagano had 72 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, five sacks three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Pagano highlight video (Explicit lyrics)