NEW PALESTINE — Somehow, Charlie Spegal is still flying under the radar.
He was the nation’s leading scorer in 2018, his 70 touchdowns accounting for more than 30 points per game for the Class 5A state champion New Palestine Dragons. He led the state and was third nationally in rush yards, with 3,356. He earned first team all-state and second team All-American honors.
Yet as he prepares to begin his senior season, one of the most prolific running backs in state history has only two college offers on the table.
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Army and Indiana State have offered Spegal a spot in their programs. That’s more than good enough for Spegal, at least for now. He’s living out a dream just by having Division 1 schools recruiting him.
“It’s always something I’ve had in my head. I’ve always worked for it,” Spegal said. “I’m just thankful to be in the position I am. It’s something I’ve dreamed about my entire life. I can make my parents proud.
“It just feels amazing, because not everybody goes through this. I’m thankful to have the offers that I do.”
He’s in no hurry to commit anywhere. He doesn’t have a dream school or anyone particular he’s waiting for. He said he just wants the opportunity to play at the next level, and so far, he has two of those.
There have been many more schools interested in Spegal. He’s talked to more than he can quickly recount, and he’s visited several schools, including both Purdue and Indiana.
Wisconsin has been in and talked to him. Eastern Michigan is interested, too, but Spegal said they have the same concern that other schools do — they worry about his top-end speed.
The trick is finding a way to break free of the preconceived ideas some teams have about him. His size and skill set, at least to many teams right now, point to him being a fullback. That’s a position that doesn’t often attract scholarships and has become more and more rare in college football.
“He’s obviously a great player, super productive. The thing about it is, production doesn’t always mean high-level recruitment,” New Palestine coach Kyle Ralph said. “Colleges are looking for lots of different things, and I think Charlie possesses quite a bit of those things that they want. The unfortunate part about it is, I think he gets type-casted a little bit as a fullback and not a tailback. While he could be a great fullback, there’s no doubt about that, he brings a lot of value to the table as a tailback, for sure.
“A lot of schools have talked about, do we bring him in as a short-yard back, or a third-down back, a goal-line back? He easily could be an every-down guy.”
Spegal joined the track team this year, something that has helped him increase his sprint and speed endurance, Ralph said. His overall speed is improving, too.
He’s been unofficially measured at 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, a number more reminiscent of a tailback than a fullback.
“I feel like my speed and my agility is a little bit underrated,” Spegal said. “I think people definitely don’t know how fast I actually am.”
He had an opportunity to show that off a bit with spring football. Ralph said that a lot of schools have come in, and every one he has talked to has shown interest in Spegal.
Getting a chance to see him in person, not just on the tape, is helping the interest levels rise.
“The spring ball I think was great,” Ralph said. “That’s where a lot of schools got to see him actually practice, see him do drill work, see him move his feet, see how quick he actually is and his cuts and transitions. I think he started to break a little bit out of that mold.”
If there’s any frustration to being viewed as a fullback, Spegal doesn’t show it. He’s confident in his abilities and what he can do, both on the field and in the weight room.
The entire experience of being recruited has been fun to him. It also lets him share a unique experience with his younger brothers, Dave and Devon, who are his New Palestine teammates.
“It’s awesome. I feel like I’m setting the example with them,” Spegal said. “It’s so much fun having younger brothers on the team. I’m happy to have them on the team and just set that example for them.”
He’s seen two of his other teammates, Kyle King and Maxen Hook, both commit to D1 schools in June, with King heading to Michigan State and Hook heading to Toledo. Spegal said he’s proud of them — “they worked their butts off for it,” he said — but their decisions don’t add any fuel to his fire of making his own commitment.
He’s content to take his time, enjoy the ride and kick off his senior season of high school.
“Honestly, my main thing is just keep doing what I’m doing,” Spegal said. “Listening to Coach Ralph, not getting ahead of myself because I’m getting recruited by D1. Sometimes, that’s where people get worse. I’m trying to just focus on doing what I’m doing and get better so we can win games.”