Bond clears the way for Bertie

Mammoth offensive tackle is generating national recruiting interest

This is the eighth in a series on the top high school football players in North Carolina. Look for a profile each Tuesday In the Huddle.

Travis Bond just wants to find a way.

A way through defensive fronts, to a big-time football future, and he hopes, to the NFL.

The Bertie High senior is ranked among the nation's best offensive tackles in his recruiting class.

Bond is nimble for a lineman of his size -- 6 feet 7, 323 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds.

Those are numbers that scouts like to see. They're also impressed with his footwork.

"Without him, I can't run the football," Bertie coach Tony Hoggard said. "It would be a chore. ... If we need three yards, that's where we're going."

Bond said he conditions himself year-round, whether it's playing AAU basketball or summer workouts at the track.

"I don't think I ever had bad footwork," Bond said. "I just made it quicker. ... I've never felt left out, because of the speed."

He credits his coach.

"He taught me the whole blocking scheme," Bond said.

Bond said he remembers the biggest growth period of his life, when he was about 12.

In junior high he played different positions, including tight end.

"I never thought I would play on the offensive line," he said.

By the time he got to high school, he was 6 feet 6, 300 pounds. Hoggard converted him to the line, where Bond was a quick study.

By his sophomore season, he put had on another inch and 20-plus pounds.

"It was so simple," Bond said, "once I got used to the blocking. Just moving somebody out of the way -- that isn't too hard to do."

His football IQ also grew, Hoggard said.

Bond has kept above-average grades in school and said he puts academics first.

"I don't ever worry about the time I spend on homework every night," he said. "It's a privilege to play football. I do my work first to get that out of the way."

"He's like a sponge that absorbs everything," said Hoggard, who said Bond has the smarts and athletic ability to play professionally.

"You can look for him on most Sundays before long," Hoggard said.

Bond said his favorite NFL players are Reggie White and Julius Peppers.

"It's always been a goal to get there and line up in front of somebody in the NFL and just show them up," said Bond.

First, though, he's excited about college, though he's not sure where he'll be next year. He visited North Carolina last month and said he is still thinking about Michigan, Virginia Tech, N.C. State and East Carolina. He also said he likes Florida.

In the meantime, Bond is content to savor his senior season.

Hoggard said that on several occasions he's gone for it on fourth down with as many as four yards to go. He doesn't consult one of his running backs. He consults Bond.

"If he says he can get it, I go with his feeling," Hoggard said.