Free State lineman Scott Frantz, right, and other Firebirds players hustle through a drill during the first day of practice on Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 at Free State High School.

Free State High junior Scott Frantz played a large part of his football team’s success on offense last year. Plenty of Division-I colleges took notice.

Frantz, the Firebirds’ left tackle who earned All-Sunflower League honors last season, picked up scholarship offers from Kansas University and Kansas State over the last three weeks at each school’s Junior Day. He also had previous offers from the University of Idaho and Marshall University.

“It’s really cool,” said Frantz, who was listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds last season. “It’s a cool experience going to all of these schools and talking to the coaches. It’s an awesome and exciting process.”

The junior days were similar to recruiting visits. Frantz, along with other prospective recruits, watched highlight videos, toured the team facilities and attended a men’s basketball game. He even watched film with coaches at K-State.

Frantz said he isn’t sure whether he’ll choose a school before his senior season or wait until national signing day.

“First off, he’s got the size to be a Division-I football player,” Free State football coach Bob Lisher said. “When you combine that with his aggressiveness and technique … he can be really good.”

Frantz was going to play right tackle last season until senior Fred Wyatt tore a ligament in his knee over the summer. Wyatt’s injury forced a shift in Free State’s offensive line and it moved Frantz to left tackle and Shane Hofer from left guard to right tackle.

“I thought I did really well,” Frantz said. “There’s obviously a lot of things I have to work on to improve my game. I thought I was pretty solid.”

Frantz didn’t need long to become comfortable on the left side of offensive line, and he knows he will benefit from having an entire offseason to focus on playing there.

“I like the feeling of being the quarterback’s blind side protector,” Frantz said. “It just makes me work that much harder knowing that if I mess up then my quarterback could get hurt.”

Frantz said he has put on about 30 pounds since the end of the football season by hitting the weight room. He can now squat a maximum of 465 pounds, which is 120 pounds more than he could when the season ended.

“He gets it,” Lisher said. “He understands how important it is to work at it every day in the offseason. He’s become a really good leader for us.”