By Brandy L. Simms

Sentinel Sports Writer

At 6-foot-9 and 350 pounds, Jared Gaither has drawn comparisons to veteran NFL All-Pro offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden.

"Guys like him don't come along that often," says Rick Houchens when talking about Gaither whom he coached at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt. "You can go on any NFL franchise's Web site and look at their roster and see how many 6-9, 350 pound guys they've got."

For the record, Ogden, a D.C. native, is listed at 6-foot-9 and 345 pounds.

As one of the newest members of the Baltimore Ravens, Gaither will likely have an opportunity to learn from Ogden after the team selected the former Maryland offensive lineman with the 31st pick in the fifth round of last week's NFL Supplemental Draft.

"I feel great and blessed for this opportunity with Baltimore," says Gaither.

Gaither was one of two players selected in this year's supplemental draft and the first-ever from the University of Maryland. By selecting Gaither, the Ravens forfeit a fifth round pick in next year's NFL Draft.

"I can't wait to get started," says Gaither. "This is a dream come true."

During his two-year stint in College Park, Gaither played in 23 games and made 17 starts. He started nine games at right tackle last season and made eight starts at left tackle in 2005 when he replaced the injured Stephon Heyer. As a first-year player at Maryland, Gaither was named third team Freshman All-American by College Football News and earned an honorable mention from The Sporting News.

In just one year of high school football at Eleanor Roosevelt, Gaither attracted the interest of major college programs. He received scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Penn State among others. However, low SAT scores kept him from qualifying for a Division I scholarship, so he enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy, a prep school located in Chatham, Va.

"Grades weren't really an issue with him in high school," says Houchens. "The only thing that set him back was his SAT [score]."

After spending a season at Hargrave, Gaither was ready for the big-time. He had added 30 pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-9 frame and could run a 4.87 40-yard dash.

"This guy is extremely athletic for his size," adds Houchens.

At Maryland, Gaither certainly made a name for himself and attracted the interest of NFL scouts. He impressed the Ravens in his workouts leading up to the draft.

"Jared has a chance to play in this league, even at a high level," Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team. "It would have been interesting to see how high he would have gone in the draft had he played one or two more seasons at Maryland. He's got size and ability. He wants to start working with us right away and our coaches will make that happen."

Gist, Hibbert honored

Maryland forward James Gist and Georgetown center Roy Hibbert of Adelphi are among the final 12-man roster selected for the 2007 USA Pan American Games men's basketball team that will compete in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil later this month. Gist helped lead Maryland to a 25-9 record last season and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors. Meanwhile, Hibbert helped lead Georgetown to its first Final Four appearance in two decades and was a first-team All-Big East selection.

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Media Relations