Shorts? Shirts? Cleats? Yup, right in his bag. Along with two other items that, to him, were just as vital.

"I always had my tape and my transcript," he said. "You don't want there to be any questions. If they want to know, you have the answer right there."

Everett, a 5-10, 175-pound senior at Roman Catholic, which last season won the Catholic Red title under Jim Murphy (who has since yielded to Joe McCourt), has made an oral commitment to Delaware.

He's being eyed as a cornerback, although his positions this season will be free safety and tailback.

Everett said he had an offer from Northeastern as the school year wound down, then hit the camp-combine trail with designs on increasing the interest. He attended two open combines on a national level, then mixed in visits to camps at Temple, Syracuse, Connecticut and Delaware.

"The I-A schools all liked me," he said. "They just wanted to see tapes of the first few games from my senior season before making a decision [on an offer]. At Delaware, I ran a 4.39 40. They said it was enough. And I did well in their cornerback/running-back drills.

"I wouldn't say I felt like I had to have this done by the end of the summer. I just wanted more interest and, hopefully, some good offers. You never know what can happen in the season [with regard to injury]. I've developed a good relationship with the Delaware coaches. It's where I want to be."

Everett, who lives near Germantown Avenue and Duval Street, in Germantown, envisions majoring in business or engineering at Delaware.

A starter last year at cornerback, he also served as the main backup to all-everything tailback Balial Lewis Sloan-El.

"Coach Murphy helped me put together a nice highlight tape," Everett said. "That's what I took around with me." *