For some recruits, it’s not yet too late
Players in playoffs still have chance to showcase skills for college offers
With the area round of the 2014 state football playoffs, Spring started the greatest playoff run in program history.
Powerhouse Lake Travis stood in the way. Nothing then-senior Spring defensive end Lonzell Gilmore and his three sacks couldn’t handle.
Gilmore wasn’t exactly off the radar, but he wasn’t necessarily on it, either. Nevada was his prized offer.
The Monday after the victory over Lake Travis, a host of Big 12 schools were interested in Gilmore — most notably Texas Tech, where he would land.
He squeezed two more games out of his senior year before Spring fell to Westfield in a state quarterfinal matchup that season.
“I think anytime a kid gets an opportunity to play in the playoffs and get more film and then you’re getting film against guys who are perceived to be the better teams in the state, especially the further you play,” Spring defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Chad Johnson said.
It’s a formula that makes sense.
Playoff games are a prime opportunity for the unheralded to squeeze an extra offer, a first FBS offer or even a first offer in general out of colleges.
A treasure trove
There is no shortage of talent slipping through the cracks this year.
Atascocita senior quarterback Joe Roe fits the bill. The 6-0, 175-pounder has thrown for 1,497 yards with 14 touchdowns and rushed for 1,402 yards and 15 touchdowns for a 10-1 team in Class 6A.
Maybe much like Gilmore’s opportunity against Lake Travis, Roe has a chance to show what he can do against the vaunted Katy defense in the regional semifinals Friday at NRG Stadium.
Shaun McDowell believes he has two underrated talents on his Foster team as it prepares for a Class 5A regional semifinal against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial.
Senior running back Alec Harris has been the engine that drives the Falcons this year, especially after their state semifinal run last year and subsequent graduation losses.
Harris has received offers from Brown and Army, and more Ivy League schools are interested.
Johnson said few states have playoffs deep into December like Texas. Simply put, there are less teams, more eyeballs and talent matches each other.
Harris agreed with that assessment.
Whether three playoff games are working wonders for him or not isn’t really a concern for Harris, though.
“I’m happy for the ones I have,” Harris said of his offers. “I’ll be happy if more came. That will be great. More choices.
“But I’m not going to say I don’t have enough. I’m just going with it. Trying to help my team.”
His head coach wants to sing his praises from the rooftop.
Recruiting like dating
McDowell feels the same way about all of his players, like running back turned quarterback Quinton Oliver.
Quinton’s father is Winslow Oliver, a 1991 Kempner running back who went on to star at New Mexico before playing five NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
Quinton’s family is football royalty in the Sugar Land area. His 5-7, 210-pound frame makes him a bowling ball of a running back, but he’s used this season and the playoffs to show how versatile he is as a stocky quarterback.
Quinton has an offer from Millsaps College, while The Citadel is interested.
McDowell’s players are at least getting some attention. Some get none whatsoever. But it’s natural for McDowell to want more options for his players than they can handle.
“The recruiting game is a funny thing,” McDowell said. “It’s like dating. One girls looks good and the next one looks better when you’re walking by. Kids with a lot of heart and a lot of work ethic sometimes get overlooked based on ‘Not as fast, not as this, not as that.’ Or maybe you didn’t come from a better school.”
Early signing period
Many eyes are on the Dec. 20 signing period’s debut this year.
How will it work for the recruits with no verification checks in their Twitter bio? Will recruiting classes fill up in December and leave little room for others in February? How will it work for the unheralded?
Johnson doesn’t believe Dec. 20 is the end of the world for the unknown recruits. Not every class in the country will be full by Dec. 20, although some of the blue bloods may push toward it. There will always be room somewhere.
Katy Taylor running back Ean Beek just ended his prep career last week with an area-round loss to Langham Creek. He leaves with back-to-back years of 2,000-plus yards rushing. He’s committed to Houston Baptist where his brother Ethan is a cornerback.
With other offers from Army and Abilene Christian, Beek wonders if his track record will find more FBS coaches despite his 5-8, 175-pound frame. He loses no sleep over whether they see his potential, though.
“It’s cool if they don’t see that,” Beek said, “because I’ll just go tear it up at HBU with my brother.”