Dalton’s McGowan chooses Northwestern
DALTON, Ga. — Most high school kids being courted by bigtime football programs either pick one that can get them a shot at a national championship or one that can best prepare them for the NFL.
For Kyric McGowan, his choice had everything to do with his career, though not in the usual way. The Dalton High School senior committed to Northwestern University this week after trimming his choices to a virtual Who’s Who of top academic FBS schools.
“Academics are number one with me,” said McGowan, who chose the Big Ten’s Wildcats over Duke and Vanderbilt. “When I started narrowing down my schools, that was the first thing I looked for: What is that degree worth? Northwestern is a great school and Evanston (Ill.) is a great college town.”
The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder will play receiver for coach Pat Fitzgerald’s team. Also a cornerback prospect for several of the more than 20 schools recruiting him, McGowan prefers to stay on the offensive side.
“Receiver is where I wanted to play, because I like having the ball in my hands,” he said. “I can change the game better as a receiver. I’m way more comfortable as receiver at the D-1 level, and you always want to play where you feel most comfortable.”
McGowan, who had more than 500 yards receiving and rushing to go with 67 tackles for Dalton last season, saw interest among recruiters skyrocket this spring when he clocked a sub-4.5 40-yard dash.
“When you run a 4.4 on laser, there’s not too many people that don’t want you,” said Dalton coach Matt Land, who said McGowan’s video also impressed coaches. “The first thing that comes off his film is it’s obvious he’s an intelligent football player. He really uses things like leverage (and) technique to his advantage, not just his pure speed.
“Also, one defensive backs coach told me his ball skills are better than many kids already in college. He’s the kind of player that can quickly flip the scoreboard on either side of the ball, and he’s one of the best individuals I’ve ever coached.”
Watching game video with Northwestern receivers coach Dennis Stringer helped sway McGowan to the Chicago-area university.
“Coach Stringer showed me different ways they can get me the ball,” he said. “It’s really exciting how they get the playmakers the ball in open field.”