Editor's note: See SportsDayHS' full signing day schedule at the conclusion of this article.
Over the past two seasons, Will Reed passed for more than 5,000 yards, along with 61 touchdowns, while playing at the highest level of Texas high school football. But although Reed's numbers helped Rockwall light up the scoreboard, his number of note right now is zero.
Zero Division I scholarship offers. Nothing in Division II, either, for a three-year starter who was an all-district selection as a junior and senior.
Reed knows the reason, or at least part of it. At 6-1, he's considered too small for a pro-style quarterback.
"I don't see the difference in two inches," he said, "but college coaches know what they want."
Reed said what a lot of former high school football players are thinking this week, as the Feb. 3 national signing day approaches. Why does an inch or two of height make such a big difference? How can a couple tenths of a second in the 40-yard dash determine whether a recruit is elite or waiting by the phone?
Well, more than a million kids played high school football last year. Recruiters at the power programs can be choosy, and the result is the same thing each year:
Players who put up big numbers on the field can get stuffed in the recruiting game.
Denton's Xavier Scott, Frisco Idrees Ali and Terrell's Dawonya Tucker were offensive centerpieces last season, each rushing for more than 2,000 yards. But Tucker is 5-7, Ali is 5-9 and Scott is 5-10, and without head-turning speed, attracting scholarships has become a headache.
"I was thinking they were going to come in real hard after the year I had," Tucker said. "But it didn't happen."
It didn't happen for Arlington linebacker Matthew Anunda, either. The senior had 169 tackles and was named the Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year. But he's 5-9, and although solidly built at 195 pounds, he doesn't fit the "measurables."
There are seven linebackers among SportsDay's top 100 area recruits, and each is at least 6-foot tall. All but one is at least 6-2.
"They can measure your height, but they can't measure your heart," Anunda said. "I think I can do what those four- and five-star guys can do."
Anunda, whose only current scholarship offer is to Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State, might be right. But the big schools won't risk a scholarship.
Recruiters know what they're looking for, and they've usually found it by the time a player finishes his junior season. That's another reason why some players, despite senior seasons that gushed with success, are still waiting for scholarships to trickle in.
Coppell receiver Josh Fink, who had 81 receptions and 13 touchdowns in just 11 games last season, is one of those guys. An injury sidelined him for half of his junior season, when other receivers were gathering offers.
"I've talked with multiple schools from 'power five' conferences," said Fink, who has offers from Division I FBS schools Eastern Michigan and Louisiana-Monroe. "The bigger schools have offers out there with guys and they're waiting on them. Those guys kind of pushed back my recruiting."
The recruiting for Bishop Dunne quarterback Caleb Evans was pushed back by an exceptional teammate. As a junior, Evans was backup to senior Micah Simon, who led Bishop Dunne to a TAPPS state title and then signed with BYU.
Size isn't a problem for Evans, a dual-threat quarterback who is 6-3 and 190 pounds. And he had a tremendous senior year, passing for more than 3,200 yards, rushing for more than 1,200 and accounting for 64 touchdowns. But by the time he was a starter, most BCS programs had made their offers to quarterbacks.
Evans considered attending a junior college, proving himself, and then transferring to a four-year school. That's what his older brother, Jerod Evans, did after he was lightly recruited as a quarterback at Mansfield. Jerod played two seasons at Trinity Valley College, blossomed into a coveted recruit, and last month signed with Virginia Tech.
Caleb is now committed to Stephen F. Austin. It's not a BCS school, but Evans felt comfortable there, and playing for a smaller program won't alter his larger dream.
His dream is the one held by many high school seniors, regardless of their place on recruiting boards.
"My goal is to go to the NFL," Evans said. "Nowadays, you can pretty much go anywhere and still make it to the NFL."
Waiting for the call
Some players who had big senior seasons but haven't been highly recruited by colleges:
|
Player
|
High school
|
Pos.
|
Notable
|
|
Matthew Anunda
|
Arlington
|
LB
|
6A Defensive Player of the Year, 169 tackles
|
|
Jermaine Brealy
|
Mans. Legacy
|
DB
|
District champ in 100 meters returned 2 kicks for TDs
|
|
Jordan Bryant
|
Crandall
|
WR
|
Good size (6-1, 200), 76 catches, 682 yds, 9 TDs in 2015
|
|
Walter Dawn Jr.
|
Mesquite Poteet
|
RB/WR
|
All-district in 2014 & '15, 18 yds. per catch as sr.
|
|
Caleb Evans
|
Bishop Dunne
|
QB
|
Combined rushing and passing: 4,457 yds., 64 TDs
|
|
Josh Fink
|
Coppell
|
WR
|
More receptions (81), TDs (13) than rest of Coppell team combined
|
|
Darius Heath
|
Carr. Ranchview
|
LB
|
4-year starter, more than 100 tackles 3 straight years
|
|
Will Reed
|
Rockwall
|
QB
|
61 TD passes, only 12 INTs in final two seasons
|
|
Xavier Scott
|
Denton
|
RB
|
District 5-5A MVP, 2,393 yds. rushing, 28 TDs as senior
|
|
Dawonya Tucker
|
Terrell
|
RB
|
12-5A MVP, 2,163 yds. rushing, 26 TDs as senior
|
|
K.J. Turner
|
North Mesquite
|
S
|
All-district selection as junior and senior
|
|
Braxton Washington
|
Kel. Timber Creek
|
RB
|
All-district, 1,109 yds. rushing in only 8 games
|
|
Dillon McCormick
|
Nevada Comm.
|
RB
|
1,512 yds. rushing as senior, avg. 7.6 yds. per carry
|
|
Josh Hernandez
|
Seagoville
|
OL
|
6-4, 290 pounds, all-district as a junior and senior
|
|
Lorenzo Bennett
|
North Garland
|
OL/DL
|
6-2, 315 pounds, started on offense & defense
|
|
Turner Corbett
|
FW All Saints
|
RB
|
All-Conference in SPC, 17 rushing TDs
|
|
Damon Dunbar
|
Seagoville
|
RB/LB
|
All-district selection on offense and defense
|
|
Dakota Britton
|
Rich. Canyon Creek
|
RB/WR
|
In six-man, 19 TDs rushing, 7 receiving |
Twitter: @mattwixon
More to come
![Mesquite Horn head coach Mike Overton sets out pens for recruits before a national signing day ceremony at Mesquite Horn High School on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, in Mesquite. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)]( "Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer")
Let SportsDay be your guide leading up to next Wednesday's national signing day.
Today: A look at some of the area's top unrecruited and underrecruited players. Could colleges swoop in late?
Thursday: Has SMU coach Chad Morris learned from the mistakes of June Jones and made the D-FW area a recruiting priority?
Friday: The rise of one-time also-rans in recruiting makes the path back to the top more difficult for traditional powers like Texas.
Saturday: Texas A&M brought in a number of high-profile athletes in recent classes. But the Aggies quickly learned that not all five-star players pan out.
Sunday: Meet some of the area's top uncommitted recruits. Plus, a look at the Big 12's recent recruiting struggles, updated ranking lists and results from our local recruiting survey.
Monday: While many athletes will be signing scholarships on Wednesday, a number of area players will take a different route: attempting to be a walk-on.
Tuesday: A number of seniors this fall are already enrolled at colleges to get a leg up heading into their freshman seasons. None had as unique of a senior year as LSU's Dee Anderson.
Wednesday: College coaches do what they can to learn about prospects during the recruiting process, but surprises can still pop up even after athletes sign on the dotted line.
