Casey Smith has helped mentor a number of National Football League players during his coaching career. There's Brandon Faycson, a cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts, and Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton. And most recently, defensive tackle C.J. Brewer signed with the Buffalo Bills. Smith, now the head coach at Union Grove High School outside of Atlanta, believes … [Read more...]

Tom Hall had just been named head football coach at Blessed Trinity High School in March 2021 when he received a request from a surprising source. Former Parade All-American, three-year starter at the University of Georgia and first-round National Football League draft pick Charles Grant wanted to meet with Hall regarding his son. Hall was more than happy to oblige. After … [Read more...]

When it comes to developing under-rated receivers into record breakers at the college level, few programs have done that better than East Carolina. From Mitchell Galloway to Justin Hardy to Tyler Snead, the Pirates have excelled at making stars out of receivers who were lightly recruited or joined the program as walk-on players. Galloway and Snead rank among ECU's top-10 … [Read more...]

The path of Demoris Jenkins' football career is an old tale for a new age. Jenkins, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, grew up just outside Charlotte in Huntersville, NC, with hopes of becoming a college basketball player and beyond. He dreamed of playing for state 4-A powerhouse North Mecklenburg and its heralded basketball coach Duane Lewis, who has directed the Vikings to two state … [Read more...]

Sometimes early talent assessments do become reality. Such was the case with Malik Leverett, who was a dominant player at Greenbriar Middle School in Evans, GA, during the 2017 and 2018 season. As an eighth grader in 2018, Leverett piled up almost 1,000 yards rushing and scored 24 touchdowns, despite sitting out the fourth quarter in most games as Greenbriar racked up big … [Read more...]