Marlin Taylor worked with a lot of speedy athletes in four seasons as offensive line coach at South Carolina powerhouse Dutch Fork High School, which won state 5-A titles in each of those years. But when Taylor departed Dutch Fork to become head coach at Lower Richland High just outside of Columbia, he inherited an athlete "in a class of his own'' in Nate Branch. "I've … [Read more...]

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...]