Recently on his visit to south Florida, a football analyst observed that south Florida has a number of overlooked athletes.
That statement is true, but there is a whole lot more to it than just saying how colleges tend to overlook prospects in Miami-Dade and Broward County.
First of all, there are more major college prospects in this region of the country than any other area nationally – and while Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach Counties had 115 athletes on payrolls on NFL teams this past year, it illustrates how tough it is to see each and every prospect.
For those who follow this talented group of athletes, they are fully aware of the athletes we have and continue to produce. There are enough fan websites and recruiting writers to uncover a number of these “overlooked” prospects – and even though they continue to get the names out of these impressive athletes, the exposure comes slow.
We no longer need to dance around on eggshells when it comes to the Nike, Under Armour, Rivals and other national brand companies who host events. They are after the deemed 4 and 5-star athletes who will eventually be in a position to endorse their products as well as make purchases, so they tend to shun many of the “under-the-radar” athletes who are out there for this current class as well as the underclassmen.
It is something that has gone on for years, and truly not likely to stop anytime soon.
PETERS PROFILE
PLAYER: Jeremiah Peters
POSITION: DE
SCHOOL: Miami Booker T. Washington
CLASS: 2021
HEIGHT: 6-5
WEIGHT: 215
SCOUTING: When you get the chance to really cover these athletes – and not just from watching video, seeing them in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt or remembering them when they were 12 years old in youth leagues, you tend to have a real grasp for what they can accomplish.
After having the pleasure of checking out the defending 4A state champions 7 different times live this past season, you see things – and each and every week – there was no doubt that this young man was as good as you got – at any level.
The true mark of a football player, and Coach Ben Hanks and current head coach Gerald Cox will tell you, is to watch them make a difference every week. Come to play and use their abilities to change the outcome of a game, and Jeremiah Peters did just that.
This is someone that doesn’t need a recruiting analyst or a former coach who watched players to tell him how productive he is. All he does is look at the results, how he filled up the stat sheet and where is football team is at the end of each game.
In a world of football talent that is part of the hype machine, it’s refreshing to get the opportunity to see someone live – and just 6 feet away from you – making a major impact!