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Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Inst Charter School offensive guard Johncarlo Valentin holds over 20 FBS offers from programs across the country, and several coaches have checked in with new interest recently, including Texas Tech offensive line coach Lee Hays.
“I have been talking with Coach Hays from Texas Tech for a couple of weeks now,” Valentin said. “We have talked about the school a lot, coach told me about the football program and the great academics they have there. It is just interest so far, but I hope an offer is extended to me."
“He says that I’m very athletic for my size. Most coaches really like my speed, versatility and they all say that they will put me wherever they need me on the line.”
Valentin has a group of schools that he would like to officially visit this fall and already setup one of his visits to a Pac12 program.
“I just setup a visit to Arizona State on September 17th,” Valentin said. “I’m still open to every school that is interested and really don’t have a timeline for my decision. There are some other visits that I would like to setup. Coach Hays and I have talked about a possible visit to Texas Tech, plus there are a few schools like Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama and Florida State.”
Rated a four-star prospect, Valentin is the No. 16 offensive guard in the nation and the No. 7 player on the Rivals.com Pennsylvania Spring Top 35 for the 2016 class.
-Clare
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With many positions on Tech’s 2016 class already filled, the Tech coaches are zeroing in on targets at positions of need, especially at defensive back. One of the prospects on Tech’s radar is Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington CB and Kansas commit Kyle Mayberry.
Oklahoma area recruiter Zac Spavital is recruiting Mayberry and has set up plans to see the DB play this upcoming season.
“He’s been DMing me on Twitter telling me that he is very excited to come out and watch me play this season. He tells me things about the defense they run and how they led the nation in turnovers last year at Houston. He probably reaches out to me every other week.”
Not only is Spavital still in the process of recruiting Mayberry, but Tech cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis is also keeping in contact with the Oklahoma product.
“I DM him (Curtis) on twitter too. He is a cool guy, we talk on the phone from time to time. He keeps telling me that he is ready to come watch me play this season.”
With the coaches still showing Mayberry a lot of interest, how much return interest does the KU commit have in the Red Raiders?
“I’m very interested. They play a lot of cornerbacks on the field at the same time. They like me in the nickel. It is such a good program, good academic school, and the history of the school is also appealing. They usually have good returners too, and I hope to be a returner on the next level.”
The 5-foot-11 corner prospect believes that the only reason he does not hold an offer from the Red Raiders at the moment is because they haven’t seen him perform in person just yet. He was invited to one of their satellite camps this summer, but the risk of injury kept him away from attending. Mayberry believes that a visit from the coaches this fall will change his scholarship status because he knows the Tech coaches are very interested in him as a prospect.
“I think they see a very versatile player, they see a lot of things that they can’t coach. My speed, sometimes my speed just takes over and that’s not something that can be coached. I have ideal width, I have a 6-foot-1 wingspan, and you can’t teach long arms. My ball-hawking ability and my versatility are all things that stand out to them.”
Outside of Texas Tech, the two-star prospect still hears from a variety of schools including Kansas State, Illinois, and Washington State, but says he is still solid in his commitment to Kansas.
“I’ve been hearing from Kansas State a lot, we have a lot of history of sending players from my high school to Kansas State. I’m hearing from Illinois a lot too and Washington State,” he said. “I’m very solid in my commitment to the Jayhawks though, it is the best situation for me. I still have to keep my options open though, because it is a big decision that you only get to make once.”
Even with his commitment to Kansas, Mayberry hopes to take a few official visits this season including one to Texas Tech if the Red Raiders ever come with an offer.
“As of right now I don’t have them (official visits) all set up yet because I’m trying to wait and see all the schools that are going to end up offering me, but I’ll be setting them up soon,” he said. “If Tech comes with an offer though, I can see myself most definitely taking a trip down there.”
“I have actually never been out to Texas Tech or Lubbock, but if they plan on offering, I will take a visit. I don’t know too much about them, but I would give them hard consideration on the visit. I don’t have an offer right now, so I haven’t gotten the chance to look at them too closely.”
And while a flip to a new school seems unlikely at the moment, Mayberry does know that if a better opportunity presents itself, he would definitely consider de-committing from the Jayhawks.
“The key things for me that will make me flip my decision is better opportunity playing wise, a better opportunity for me education wise, and the relationship will have to be better than what I have with the coaches at Kansas.”
Mayberry is a talented two-sport athlete as he set new PRs in the 100 and 200 meter dashes this past track season. At the state meet he posted a 10.67 100 and has also ran a 22.1 200 in the past. The Red Raiders would like to add another DB and Mayberry’s situation is worth monitoring. If they turn things on in their recruitment of Mayberry, things could get interesting.
-- Kohnle
-----
Many parts of Texas are talent-laden with prospects, both superstars and under-the-radar type recruits. One of the richest areas in Texas for high-end talent is East Texas, and the Texas Tech coaches get a first-hand look at all this talent when they host their East Texas Satellite camp in Longview every year.
One of the prospects who performed well at the satellite camp was Alto (Texas) athlete Keenen Johnson, who has been in contact with the coaches since the camp. Johnson worked out at receiver in Longview, and the coaches came away impressed.
“The offensive coordinator follows me on twitter. Coach Morris was the one who coached us at the camp, and after the camp he pulled me aside and told me he was going to be accounting for me this year and I should keep up the good work.”
The contact with Coach Morris was minimal, but Johnson actually hears from East Texas recruiter Trey Haverty from time to time.
“He contacted me recently and just told me happy Sunday and we had some small talk, but earlier he had contacted me after their East Texas camp and said that the offensive coordinator really liked me and told me that they were interested."
While Johnson’s performance at the camp may have solidified Tech’s interest in the receiver prospect, it wasn’t their first time to see the recruit, as Coach Haverty stopped by Alto in the spring. Johnson enjoys hearing from Coach Haverty.
“Coach Haverty also visited my school during the spring. He just told me that they really wanted to see me at the camp, and I made that happen and think I performed real well,” he said. “He’s a very energetic guy, he is always fired up about something. He is really helpful when you need something and talk to him, he’s just a real easy guy to talk and he knows how to have fun.”
Johnson, a two-star recruit, is definitely one of the more under-the radar prospects at the moment and currently holds offers from only SMU and Louisiana Lafayette. Due to his versatility on the field and his apparent game-breaking ability, that shouldn’t be the case following this upcoming season.
“A lot of schools are looking at me as an athlete; I can play either receiver or defensive back. Some schools are just waiting to get me to campus to see where I would play. I would prefer receiver though, and that’s where I worked out at the Texas Tech camp.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Johnson is a Jonathan Giles-type of prospect, a good player who plays quarterback for Alto mainly due to the fact that he is without a doubt their best athlete. While Tech looks to be full at the receiver position at the moment, Johnson’s recruitment will be one to follow this upcoming season.
He finished his junior year completing 74 of 120 passes for 1,607 yards with 18 touchdowns and 4 INTs, while also tacking on 199 rushes for 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns.
-Kohnle
-----
If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep Inst Charter School offensive guard Johncarlo Valentin holds over 20 FBS offers from programs across the country, and several coaches have checked in with new interest recently, including Texas Tech offensive line coach Lee Hays.
“I have been talking with Coach Hays from Texas Tech for a couple of weeks now,” Valentin said. “We have talked about the school a lot, coach told me about the football program and the great academics they have there. It is just interest so far, but I hope an offer is extended to me."
“He says that I’m very athletic for my size. Most coaches really like my speed, versatility and they all say that they will put me wherever they need me on the line.”
Valentin has a group of schools that he would like to officially visit this fall and already setup one of his visits to a Pac12 program.
“I just setup a visit to Arizona State on September 17th,” Valentin said. “I’m still open to every school that is interested and really don’t have a timeline for my decision. There are some other visits that I would like to setup. Coach Hays and I have talked about a possible visit to Texas Tech, plus there are a few schools like Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama and Florida State.”
Rated a four-star prospect, Valentin is the No. 16 offensive guard in the nation and the No. 7 player on the Rivals.com Pennsylvania Spring Top 35 for the 2016 class.
-Clare
-----
With many positions on Tech’s 2016 class already filled, the Tech coaches are zeroing in on targets at positions of need, especially at defensive back. One of the prospects on Tech’s radar is Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington CB and Kansas commit Kyle Mayberry.
Oklahoma area recruiter Zac Spavital is recruiting Mayberry and has set up plans to see the DB play this upcoming season.
“He’s been DMing me on Twitter telling me that he is very excited to come out and watch me play this season. He tells me things about the defense they run and how they led the nation in turnovers last year at Houston. He probably reaches out to me every other week.”
Not only is Spavital still in the process of recruiting Mayberry, but Tech cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis is also keeping in contact with the Oklahoma product.
“I DM him (Curtis) on twitter too. He is a cool guy, we talk on the phone from time to time. He keeps telling me that he is ready to come watch me play this season.”
With the coaches still showing Mayberry a lot of interest, how much return interest does the KU commit have in the Red Raiders?
“I’m very interested. They play a lot of cornerbacks on the field at the same time. They like me in the nickel. It is such a good program, good academic school, and the history of the school is also appealing. They usually have good returners too, and I hope to be a returner on the next level.”
The 5-foot-11 corner prospect believes that the only reason he does not hold an offer from the Red Raiders at the moment is because they haven’t seen him perform in person just yet. He was invited to one of their satellite camps this summer, but the risk of injury kept him away from attending. Mayberry believes that a visit from the coaches this fall will change his scholarship status because he knows the Tech coaches are very interested in him as a prospect.
“I think they see a very versatile player, they see a lot of things that they can’t coach. My speed, sometimes my speed just takes over and that’s not something that can be coached. I have ideal width, I have a 6-foot-1 wingspan, and you can’t teach long arms. My ball-hawking ability and my versatility are all things that stand out to them.”
Outside of Texas Tech, the two-star prospect still hears from a variety of schools including Kansas State, Illinois, and Washington State, but says he is still solid in his commitment to Kansas.
“I’ve been hearing from Kansas State a lot, we have a lot of history of sending players from my high school to Kansas State. I’m hearing from Illinois a lot too and Washington State,” he said. “I’m very solid in my commitment to the Jayhawks though, it is the best situation for me. I still have to keep my options open though, because it is a big decision that you only get to make once.”
Even with his commitment to Kansas, Mayberry hopes to take a few official visits this season including one to Texas Tech if the Red Raiders ever come with an offer.
“As of right now I don’t have them (official visits) all set up yet because I’m trying to wait and see all the schools that are going to end up offering me, but I’ll be setting them up soon,” he said. “If Tech comes with an offer though, I can see myself most definitely taking a trip down there.”
“I have actually never been out to Texas Tech or Lubbock, but if they plan on offering, I will take a visit. I don’t know too much about them, but I would give them hard consideration on the visit. I don’t have an offer right now, so I haven’t gotten the chance to look at them too closely.”
And while a flip to a new school seems unlikely at the moment, Mayberry does know that if a better opportunity presents itself, he would definitely consider de-committing from the Jayhawks.
“The key things for me that will make me flip my decision is better opportunity playing wise, a better opportunity for me education wise, and the relationship will have to be better than what I have with the coaches at Kansas.”
Mayberry is a talented two-sport athlete as he set new PRs in the 100 and 200 meter dashes this past track season. At the state meet he posted a 10.67 100 and has also ran a 22.1 200 in the past. The Red Raiders would like to add another DB and Mayberry’s situation is worth monitoring. If they turn things on in their recruitment of Mayberry, things could get interesting.
-- Kohnle
-----
Many parts of Texas are talent-laden with prospects, both superstars and under-the-radar type recruits. One of the richest areas in Texas for high-end talent is East Texas, and the Texas Tech coaches get a first-hand look at all this talent when they host their East Texas Satellite camp in Longview every year.
One of the prospects who performed well at the satellite camp was Alto (Texas) athlete Keenen Johnson, who has been in contact with the coaches since the camp. Johnson worked out at receiver in Longview, and the coaches came away impressed.
“The offensive coordinator follows me on twitter. Coach Morris was the one who coached us at the camp, and after the camp he pulled me aside and told me he was going to be accounting for me this year and I should keep up the good work.”
The contact with Coach Morris was minimal, but Johnson actually hears from East Texas recruiter Trey Haverty from time to time.
“He contacted me recently and just told me happy Sunday and we had some small talk, but earlier he had contacted me after their East Texas camp and said that the offensive coordinator really liked me and told me that they were interested."
While Johnson’s performance at the camp may have solidified Tech’s interest in the receiver prospect, it wasn’t their first time to see the recruit, as Coach Haverty stopped by Alto in the spring. Johnson enjoys hearing from Coach Haverty.
“Coach Haverty also visited my school during the spring. He just told me that they really wanted to see me at the camp, and I made that happen and think I performed real well,” he said. “He’s a very energetic guy, he is always fired up about something. He is really helpful when you need something and talk to him, he’s just a real easy guy to talk and he knows how to have fun.”
Johnson, a two-star recruit, is definitely one of the more under-the radar prospects at the moment and currently holds offers from only SMU and Louisiana Lafayette. Due to his versatility on the field and his apparent game-breaking ability, that shouldn’t be the case following this upcoming season.
“A lot of schools are looking at me as an athlete; I can play either receiver or defensive back. Some schools are just waiting to get me to campus to see where I would play. I would prefer receiver though, and that’s where I worked out at the Texas Tech camp.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Johnson is a Jonathan Giles-type of prospect, a good player who plays quarterback for Alto mainly due to the fact that he is without a doubt their best athlete. While Tech looks to be full at the receiver position at the moment, Johnson’s recruitment will be one to follow this upcoming season.
He finished his junior year completing 74 of 120 passes for 1,607 yards with 18 touchdowns and 4 INTs, while also tacking on 199 rushes for 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns.
-Kohnle
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