Fifteen catches, 215 yards and three touchdowns doesn't exactly scream "big-time college football player," does it?
Maybe not, but it doesn't mean a high school players with those numbers can't get big-time offers.
Take North Mesquite's Ricki Herod Jr., for instance.
Herod, who will be a senior, orally committed to Kansas last week after posting those less-than-stellar numbers during his junior season at North Mesquite.
Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a player in the Class of 2010 can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 3, 2010.
The Jayhawks made the 6 foot 2 inch, 175-pound receiver his only offer to date, which seems to be the M.O. of Kansas head coach Mark Mangino, who has led some prolific offenses in his days, dating back to his time as the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma after Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach left that post.
Kansas also landed Denton Ryan speedster D.J. Beshears at receiver this past signing day after Beshears had one offer from Iowa State before Gene Chizik left for Auburn, leaving him offerless, until Mangino swooped in.
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Herod also had interest from Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and Florida, but jumped at the chance from the first school to offer him, which happens fairly often. Once in a blue moon, it will work out well for the school to be the only one to offer a certain player. The first wideout that comes to mind is former Tech receiver Wes Welker, who got his only offer from Tech -- and a late one at that -- and is now starring for the New England Patriots.
Herod put up those numbers in seven games last year, but the Stallions are a running team, but he likes the offense Mangino has at Kansas and is looking forward to the chance to prove himself.
"I like their offense, how they set up, their scheme," Herod told The Dallas Morning News. "They throw the ball a lot, and I can go up there and excel."
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He's enjoying his day off in the sun.
