Just wanted to drop a quick note here on a couple of weekend visitors we haven't had full updates on yet. Kierre Hawkins have been shuttling between school, track practice, AAU ball, and homework pretty much non-stop since their visit, so I haven't gotten a full interview done with those guys.
However, I've talked to coaches at Maple Heights and some sources around Ohio State, so there was a little info I wanted to pass along before those full stories get done.
First, Javonte Richardson has really taken full advantage of this offseason in terms of conditioning and weight training. He's been lifting as much as his schedule will allow for, but most of those gains are getting burned off in the running he does for basketball and track, so what you're seeing is a kid that is pretty much all wiry muscle at a legitimate 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds.
He's going to be able to hit the weight room hard and really shape his body into exactly what you want a dominant outside receiver to look like once he gets to the college level and is only playing football. The arms are long, the shoulders are wide, the hands are huge, he runs with a really smooth, long stride for the most part. Richardson has the full look of a future Division I standout.
And while all that running I mentioned may run off some of his weight gain, he tells me he feels a lot faster than he was at the end of his sophomore season. The track coaches have been working on him as a sprinter (4x1 and 4x2), although a sore hammy forced him to miss a meet, to help develop his speed. Moreover, his training with Raw Talent has been teaching him to get off of the line quicker, and more importantly, run in and out of his breaks smoother and faster. I'm expecting a huge performance out of him at the Rivals Camp Series in Cleveland on April 26th and he told me he's not leaving without an invite to Baltimore, although that remains to be seen.
On the recruiting front, he still plans to come camp at Ohio State in June. If his development is what he says it has been and he shows it at our camp and then again at Ohio State, this one could turn into an offer by the summer. I think Danny Davis and Jaylen Harris are very strong prospects in their own right, but Richardson can be Ohio's clear-cut top receiver.
Hawkins has had great physical development as well since the season has ended. He's adding muscle and shedding the last few remnants of baby fat that were on him. He's now at 6-foot-4 and hovering between 225 and 230 pounds depending on the day. He also now has an eight pack and he's only going to get bigger and more muscular.
His body transformation and weight room activity haven't just made him bigger though, he's also getting more explosive. Hawkins won the 300 meter hurdles in his first ever meet competing in the event.
If it's not clear enough already, there aren't many guys out there who weigh 230 pounds and look and move like Kierre Hawkins does.
Both of these kids are going to be absolute terrors at the college level when you get them under a coaching staff and a college S&C guy gets to beef them up. I would be shocked if both don't end up at Ohio State because if you're the Buckeyes, you just can't let two kids like this escape out of your backyard. Obviously Hawkins is already committed, but Richardson has flown under the radar with only Kentucky and Bowling Green offering.
However, I've talked to coaches at Maple Heights and some sources around Ohio State, so there was a little info I wanted to pass along before those full stories get done.
First, Javonte Richardson has really taken full advantage of this offseason in terms of conditioning and weight training. He's been lifting as much as his schedule will allow for, but most of those gains are getting burned off in the running he does for basketball and track, so what you're seeing is a kid that is pretty much all wiry muscle at a legitimate 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds.
He's going to be able to hit the weight room hard and really shape his body into exactly what you want a dominant outside receiver to look like once he gets to the college level and is only playing football. The arms are long, the shoulders are wide, the hands are huge, he runs with a really smooth, long stride for the most part. Richardson has the full look of a future Division I standout.
And while all that running I mentioned may run off some of his weight gain, he tells me he feels a lot faster than he was at the end of his sophomore season. The track coaches have been working on him as a sprinter (4x1 and 4x2), although a sore hammy forced him to miss a meet, to help develop his speed. Moreover, his training with Raw Talent has been teaching him to get off of the line quicker, and more importantly, run in and out of his breaks smoother and faster. I'm expecting a huge performance out of him at the Rivals Camp Series in Cleveland on April 26th and he told me he's not leaving without an invite to Baltimore, although that remains to be seen.
On the recruiting front, he still plans to come camp at Ohio State in June. If his development is what he says it has been and he shows it at our camp and then again at Ohio State, this one could turn into an offer by the summer. I think Danny Davis and Jaylen Harris are very strong prospects in their own right, but Richardson can be Ohio's clear-cut top receiver.
Hawkins has had great physical development as well since the season has ended. He's adding muscle and shedding the last few remnants of baby fat that were on him. He's now at 6-foot-4 and hovering between 225 and 230 pounds depending on the day. He also now has an eight pack and he's only going to get bigger and more muscular.
His body transformation and weight room activity haven't just made him bigger though, he's also getting more explosive. Hawkins won the 300 meter hurdles in his first ever meet competing in the event.
If it's not clear enough already, there aren't many guys out there who weigh 230 pounds and look and move like Kierre Hawkins does.
Both of these kids are going to be absolute terrors at the college level when you get them under a coaching staff and a college S&C guy gets to beef them up. I would be shocked if both don't end up at Ohio State because if you're the Buckeyes, you just can't let two kids like this escape out of your backyard. Obviously Hawkins is already committed, but Richardson has flown under the radar with only Kentucky and Bowling Green offering.
