A Step Ahead: Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Football Recruiting Blog

Class of 2008: Some Elite Wide Receivers (Part III)

DeAndre Brown WR 6'6 215 4.62 Ocean Springs Mississippi

Brown is the top WR in Mississippi and among the nations very best. He challenges Darius Barksdale for honors as the top overall prospect in the state……..As a junior he was named Second Team All-State by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger after catching 21 passes for 348 yards and 5 TDs. He also rushed for 4 TDs and returned 2 kicks for TDs…….He did not have a very good passing QB throwing him the ball as a junior……..As a sophomore he had 36 catches for 691 yards and 7 TDs…….He has tremendous height and runs a 4.4 forty. He does a good job of going up and catching the ball in traffic (34-inch vertical helps). Has good quickness (4.37 shuttle) and decent strength (15 bench reps as a sophomore).……Very impressive at the 2006 LSU summer camp.…….Also stars in basketball and runs the 200-meters in track…….Very high ceiling…….As of mid-January he had offers from Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi, South Carolina, Miami, Florida and Florida State.


Chris Tolliver WR 6'1 185 4.30 Rayville Louisiana

Tolliver is considered by most to be the top WR in Louisiana and is among the nation’s best…….As a junior he was named First Team Class 3A All-State after leading he state in receptions with 67 catches for 1,437 yards and 14 TDs……As a sophomore he had 31 receptions for 643 yards and 8 TDs……….Very, very fast, as he ran a 10.5 100-meters as a sophomore. Not just a sprinter, however, as he has pretty good height and a football body….……His school has sent a couple of players to LSU recently……He’s a real game-breaker who is a threat both on the long ball and on shorter passes where he is a threat to run the distance……One of the top overall prospects in Louisiana and as of January being heavily pursued by most of the SEC.


Brandon Green WR/DB 6'1 175 4.50 Chicago Robeson Illinois

Green is an exceptional two-way talent at WR and FS/CB who I really like as a WR in college. He is one of the nation’s top WR prospects…….Enjoyed an outstanding junior season and was named Second Team All-American as a DB by MaxPreps and First Team All-State at DB by the Chicago Tribune. The two-way star recorded 8 INTs, 3 of which were returned for scores, and caught 62 passes for 1,461 yards and 21 TDs.…….As a sophomore he was a First Team All-Public League selection by the Chicago Sun-Times after catching 57 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 TDs………As a freshman, he had 47 receptions for 797 yards and 9 TDs.…….He is an outstanding athlete and will be the top prospect in the Chicago Public League as a senior……He has decent size and speed, but it’s his athleticism and ball skills that really stand out……His coach claims that he is the best player h has coached in 17 years…….Solid student…..As of late January he had received offers from Illinois, Northwestern and Iowa.


D.J. Coles WR/RB 6'3 193 4.40 Goochland Virginia

Coles is among the nations top WR prospects even though he stars as a RB and DB in high school…….As a junior he was named AP First Team Class A All-State and First Team All-Metro by the Richmond Times-Dispatch after rushing for 1,352 yards and 22 TDs on just 118 carries. He also had 3 TD catches……..As a sophomore he was named Second Team All-Metro by the Richmond Times-Dispatch after rushing for 22 TDs and averaging over 12 yards per carry………With his frame (could fill out around 220), long arms and great hands he will likely move to WR in college. An explosive athlete who his coach claims is an exceptional blocker. Very physical……Stars in basketball and won the state Class A 100-meters title as a sophomore…….Rushed for over 900 yards as a freshman starter in earning Second Team All-James River District honors……As of mid-January he had received offers from the likes of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Maryland.


Martavious Odoms WR 5'8 175 4.35 Pahokee Florida

Florida always produces outstanding WRs and Odoms is one of the very best in the Class of 2008……As a junior he was a First Team Class 2B All-State selection after leading his team to an unbeaten record and the state title. He was also a consensus All-Palm Beach County pick and was named the Sun-Sentinel’s County Small Schools Player of the Year…….Effective at WR, DB and as a return man……..As a junior he had 46 receptions for 941 yards and 14 TDs despite being constantly double-teamed…….As a sophomore he was named Second Team Class 2B All-State and First Team All-Palm Beach County after leading the County with 68 receptions for 1,156 yards and 16 TDs and helping his team to a state title…..…As a freshman he had over 400 yards receiving and 11 TDs……An explosive and dangerous player who lacks great size but has everything else. He’s quicker than a hiccup (4.12 shuttle as a soph), runs great routes, is strong for his size (14 bench reps as a soph), tough, athletic, goes vertical (34-inch vertical), blocks well and is a very hard worker. A real playmaker……Tennessee, Clemson and South Carolina were the first to offer back in 2006.

posted by Jim Stefani @ 8:10 PM