Since moving down to Florida a year ago, Justin Ferguson has formed a very good relationship with his high school coaches at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla., but nobody could blame the 6-foot-2, 205-pound wide receiver for listening to one of his coaches at The Opening last week in Oregon.
Fortunately, the messages he received from the greatest receiver ever were the same ones his high school coaches have been hammering into him.
“Jerry Rice was the main coach I learned from,” the Notre Dame wide receiver commitment said of his time at The Opening. “He’s an all-time legend, so being coached by him was real cool. He was telling us a lot of things. A lot of the things he said were repetitive because my high school coach has taught me a lot. It was nice to have the experience.
“Me and my high school coach have a good relationship. He’s telling me a lot of things that will definitely benefit me. If I hear things over and over again, I think, ‘Yeah, that’s probably the right thing. I should do that.’”
While learning from Rice was one of the highlights of the trip, it wasn't the only one. Ferguson caught both touchdowns to help Team Alpha Talon win the 7-ON championship game.
“It was crazy,” Ferguson said of his performance in the final. “I knew what I had to do to get my team to that point. I went out with that drive and a lot effort.”
But the most important part of the trip was probably the bond he formed with his future teammates, Tee Shepard, Deontay Greenberry and David Perkins.
“It was crazy,” said Ferguson, who met Shepard at Notre Dame’s spring game, but didn’t meet the others until arriving in Oregon. “It was like we’re already brothers. We’re going to keep in contact.
“I think it was real important because we’ve already built that bond before we even get there. It was fun. We were with each other most of the time, me, Tee, David and Deontay.”
Before having to leave each other after saying bye 30 times, according to Ferguson and Perkins, the new friends made plans to reconvene in South Bend for Notre Dame’s game against USC in October.
“We decided that on the trip,” said Ferguson. “We’re all going to go up there that weekend.”Ferguson also formed a friendship with an uncommitted prospect, Florida cornerback Tracy Howard.
“He was my roommate,” Ferguson said of Howard. “I was working on him trying to see where his thoughts about ND were. I think I put in a pretty good word. I just want him to take a visit up there to see how it really is.”
Overall, Ferguson had a great time in Oregon.
“It was fun getting coached up by a lot of the top athletes in the NFL and going against the top athletes in the country,” he said. “It was a good experience. It gave me a chance to figure out what level I’m at and what I need to improve on and what I’m good at. It showed me where I should be and where I’m at. I think I’ve got a real good idea of what I need to work on.”
Ferguson is back to work already on the field and off the field as he’s hoping to enroll at Notre Dame in January.
“I want to, but I need to see how the summer plays out with these classes I’m taking now,” he said of the possibility of enrolling early. “I’m shooting to graduate early. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m ready for that.”
