Galion (Galion, Ohio) defensive back LaCario Davison was looking forward to helping the Tigers have a huge season this year and in the process get his name out on the recruiting radar. Unfortunately, his plan didn't come to fruition due to untimely knee injury.
Even though this setback might have slowed him down a bit, it hasn't deterred him from battling back and earning some Division I attention.
It already seems to be happening.
“I haven’t received any offers yet, but I am hearing from a number of schools,” claimed Davison. “I've been hearing from West Virginia, Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, NC State, Pitt and some MAC schools.”
Before his injury, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety had already started earning the reputation of being a dominant defender.
“I would say I’m a very hard hitter that plays smart,” said the 2015 prospect. “There are some people who compare me to Pittsburgh Steeler safety Troy Polomalu and I like that comparison a lot.”
Davison's teammate, Dareian Watkins, hasn’t taken it easy on this very good friend either by keeping him motivated and striving to come back better than ever.
Watkins is also a Division I prospect and currently has over 10 offers from schools like Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue.
“Dareian pushes me hard and I really appreciate that,” he explained. “If I want to be better than him, I have to work hard because he's really good. My dad also motivates me too, so I feel very blessed.
“Dareian and I were going to go check out South Bend earlier this month, but our plans fell through. If Notre Dame decides to show interest in me, I will definitely be visiting them in the future.”
The duo has taken most of their college visits together and where you find one, you'll probably find the other. Could this mean they’re a package deal?
“Dareian and I have talked about going to the same school and if the right opportunity presented itself, we would jump on it, but only if it were a school that fit both of us and our futures plans,” he said.
Though he's only a sophomore, Davison hopes to show the Irish enough next season that they'll decide to recruit him.
“I’m very interested in Notre Dame,” shared the young safety. “Academics are very important to me and I know Notre Dame is a great academic school. When it's all said and done I want to earn a degree from a great school. I think academics are more important to me than football because I have to prepare for the future.”
Leagan Hopes To Hear From Irish
La Porte High School (La Porte, Texas) is loaded with tons of talent that will be playing college football in the future and it has definitely manifested itself on the gridiron this season leading to an 11-1 record. The Irish are already trying to tap into that reserve and have offered 2014 Bulldog linebacker Hoza Scott, but there's also another player in the class that hopes to catch Notre Dame's attention also and that's offensive lineman Michael Leagan.
“I'm very much interested in Notre Dame,” admitted Leagan. “I really like their head coach and the direction they're going in. I believe they're raising a good program over there and they're going to be really, really good for quite a few years.”
The 6-foot-3, 285-pound lineman is waiting for his first offer, but he has a feeling a number of them could be coming really soon.
“Everything’s been going really great in recruiting so far,” he claimed. “Right now, I'm hearing from a lot of different schools and I like what I'm hearing so far. I haven't received any offers yet, but a number these schools said I should start receiving offers in January after they’ve finished their 2013 recruiting classes.
“I've been hearing from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Washington State, Houston, Florida State, Nebraska and SMU.”
The La Porte standout admits he’s still learning the game and tries to fine-tune his blocking techniques every chance he gets to show collegiate recruiters that he's willing to do what it takes to help his team win.
“On the field, I'm very hard-working and I like to get to the second level and put people on the ground,” explained Leagan. “I like to cut block, so they can make the play on the ball carrier. I also like getting to the secondary because they don't like facing us offensive lineman very well.
“Before I get to the next level I think I need to work on my pass blocking a bit because La Porte is predominantly a running team. I think I have pretty good footwork right now, but I just want to perfect it, so I can be efficient blocking in the passing game.”
Now that the recruiting game is starting for the class of 2014, the Texas lineman can’t help but reminisce a bit.
“I really wanted this time to come, because as an eighth grader, I just hoped for a chance that these colleges would look at me,” he confessed. “My dream is coming true right now and I couldn't be happier.”
While Leagan waits to see what other schools might be interested in his services, he acknowledges that if the Irish show up they'll definitely get his full undivided attention.
“If Notre Dame decided to start showing me interest, I could definitely see myself trying to get up there for a visit. It's such a great school and it would be such an honor to be recruited by them.”
