Admiral Farragut Academy (St. Petersburg, Fla.) running back/linebacker Cortavious Givens had often wondered how the 2012 season would work out for him, since he would be coming back from a devastating injury that would damage both his MCL and ACL in his right knee in 2011.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound bruiser knew that if he hoped to keep his dreams of playing college football alive, he’d have to work as hard as ever to get back to the player he once was and it seems, looking at the list of colleges that are interested, he was definitely up for the task.
“I felt like I had a pretty good year this year, especially after coming back from the injury,” claimed Givens. “I know on defense, I was averaging well over 10 solo tackles the game and forcing fumbles, but on offense, I was only touching the ball about two times a game.”
Even with limited touches, the interests in his ball-carrying abilities are still intriguing a number of those college recruiters that send him mail on a weekly basis.
“A majority of the schools interested in me are recruiting me on the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “I think there's only one school that's interested in me as a linebacker. I enjoy playing offense, but I'll play on whatever side of the ball they want me to as long as it helps my team win. My passion for the game is so strong that I really don't care where I play.”
With such a great attitude and showing the ability to bounce back from adversity, the Florida product has proven himself to be a valuable piece to someone's football program in the near future.
“Recruiting is going really well and it's one of the most exciting things I've ever done in my life,” shared the junior. “Sometimes it can get real stressful, but most of the time it's really fun.
“Right now, I have two offers from Virginia and Massachusetts, but I'm hearing from some other schools also. The schools showing me a lot of interest right now are Rutgers, Georgia, N.C. State, Louisville, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida State.”
Though he has yet to hear from the Irish, the Admiral Farragut Academy standout has kept a close eye on Brian Kelly's team and really likes what he sees.
“I'm definitely interested in Notre Dame,” he admitted. “I really like the way they play their running backs and I would love to run behind an offensive line like they have. Where I'm playing at I never had an offensive line like that block for me, because I'm bigger than a majority of our lineman. Having lineman like Notre Dame has would really be nice, especially being a running back.”
Givens is extremely confident in his abilities and believes that whichever team gives him the best opportunity will be receiving a dynamic player that plays hard on every play.
“I'm a strong, powerful runner and I can read defenses,” said the Florida star about his playing style. “By playing linebacker, I'm able to tell what the linebackers will do since I play the position myself. I believe I'm a quick player that can make holes and get through holes. I can make you miss and have a great stiff arm. Those are just a few aspects of my game.
“I still think that I have to get more confidence in cutting on my knee before get to the next level. Right now, I'm thinking about my knee every time I go to cut and I want to get to the point where I'm doing it without thinking about. I want to get back to how I was before I had the injury.”
With the 2014 class just preparing to start the recruiting process, the talented running back is looking to possibly make quick work of his recruitment, so he’s already starting to set the wheels in motion to gather all the information he can in case he decides to act quickly.
“I'm definitely going to take a visit to Virginia and I'm going to Minnesota's junior day because they invited me,” shared Givens. “I'm hoping to also go visit Alabama, Auburn and a few places like that. If Notre Dame decided they were interested in me, it would definitely be a huge possibility that I’d get up there for a visit.
“I'm hoping to make a decision on a college early, so I'm hoping some pretty big schools like Notre Dame come calling pretty soon.”
