Thursday, February 14, 2008
Mikell Simpson's coach hopes Cavaliers will step up
Potts' You Tube video just the start
Doug Doughty
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Nothing has captured the fancy of Virginia football fans in recent days like the highlights video of Harrisburg (Pa.) High School football player Josh Potts.
“Are you talking about the You Tube video?” Harrisburg coach George Chaump said Thursday. “That’s not his best. He’s got another one out there.”
But, get this! Potts is a senior, an uncommitted senior who ranks No. 1 in his class academically.
Potts, a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back and wide receiver, is a nationally ranked sprinter whose You Tube video shows him running past people and scoring on receptions, interceptions, blocked kicks and shotgun snaps.
“They say that he’s one of the two of the most electrifying players in the state,” said Chaump, once the head coach at Marshall and Navy.
Who’s they?
“Pundits say it,” Chaump said. “You know, scribes like yourself, I guess. What do I know? I just coach the game.”
Glad we got that squared up.
Few people will accept my word on anything, but try to find Potts’ video and see for yourself. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ZiC-kI7qY
UVa coach Al Groh said in his signing day news conference last week that he didn’t anticipate the Cavaliers taking any more seniors, but there has been some consideration of Potts.
“Frankly, I was hoping Virginia would get involved,” said Chaump, who coached 2007 UVa standout Mikell Simpson when he was at Harrisburg High School. “It’s a good academic school and he’s a good academic student.
“I’d love to see Virginia get involved and have him down, like him and take him. Mikell likes it down there and is doing well. It would be nice to have two guys from one school on the team.
“I don’t care where they go as long as they go and get an education and they’re happy. That’s my only concern.”
It was the Pittsburgh Sports Insider that referred to Potts and Jeanette, Pa., quarterback Terrelle Pryor as “maybe the two most exciting players in the state.” The same publication rated Potts as the No. 27 prospect in the state and other publications haven’t had him that high.
“He’s got great speed but he’s also a heckuva football player,” Chaump said.
Then, how is a player like Potts still available one week after the signing day?
“It’s a funny one,” Chaump said. “I don’t know. I can’t answer that. Why he hasn’t signed yet, I don’t know.”
Chaump downplayed the idea that Potts hasn’t been receptive to recruiters.
“He’s listened and talked and visited,” Chaump said. “He’s been as active as he could, I guess.
“Everybody who watches his film just loves him. They say he’s a player, but he hasn’t signed or hasn’t been offered. Whatever it is, I don’t know, but that’s his business.”
Potts has a long, bushy ponytail reminiscent of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, a player he admittedly emulates. Potts plays with a flair that is evident on the You Tube video, but what team couldn’t use some flair?
“I’ve done everything I can to expedite the process,” Chaump said, “but when it comes to getting into the details, I don’t do it. He’s going to go somewhere and get something. It’s just a matter of time.
“Stanford is hoping to do something with him but they have such intricate admissions. You have to apply before a certain date. As for Virginia, I think that Al [Groh] is familiar with him.
“Bobby Price recruits our area for Virginia and Bobby called and said they saw the film and [were struck by] how good he looked.”
CHAUMP FOLLOWED Simpson’s on-field progress this year but was unaware of the academic issues that jeopardized Simpson’s availability for the Gator Bowl and delayed his arrival.
“It’s a common disease; they can get fat and happy when they meet with success,” Chaump said. “He’s a nice-hearted kid; he’s not malicious. He’s got the right mentality. He’s a likable young man, but he does get careless now.
“Al needs to sit on him and keep him humble.”
Simpson basically played in six games and led the Cavaliers in receptions and nearly led the team in rushing. He had 247 all-purpose yards in the Gator Bowl, where he carried 20 times for a season-high 170 yards, including a Gator Bowl-record 96-yard touchdown run.
“He got a break and they can’t get him out of there now,” Chaump said. “He was that kind of kid in high school. Out of nowhere, he’d make a great, great play. Somehow, he’s been doing it all his life.”
Simpson, who was a red-shirt sophomore, had done nothing at UVa for 2 ½ seasons.
“ I didn’t know what to think,” Chaump said. “I knew he was young. I knew he had other kids in front of him. You’re playing with kids who have some ability. You’re not just going to step in and do it.
“I saw the bowl game. He just breaks loose. He’s done that here. He’s had plenty of 90-, 95-, 85-yard runs. He just has that unique, big-play ability.”
