On the COVID recruiting trail Part 8

Posted

All our coronavirus coverage is free to the public. It’s the right thing to do as a public service to our community. If you find this article helpful or informative and want to support our continued coverage, please subscribe or support us with a tax-deductible donation.

To find all our coronavirus coverage, including helpful local resources and website links, click here.

---

High school football players across the country are fighting to be seen on the recruiting trail during a pandemic that has taken away their chances to be seen by coaches across the country. The Sumter Item met with football players from Sumter, Lakewood and Crestwood who have had their recruiting process affected by the coronavirus pandemic to see how they've maneuvered through this process.

ZAYVEON WELLS - LAKEWOOD JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK

NOTEWORTHY OFFERS: University of Toledo, University of Houston, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, University of Buffalo

How has the pandemic affected your recruiting process?

I had a lot of Power 5 school that were coming down to see me this spring, but due to the virus, they couldn't really travel like that. I'm getting recruited, but that kind of stopped the opportunities for me, but Twitter is still keeping me connected.

What is it like being a younger player going through the recruiting process during the pandemic?

If feels kind of good being a sophomore with 10 offers and my rising seniors have offers too, but it's kinda like I'm setting a bar for the younger guys. You don't have to be a junior or senior to have offers, be good now. I'm basically setting an example for these younger guys.

What would missing out on your junior year mean to you?

It would take a toll because I've got a lot of Power 5 coaches, they wanna see me in my first fall games of my junior season, they wanna see how I do. If I don't have a junior season, my recruiting process is going to be slower than usual.