Rare is the wideout who concludes his junior year with more scholarship nibbles than catches he made the previous fall.
Say hello to Shakur Nesmith, of Imhotep Charter, and offer congratulations on the fact he just committed to Temple.
The 6-5, 190-pound Nesmith last season made five receptions for 107 yards and one TD while waiting his turn behind the talented Devin Sanders. Then came the combine/camp circuit and, well, this kid's stock rose so quickly it almost had to split.
"I just kept saying, 'I'm going to prove myself,' " Nesmith said. "I kept working hard and it all paid off. It's really exciting. And my dad [Michael] is even more excited than I am."
Nesmith first raised eyebrows at a Nike combine. No actual footballing took place, but he soared in a standing long jump and scorched in the 40, thus earning an invite to a 7-on-7 at Rutgers.
"The electrical time at the Nike thing was 4.61, but some people off to the side had me at 4.41," Nesmith said. "And I got asked to run that after doing 11-feet-something in the broad jump. I did really good in the Rutgers thing and it all went from there; Rutgers showed interest right then.
"Three weeks ago I went to a camp at Temple. They liked me, but didn't offer. I went right back the next week with the idea, 'I'm gonna do even better.' I did, and they offered.
"Last Saturday I went to a camp at Pitt, where I ran a 4.39 and was catching the ball nice. Pitt, Villanova, Bowling Green, Akron . . . They all said they liked me and were going to follow up, but it was a little tough [to offer] because I didn't have much film to give them. They said to send them films from our first two games [of 2011].
"The rate things were going, I probably would have had a lot more schools coming after me. Some big ones probably, too. But I had the scholarship offer I wanted. I wanted to stay around here, so my family and friends could see me. Temple, that was my goal."
Nesmith, who lives near Mascher and Fisher, in Olney, and intends to become a physical therapist, also played defense for Imhotep in 2010. His highlight on that side of the ball was a two-interception outing as the Panthers stunned Edward Bok Tech, 28-6, thus terminating the Wildcats' 43-game winning streak in Public League regular-season play.
"But wideout's gonna be my position," he said. "That's where they want me."
