Grady standout running back Marcus Caffey joined Score Atlanta’s The Official Visit last Monday to discuss his recruitment and dispel a few rumors as to where he might be headed next season.
Marcus Caffey is used to being overshadowed. Caffey is considered by Scout and Rivals to be the sixth best tailback in the state and he isn’t even the highest-profile recruit on his own team. That distinction belongs to Damian Swann, the do-it-all athlete that has offers from Alabama and Georgia among many others. Caffey though has plenty going for him and last week in a big region game against St. Pius, Caffey churned up the Golden Lions for over 130 yards and he scored the game’s lone TD in a Grady victory.
Caffey started out the interview clearing the air that the South Carolina Gamecocks were NOT in fact his leader as many had believed. “They’re not really my leader,” Caffey revealed, instead placing Illinois and Purdue as the leaders in his top five, which he rounded out with Arkansas, South Carolina and Kentucky. He also mentioned Wake Forest as being another school he is considering. The Gamecocks do have “good coaching,” going for them according to Caffey, but the emergence of freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore “is a huge thing.” Caffey gave Lattimore props, saying, “he’s a good running back,” but admitted that his presence as well as the likelihood that the roster has plenty of other options that haven’t found the field because of Lattimore as a reason the Gamecocks have slipped. “I’ve talked about the situation with my parents. Wherever I go, I feel like I can play.”
The surprising new leader Illinois has a style of offense that intrigues Caffey. “I like the coaches and I can get on the field a little quicker than (at) an SEC school. The Illini lead two SEC programs though that may be quickly gaining. Kentucky was his second offer and Caffey likes what Joker Phillips and the Wildcats offer. “I had a teammate that went there and he had a good experience.” Arkansas has also shown interest as Caffey has spoken with several Hogs coaches and feels they can win an SEC title.
The recruiting elephant in the room though has to be the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs clearly have their recruiting sights set on Isaiah Crowell of Carver-Columbus, but Caffey was quite candidly in favor of potentially going to Georgia, even saying he’d be willing to play defensive back if need be. Asked if he was interested in Mark Richt’s squad, Caffey responded, “most definitely. Them being the closest school and that’s a huge offer. I grew up in Georgia and my parents could go to the games.”
While Caffey seems willing to jump at a Bulldog offer based on location, that isn’t necessarily a factor with his recruitment. “Location doesn’t matter. I’ve gone everywhere with track.” Coaching will be a factor with Caffey he says and he will be looking strongly at the campus and how his potential fellow students. His first year on campus wherever he goes will depend on the coaches he agrees to play for. “(My first year) depends on where I go, and what they (the coaches) want me to play. At running back maybe I’ll redshirt to get stronger. If I play defensive back, I could be on the first making plays.”
Caffey promises to Work hard wherever he does decide to go. “I’m going to keep my team motivated.” Perhaps next season Caffey will be out of the shadows and finally into the spotlight that he has shown on the field he deserves.
No comments:
Post a Comment