For a 16-year-old kid at a school where fellow peers, teachers and administration lives and breathes football on Friday nights, a lot is expected of them.
Cedar Hill has an ample amount of those kids who make up a back-to-back state championship team.
I caught up with a few offensive weapons who will surely light up the scoreboard on The Hill next season and who have recently made a cross-country trip to visit some of the top football programs in the country.
On June 17th, (soon-to-be) juniors Camron Buckley (WR), Marquise Forman (RB) and Avery Davis (QB) left with Davis’ stepfather to Knoxville, Tenn. to meet with former Longhorn cornerback Darrell Miller.
Davis was unable to meet with me to due a family emergency.
“Darrell just told us that it takes a lot of work to play at this level,” Buckley said of Miller’s advice.
Each was asked to perform a mini workout at the athletic facility to show the assistant coaches in attendance their abilities on the field.
Camron ran a few routes, worked on his cuts with a few cone drills, and displayed what Cedar Hill’s receiver corps is known for: speed.
“They basically wanted to see how we could work our craft,” Buckley said. “They split us up with our position coaches to show them what we could do. It felt natural because I always prepare myself for the best.”
Buckley has received offers from the University of Houston and Gary Patterson’s TCU.
More: Buckley’s spring game highlights.
Forman was in awe of Tennessee’s facilities.
“As soon as I stepped in there [Tennessee’s athletic complex] I like it a lot,” Forman said. “I really enjoyed being there and the coaches show a lot of love and respect for each of us. They make us feel important while we’re there.”
“The best thing I liked about it was the environment and the competitive edge they have there.”
After their workout, the coaches took them on a tour of the campus and where they could end up playing on Saturdays. Buckley said seeing the stadium’s size and how it served as a landmark of the campus made the long trip well worth it.
The trio left Knoxville to head to Atlanta for the night. Their next stop, the home of Cam Newton.
When they awoke the next day, most of them couldn’t sleep the night before in excitement to see a prolific program in Auburn.
“Auburn is something else,” Buckley said. “I loved it there. Their complex is amazing, their coaches are great. We got to meet with the quarterback, saw the receivers catch a few balls after their workout. It’s just an amazing college.”
The mindset of each of these young athletes while visiting these schools were evident. Buckley told me he is looking at the offense of the school and what he needs to work on to fit the mold of the school he’d like to play for.
At the moment, Forman and Buckley each told me they would start thinking about where they’d verbally commit when more schools see more tape on them. At that point, they’ll start to sit down with their family to discuss what school they wanting to play for.
“It’s tough because since we’re so young and we’ve had a lot of great players come through our program,” Forman said, “you just have to wait your turn and make the most of it. My expectations after visiting each of these schools is to get stronger, faster and help my team to reach a state title again. I’m going to do what I’m coached to do and put as many points on the scoreboard as I can.”
Forman would know more than anybody when it comes to waiting your turn. He backed up former Longhorn and current USC Trojan running back Aca’Cedric Ware.
More: Forman’s spring game highlights.
It’s tough to be in a place where much is expected of you, but these three know their ability to play at the next level is highly possible. It only drives them to outperform their opponents.
After making the trip home, all three had a chance to reflect on the trip.
“We really enjoyed both schools and what they had to offer,” Buckley said of the three of them. “We know that these next two years are going to be very important. When Avery is running from a defender, he’ll get the ball out of his hand or take off. When I’m going up for a jump ball against a defender, I’m coming down with it. When Marquise meets a linebacker ready to stuff the running lane, he’ll keep his legs moving or juke him out. I feel confident in all of us to play to the best of our ability to make the most of our high school career, and hopefully we can all make it to the next level.”
