HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Over the past few years, Rodney Southern has turned the Huntsville football program into a powerhouse on the 5A DII level, and college coaches are starting to take notice.
In just the past two recruiting cycles, the Hornets have sent T'Vondre Sweat to Texas, Jordan Brown to North Texas, Briceon Hayes to Sam Houston State, and just this week, Jaylon Griffin committed to the University of Central Florida.
Despite putting up all-state numbers his senior season, Griffin didn't get the D1 attention he thought he deserved, so he took the Junior College route.
After a breakout freshman season at Kilgore, Griffin racked up over 30 D1 offers before deciding to take his talents to Orlando to play for the Golden Knights.
While some may be surprised at how quickly Griffin blew up as a prospect, his high school head coach was not.
"I had coaches calling me who were recruiting him and one of their first questions was why didn't this kid get more opportunities coming out of high school?" Southern tells KAGS. "I don't want to be rude but I tell them that because they're on quarantine, they're finally starting to actually watch film. You just look at him and see a skinny kid but I see touchdowns, that's what I see. When he catches the ball, good things happen."
Griffin will play his sophomore season at Kilgore and then join the UCF team for the 2021 season.