Nation's Top Recruit Can Trace Ties Back to Mississippi Gulf Coast

In my internet research of the top high school football players in the Class of 2011 (Yeah, so what do you do for fun on a Hot July Saturday Night?), I often wondered what led one of the top players in the nation, a defensive end out of Denton, Texas, to make an early commitment to Florida State.  It wasn't anything against Florida State, which definitely seems on the road back to football glory under new Coach Jimbo Fisher.  But, still I found it surprising that Florida State, with so much talent in their own backyard, was able to  get an early commitment fromsuch a top notch talent right in the middle of the fertile recruiting grounds of Texas and Oklahoma.  Well, the answer was revealed to me in a recent ESPN.com article I came across, and it provided a direct link from the not so distant pass, when Sunshine State dominance in college football was greatly aided by a group of skill players from the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Throughout the 90's as the programs at Florida and Florida State were peaking, it was always surprising to me that despite the amount of high school talent that the Sunshine State produces, a handful of their key players came from the eastern edge of Mississippi's Gulf Coast in the towns of Moss Point and Pascagoula.  Shane Matthews of Pascagoula was the first quarterback to sling the football in Steve Spurrier's fun n gun offense at Florida.  In Matthews's senior season he was joined by fellow Mississippian and and future All American WR Jack Jackson of Moss Point, Pascagoula's neighbor to the North and chief high school football rival.

Ironically, Matthews's high school teammate was CB Terrell Buckley, who became an All American at Florida State and is the Seminoles career interception leader.  Two other Pascagoula alums who had standout careers at Florida State in the 90's before playing in the NFL were Wide Receiver Kez McCorvey (Detroit Lions) and Defensive Back Mario Edwards (Dallas Cowboys).

Edwards became a father at the young age of 16 before he ever made it to Tallahassee. Today, the son he had while still in high school is 6-4, 270 lbs Mario Edwards, Jr., and he is ranked as the nation's number one player by ESPN..  And while the younger Edwards may have inherited his father's athletic ability, with that size he won't be playing cornerback.  However, you can expect the relentess pass rushing defensive end from Ryan High School in Denton, Texas to help force many interceptions.

Here is the link to the story by Mitch Sherman of ESPN about Father, Son and Seminoles:   http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=6639378

To watch YouTube video footage of Mario Edwards, Jr. go to:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXH5fW9AUKQ