Herring a top junior in Florida

The saying goes that if you’ve got talent, the right people are going to find you.

That’s what Melbourne (Fla.) Holy Trinity coach John Thomas hopes when it comes to his star player, Ray Herring.

“I’m trying to do everything I can to get his name out there because we’re a small school that doesn’t get as much attention as some of the well-known programs around the state,” Thomas said. “If he was playing at Palm Bay or somewhere like that, he’d have a ton of exposure already, kind of like Pee Wee (Xavier) Carter did before his senior year.

“He’s just a tremendous player, a real talent. He’s been all-state all three years. He makes plays all over the field whether it’s on offense or defense or special teams. As a receiver, he has the best hands I’ve ever seen at any level. On defense, he has great speed, great hips and tremendous instincts to break on the ball. And he loves to hit.”

Herring (5-11, 190, 4.48) was a jack-of-all-trades as a junior in leading Holy Trinity to a 10-1 record. Alternating between the slot and a wingback position, he rushed 34 times for 316 yards and four touchdowns while catching 31 passes for 831 yards and 12 scores. On defense, he recorded 149 tackles, seven interceptions, four sacks and four fumble recoveries from his strong safety position.

“We had the No. 1 defense on the Space Coast,” Thomas said, “and Ray was a huge part of that. Our secondary was the first team in Broward County to not give up a touchdown pass during the regular season.”

Herring has established a reputation of being a ball hawk on defense. As a freshman, he led the state in interceptions for most of the season before finishing with seven. He has 16 picks for his career.

“People haven’t been throwing at him as much the last year or so,” Thomas said. “They’re a lot more aware of him now.”

Thomas said schools are just starting to take interest in Herring as his junior film gets distributed.

“He’s gotten some letters from Florida, Iowa, Kentucky and a few others,” Thomas said. “I’m sure there will be a lot more this spring.

“I know right now he has a real strong interest in Florida. He’s really hoping to get an offer from them. I think Miami will also be a school he’ll take a good look at if they show strong interest.”

He has also expressed interest in Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

Herring plans to attend the Nike Camp at Miami on April 4 and team camps at Florida and Miami this summer.