Junior to Watch: Nick Child

Junior to Watch: Nick Child

School: Metairie (La.) Rummel

Position: Cornerback

Size and speed: Child is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. He has been timed by his coach in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds. What’s also impressive about Child is that he’s already a full-qualifier with a solid 3.8 grade-point average.

Statistics: Child finished his junior season with five interceptions, one returned 82 yards for a touchdown, 14 punt returns for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

Honors: Playing in a defensive backfield that had two other Division I prospects, Child often got overshadowed. He didn’t receive many honors as a junior but is expected to be one of the top players in Louisiana and might be one of the top overall cover corners in the Southeast.

Favorite Schools: In-state power LSU has already offered Child, and other schools sending him mail include Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Tennessee and many, many more.

Skinny: When Jay Roth, the coach at Metairie (La.) Rummel, speaks college coaches listen. So when he says that cornerback Nick Child might be the best defensive back he’s ever had, you know that Child must be really talented.

“Speed, speed, speed,” Roth said when asked what makes Child a special player. “You know they say speed kills, well Nick is definitely a killer. He’s a 4.4 guy that can return punts, hurt you at cornerback and we’re going to put him at receiver some next year to get the ball in his hands. He’s a smooth player. And he’s a great kid.”

A great kid that already is a full qualifier – which sometimes is rare this early on for kids coming out of the New Orleans area.

“He’s worked really hard to get to this point,” Roth said. “He’s just a great kid that has the total package on and off the field. He’s our best defensive back that we’ve had. Nick has it all – the height, speed and brains. He’s the total package.”

Child is the total package that has already received his first scholarship offer. LSU extended a scholarship offer to Child at its junior day event earlier, but don’t expect it to be his last.

“He’s getting letters from everybody in the country,” Roth said.

“You name the team and they’re sending him mail and asking me for film. He’s a special kid that’s going to enjoy this process. He’s in the middle of baseball right now, so he’s not had a whole lot of time to thinking about football and recruiting.”