Nevada back proves he belongs
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Las Vegas Bishop Gorman all-purpose back Keola Antolin attended his second NIKE Camp this past weekend at Stanford University. He was at last year's camp in Palo Alto, and he said he felt much more comfortable the second time around.
"I did well," he said. "I did better than last year. I knew what was going to go on. So it was a little easier for me to just go out there and read and react instead of thinking about what I was doing."
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Antolin ,who is one of the top all-purpose backs in the West, said he wanted to come to the camp to further prove to coaches that despite only being 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, that he's a major player. He also wanted to prove to himself that he can be successful against the best of the best in the West.
"I came out here to learn more about myself," he said. "I learned no matter how big you are, if you go out there on the field and prove it, it doesn't matter. I think I have done a good job of proving to people that my size doesn't matter. I think I definitely proved that today."
Antolin was able to put his quickness on display Saturday and looked very good in the lower body. During the one-on-ones he was very physical, despite his size, with the linebackers, and he came up with some really impressive catches in traffic.
It was easy to see why he has offers from Arizona, Iowa, Oregon State and UNLV. It's also easy to see why other schools like Cal, Hawaii and Arizona State are very interested in him.
"I think I'm the type of player that can come in and make a big impact right away probably on special teams as a returner or in third-down situations," Antolin said.
As a junior, Antolin had 918 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. He also had 518 yards receiving and six touchdown catches.
When it comes to recruiting, he said Arizona remains near the top of his list, but he's also open to newcomers in the race. But the window for his decision might come sooner, rather than later.
"I'd like to commit before the start of the season," Antolin said.