New offers coming for WR Phillips
The recruiting process heated up very early for Wayne (N.J.) De Paul Catholic wide receiver Shakim Phillips. He picked up three verbal offers over the summer and may be close to receiving others.
The 6-foot-2, 191-pound junior first impressed college coaches during a sophomore season that was shortened because of injury problems.
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Last year Phillips suffered from lower back problems that resulted from his bones being out of place. Still, he managed to record 22 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns, despite playing in only four games.
His back didn't bother him during his junior campaign and his numbers improved significantly. Phillips caught 40 passes for 765 yards and 12 scores, while rushing for 289 yards and a touchdown.
De Paul Catholic's season is over but Phillips is already looking forward to next year. For now he's focused on academics and getting a feel for what the recruiting scene will look like for him down the road.
"This year I went to games at UConn, Rutgers and Maryland," Phillips explained. "They were all good games and I liked them all. I talked to the coaches and enjoyed myself.
"This week I'm actually going down to the Georgia-Georgia Tech game. I'm mostly going to see Georgia. I would put them in my top ten or so right now."
Duke, UConn and Syracuse all offered Phillips over the summer, and that list is probably going to grow as time goes on. In fact, he may not have to wait long for more doors to open.
"My coach told me this week I'm supposed to get offers from Pitt and Oregon soon, but I'm not sure what will happen with that yet.
"I've also been hearing from Tennessee, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Florida and Penn State."
Phillips reiterated that location will not be a factor in his decision.