Porter proves hes ready

It's easy for great players to be overlooked at a NIKE camp, because of the level of talent. Virtually everyone there looks the part of a Division I prospect, but there are always a certain few that stand out. Often times it is the guys that you expect to do that, but you can also always count on the surprises. One prospect that made a huge name for himself this past Sunday at the Miami NIKE Camp was Pahokee wide receiver Tamarcus Porter.

"I was kind of afraid I might get lost in the recruiting picture for a while," Porter said. "I was at Royal Palm Beach and didn't have many yards receiving because we never threw the ball. So I decided to go to Pahokee, because I knew that was a better opportunity for me, but with that I knew some schools may lose track of me because of the transfer. I knew that I had to come out here today and make a name for myself."

That he did. Porter ran routes like a pro and torched some of the best defensive backs in America. Often times during the one on one drills the defensive back would have great coverage and be stride for stride with Porter, but every time he came down with the ball.

"I have an offer in writing from Boston College," Porter said. "I have one on the way from West Virginia according to my coach. I know that I have been losing a lot of mail because of the transfer, but a lot of schools are starting to find me again."

Last year at Royal Palm Beach in an offense that rarely threw the ball, Porter reeled in 12 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown. Defensively he also made a name for himself with 50 tackles, 10 pass breakups and six interceptions as a junior. However, he feels strongly that his future is at wide out.

"I consider myself to be both a power and a finesse player," Porter said.

"I can shake a guy pretty quickly off the line of scrimmage or I can get physical with a guy and get around him. I don't like to be touched after I catch the ball, but not because I'm afraid of contact, but I just want to get to the end zone as fast as possible."

Porter posted a 4.25 second shuttle and a 32-inch vertical jump. He was less than happy with his 4.8 second shuttle time, but knows he could have done better.

"Most people considered their time slow today because of the electronic time," Porter said. "It's good though that you get the electronic time put on you though. I didn't run well today, I was sore and didn't get a good jump, but I'm not going to make excuses, I just didn't run well today. I do know that no one ever catches me from behind in a game so I am confident in my speed."

With two offers already on the table Porter has begun to think about his college choices, but says its too early to really narrow things down.

"Obviously I am interested in West Virginia and Boston College," Porter said. "I am not just interested in them because they have offered, but they are great schools and programs on the rise and I would be happy to play for them. I am also interested in all of the Florida schools, especially Miami. I grew up loving the Canes and it would great to have the chance to play there."

Porter caught passes from his quarterback Robert Love quite often on Sunday and stated that it felt comfortable and said they had good rhythm. His goal is to have 1,500 yards receiving as a senior in his new offense.

For expanded coverage of the Miami NIKE Training Camp, you should check out StudentSportsFootball.com. Access to StudentSportsFootball.com requires an additional membership. Coming Soon! The best is getting better. The Rivals.com Recruiting Database will include all authentic data from this summer's NIKE Training Camp schedule.