Stock is soaring for speedy Florida corner

There is a new name to watch out of the state of Florida and his reputation is growing with every camp performance he has. Louchiez Purifoy has been making the rounds early this summer and has been wowing college coaches every step of the way.

Purifoy is a 6-foot-0, 170-pound athlete out of Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest. Perhaps one reason for his limited exposure up until now is his lack of a position in high school. Purifoy played running back, wide receiver, kick returner, safety and cornerback as a junior. As a senior he will be playing quarterback and cornerback. However, wherever he lines up, he is effective. Purifoy rushed for 782 yards and ten touchdowns as a junior on only 75 carries.

On the next level though, Purifoy projects as a cornerback and that is where he has been spending his time at camps. His play - and more specifically his speed - has been impressive to say the least.

"The summer is going great," Purifoy said. "I was at Florida this weekend. It was a good experience, working out in front of one of the schools that I grew up loving. I felt that I did good. I got out and worked a little bit but I felt like I did what I was supposed to do."

Purifoy's testing numbers caught the eye of the Florida coaches. He had a 32-inch vertical, a 10-foot broad jump and a 4.38 in the 40 - the same time he ran at UAB's camp.

"They seemed like they were interested," Purifoy said of the Florida coaches. "They were talking to me just letting me know to keep my grades up and they're going to hopefully give me an offer."

Already, Purifoy has offers from Troy, Southern Miss, UAB and South Alabama. All of the schools are attracted to his size and athleticism at defensive back, the same athleticism that helped Purifoy win state in the triple jump with a jump of 46'9.5".

Along with his offers, Purifoy is getting serious attention from Auburn, MTSU, Michigan State, USF and Alabama. With more camps lined up at USF and Alabama among others, Purifoy hopes to continue his impressive string of performances.

"Whatever they need me to do, I'll do it," he said. "I'm not a person to sit back and say I can't do it. I'm going to go out there and perform to the best of my ability and hopefully they'll give me an offer."