Three teams emerging as possible favorites for Velton Gardner

DALLAS, Tex. – Velton Gardner has been well-known as one of the top playmakers in the Dallas area for some time and after seeing his recruitment pick up some juice this spring, he said that he’s thinking about making a commitment ahead of his senior season.

As he moves closer to a decision, those ties to Dallas could play a significant role in his consideration. SMU has been one of the most recently interested teams in him and cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis has been playing up the changes made this offseason as a positive for the program.

“They’ve been talking a lot about changing the culture,” he said. “With the new program that they’re building, they want to make Dallas the real hometown school for guys from the area.”

Gardner said that he expects to be back on campus at SMU sometime this summer, but in the meantime, has been also hearing from Kansas State and Texas Tech most frequently. Although he plays quarterback at Skyline High School, all three programs have laid-out how he can be a playmaker as a running back and/or receiver in each of their respective offenses.

On Kansas State

“Talking to Coach (Bill) Snyder, I can tell he’s demanding,” he said. “He’s serious. I like him … I’ve talked to him a couple of times now and he tells me that I can be a real special slot receiver for them and help them turn the offense around.”

On Texas Tech

“Coach (Emmett) Jones – that’s my boy,” he said. “My relationship with him is real strong because he used to coach here at Skyline. Him being a Dallas ISD coach, he’s like a legend up here, so he’s got me interested in them.”