Top of the Class: Poteet's Jefferson heads strong group of local prospects
Poteet senior Malik Jefferson has been on a whirlwind ride during the past few months and it is not likely to slow down any time soon.
Jefferson, one of the most sought-after recruits in the country, is ranked 22nd in the Rivals 100 national list and is the No. 1 player in Texas. He is also one of the few top players who has yet to make a decision, with that announcement expected to be made on Dec. 19.
That has only intensified speculation on recruiting websites and social media about where Jefferson will end up playing. His play has made him a household name in recruiting circles and a local celebrity in Mesquite, but the attention has not changed him.
"I"m a Poteet student first," said Jefferson, who can often be found in the stands cheering on other Pirate teams. "It's (the attention) fine, honestly, I like talking to people. I don't mind, it is a special time in my life, so I am enjoying it."
Jefferson was a four-sport athlete when he arrived at Poteet, also competing in basketball, baseball and track, and none of them stood out above the others at the time.
He said his freshman season was solid, but his play really began to take off the following year when current head coach Kody Groves arrived on campus as the defensive coordinator and moved Jefferson to outside linebacker in the 3-4 alignment.
He emerged as a big-time play-maker, recording 24 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles and blocking four kicks on his way to district sophomore of the year honors.
Jefferson said his sophomore year is also when he started getting positive feedback from college programs, something that boosted his confidence and solidified his choice to focus on football.
There was no letdown last season, as he was named 10-4A defensive player of the year after recording 93 tackles with a team-best 18 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.
The college offers continued to pour in from top programs all over the country, including reigning national champion Florida State, Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas and others.
The current trend in recruiting is to commit early, which is what many of the top national prospects have done. But Jefferson is staying his own course, something he believes will pay dividends down the road.
"My dad talked to me about it and he said take your time and enjoy every second of it and I think that is one of the best things I've done," he said. "I'm trying to find the right fit, not just going to a school because it is No. 1 in the nation or they have the best weight room or facilities, just finding the right place for me honestly."
In addition to meetings with college coaches, Jefferson has sought feedback from other sources as well. He has spoken with several college players, including former West Mesquite standouts Eldridge Massington (UCLA) and Dylan Sumner-Gardner (Boise State), who were on the national recruiting stage themselves last year.
Jefferson has also gotten to know several of the other top players in the country at events such as The Opening, a showcase of the nation's top recruits in July.
Many of those players had Jefferson's ear at the event and have reached out since on Twitter, trying to convince him to join forces at the next level. But Jefferson insists those pleas will not be a deciding factor.
"They know it is all my decision, I think they say it just to bug me," he laughed. "My family is going to be key in this and my coaches, but (in the end), it is an individual decision."
Jefferson has taken several unofficial visits to schools during the past few months and has official trips scheduled for Ohio State, UCLA and Stanford, with two more yet to be decided.
He has trimmed down his list of more than 50 offers to just a few schools, but added he will be keeping an eye on the performances of a few schools this fall that could make an impact.
Jefferson will graduate early from Poteet and be an early-enrollee in January, meaning one program will get an early Christmas present when he makes his announcement on Dec. 19.
But before then, there is work to be done.
Poteet has advanced to the regional final in each of the last two years, and Jefferson and his teammates have their sights on breaking past that barrier and taking the Pirates to new heights.
"We'll go as far as our captains and leaders take us. We're a young team but the seniors have a lot of experience, we've been there," he said. "Shooting for state, that is the big thing."
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