Recrootin: Darren Bates (Olive Branch), started at S at Auburn......

[Dollabillz]

as a true freshman. Who is this guy and how did we miss him. He was in the 2009 class, came right in and started. 2* nobody. We had to have seen him, Rod Woodson was a big recruit from that class and then we were probably already up there on Robinson and Coleman.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

We did recruit him and I remember him well. I don't remember him being a 2star. We were full at safety and that's probably why he wasn't a top priority.

 

[Dollabillz]

but the dude still stepped right in at Auburn, who in a given year will have more talent than us. I had never heard of the guy honestly, just wondering how he slipped through the cracks. Scout lists offers from Aub, Alabam, ASU and Arkansas, but I tend to look at the visits. Looks like he chose Auburn because of lack of options.

 

[EClass04]

but also because he played so many positions. I saw him play in the playoffs against Madison Central his senior year and thought he was a phenomenal athlete. He started for Olive Branch at free safety, punt return, kick return, got most of the carries at running back that night, and played receiver for several series. I had never seen that before, but the kid was all over the place at safety.....looked very smooth running, very fluid in the hips, and was always around the ball when the play was over. After seeing that game, I thought this kid had to be the best HS football player in MS that no one seemed to be saying anything about.......looking back on it now, I guess that wasn't too far fetched.

 

[Dollabillz]

I've always said you want to get the best 25 players regardless of position. Give me the athletes that were so good they had to play 4 positions all day. And I'm a big fan of the athlete playing QB, because you know he's the best. Lots of guys get overlooked this way.

Same in baseball, go after the shortstops and center fielders who pitch. Mostl likely they are the best athletes of the bunch.

 

[squintdawg]

year down in Auburn. They were very nice. This will make you even more pissed we did not get him...his sister goes to MSU. I asked her how she could let her brother go to Auburn...she just laughed.

-SD

 

[kired]

I think he was a late bloomer - not really recruited until he started producing during his senior year. By that time our coaching staff was probably worried more about their jobs than looking for another safety (like you guys said, there were a lot of quality guys similar to him that year... many of them on our team now). Mullen probably never saw the kid sinceit waslate when he came in.</p>

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I remember seeing him his senior year & thinking he had to have been as quality of a player as Woodson. Of course it's impossible to really judge someone based on1 highschool game. I see guys like that all the time & think, man we should be recruiting him. Then the guy only ends up playing a couple of years at JUCO.</p>