How is Shamurad Umarov handling new world of recruiting?
Shamurad Umarov of Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark High School has seen his ascent from unknown high school football player into national college prospect in nearly the blink of an eye.
That’s been Umarov’s story as of late. This summer he snagged offers from Florida, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
Umarov is ranked 82nd in On3’s 2023 top 100 rankings released on Monday. Umarov is still trying to catch his breath and mentally take in what the offers mean.
“It all happened pretty quick,” Umarov said. “I’m still taking in everything that is coming in. I’m taking it on one by one. I want to take the time to look at it and make the decision for the future.”
The teams that have offered Umarov are high on his size. Umarov’s size is also something that has changed rather quickly.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle didn’t look like he does now this time last year. Umarov started his first varsity game as a 250-pounder.
He blew up over the winter and spring physically. When he began playing football in the eighth grade, Umarov was 220 pounds. He felt he needed to lose weight to play football, so he dropped to 180. His freshman year, Umarov grew back to 220 and then 250 before becoming the elite prospect he is today.
Umarov is still surprised by his growth spurt.
“I can’t eat that much, I feel bloated after a few bites,” Umarov said. “It just came so fast. I think it may be the workouts I do.”
Shamurad Umarov looking to be a beckon for Turkish descendants into football
Umarov’s family history puts his heritage in a few parts of the world. His father is from Kazakhstan. His grandparents are from Uzbekistan.
Umarov, his sister and his mother were all born in Russia. The family as a whole is Turkish. Umarov says he isn’t familiar with any Turkish football players in the NFL, though he admits it’s all still new to him.
“It’s a great opportunity, you don’t see many Turkish football players doing what I’m doing,” Umarov said. “It feels good to have the opportunity to put the Turkish heritage out into American football.”
The culture of recruiting is something Umarov is still trying to learn. He’s also having to learn and teach his family what to expect as offers flow in.
“It’s all new to them and somewhat new to me,” Umarov said. “I’ve always heard about the things you could do at the next level in college and pro. For my family everything is new. My coach had to come to my house and walked me through everything that would happen. They’re learning about this as I’m learning.”