The nation's top receiver in the class of 2012 is also the best receiver in nearly two decades.
Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.) phenom
Dorial Green-Beckham is the nation's No. 1 wide receiver according to Tom Lemming.
Dorial Green-Beckham has it all at
receiver.
Photo by Jim Redman
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Green-Beckham has all the makings of a truly special player.
"He's got everything," Lemming said. "Height, super long arms, leaping ability, speed, and most of all, production. He's the best high school wide receiver since Randy Moss."
That is a comparison that
MaxPreps first made after Green-Beckham's freshman season, and he's only continued to justify the sterling praise. As a sophomore, Green-Beckham hauled in 66 passes for 1,616 yards and a whopping 23 touchdowns. Later that year, he led the Hornets to a 5A state title in basketball and won two state titles in track.
A true three-sport star like Moss, Green-Beckham earned
National Athlete of the Year honors in 2010, the first 10th grader ever to do so.
As a junior, he shattered state records for career receiving yards and touchdowns, finishing the year with 70 catches for 1,706 yards and 15 scores.
His versatility as an athlete carries over to the football field as well. Green-Beckham can be a home run threat (or high school football's greatest decoy) on deep routes lined up at split end. However, unlike many players his size, his speed and ability to make defenders miss allows him to be used as an underneath threat.
He's a matchup problem for any opposing team, and needs to be accounted for on each down.
Green-Beckham is so gifted physically that some think he'd be equally valuable lining up as a safety in the secondary. None of this is a surprise to Green-Beckham's father, John Beckham, who is also the head coach at Hillcrest.
"I can't believe you guys couldn't find anybody better than him," Beckham joked.
Beckham,
who is Green-Beckham's adopted father, has seen Dorial mature over the last year, both on and off the field.
"We talked last summer after he had 1,600 yards receiving, which was a record, and wondered how he was ever going to do that again," he said. "And last year, he had 1,700."
With offers from nearly every major program, Green-Beckham planned to use the spring to take some unofficial visits. However, his younger brother Darnell was recently diagnosed with Leukemia, which sidetracked some of his travel plans.
While many have assumed that Green-Beckham's recruitment could come down to nearby schools like Missouri and Oklahoma, Beckham says that his son has actually shown a serious interest in a number of schools far from home.
"A lot of the schools he has interest in are in the SEC," Beckham said. "That seems to be where there are more schools that he's interested in."
Beckham pointed out the fickle nature of college football, that several of the coaches currently recruiting Green-Beckham were trying to lure him to a different school just six months ago. He expects his son to narrow down his lift of schools to around four or five by mid-June. He said the only timetable they have is to sign on National Signing Day.
However, Beckham would not be surprised if Green-Beckham made a verbal commitment before then.
"I don't think the recruiting process is something that he's really enjoying or looking forward to," he said. "My main thing is that when he decides, he's 100 percent sure."
Though his recruitment is up in the air, one thing is for certain: Green-Beckahm is the top receiver in the country.
Check back tomorrow when we unveil the nation's top offensive lineman in the class of 2012 according to Tom Lemming. The 2012 Top 100 will be released on Wednesday, April 5.
