Stefon Diggs is a two-way star at Good Counsel, and his stock continues to rise.
Photo by Jim Stout
has the perfect combination of speed, strength and work ethic to make him one of the top players in the country.
Diggs is still uncommitted on where to go for college.
Photo by Tom Lemming
Add to that the fact that his head coach says he understands the game like a quarterback and has a mind like a coach, and what you get is one of the most prized recruits in the class of 2012.
"He's got a terrific understanding of what's going on out there," 11th-year
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) coach Bob Milloy says. "You only have to tell him once and he figures it out. He understands football. He could really be a great quarterback. He understands coverage and the whole game. He has a mind like a coach."
Diggs has yet to make up his mind where he'll play at the next level, but one thing is for sure, it will be a football program that emphasizes the offensive side of the ball.
"Knowing Stefon, probably the school that scores the most points the Saturday before he decides is where he'll go," Milloy joked.
But as much as Diggs like to play offense and admits that it is his strength, he says it's playing defensive back where he gets his greatest thrill.
"I actually prefer defense," said Diggs, who is known for his bone-jarring hits and making acrobatic moves to knock down passes. "I love offense to death because that's what I'm best at. But I love defense, that's where my heart is because you can make a big hit. On offense you can score, but defense wins games. When the defense comes together it looks good."
Diggs is being heavily recruited for his ability to separate himself from defenders and then outrun them to the end zone once he catches the ball. But he also has the skills to play defensive back at the next level, which makes him an even more enticing recruit and has only intensified the process.
"[The recruiting process] is pretty stressful if you let it get to you," Diggs said after his team's fifth straight win. "I take it one day at a time. I have tried to put off recruiting a little bit for my season. I talk to some coaches during the week and might get a call or two on game days, but that's it. My first official visit will be to Cal and then I'm probably going to the Florida-Florida State game."
Diggs says he's putting off making a decision until after the season so that he can focus on leading his team to its third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title. And while the star recruit is getting most of the attention, he's quick to deflect it to his teammates.
"I don't give the credit to me," Diggs said on the field after a big win over rival Gilman (Baltimore). "We got a lot of playmakers on our team. It's not just me."
Diggs is the key component in the Good Counsel
offense and defense. He credits his teammates.
Photo by Jim Stout
The quote didn't surprise Milloy, who says Diggs is the consummate team player.
"He's not a selfish kid at all," said Milloy, who first noticed Diggs when he played on the White Oak Warriors (Silver Spring, Md.) in the Pop Warner league. "He doesn't care who scores the touchdowns. He just loves to compete and play."
The speedy and elusive wide receiver is as impressive on the field as the talk about him is off it. After five games, the often double-teamed Diggs has 20 catches for 435 yards and five touchdowns. But stats aside, it's his big-play ability that separates Diggs from his counterparts around the country, drawing the praise of MaxPreps' Tom Lemming, who says "He's one of the most exciting players in the nation."
Milloy recalled a game against rival Gilman during Diggs' sophomore year when he returned two consecutive kickoffs 85-plus yards for touchdowns.
"Those two plays pretty much sum up Stefon as a player," Milloy said.
However, it's also that same big-play potential along with his ability to run east-west on the field to avoid tacklers that sometimes results in Diggs trying to gain more yardage than is actually there.
"He'll try to score a touchdown on every play, sometimes trying to do too much," Milloy says. "When it's third-and-2, he'll pick up the two yards. But if it's first down and he gets the ball, there's no telling what will happen."
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
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