The hallways of
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) are no stranger to talented football players.
The Eagles routinely churn out multiple Division I recruits each season, recently featuring the likes of Jelani Jenkins, Caleb Porzel, and Vincent Croce.
Diggs returns an interception against
St. Xavier.
Photo by Jim Owens
Near the top of the list of prolific Good Counsel prospects from the class of 2012 will be multi-talented
Stefon Diggs, who is the nation's top-ranked athlete according to Tom Lemming.
Diggs plays both ways for Good Counsel, starring at wide receiver and corner back. He's gifted enough to play safety and running back as well, according to Falcons assistant coach Kevin McFadden.
"He can play cornerback, he can play safety, he can play running back," McFadden said. "Personally, I think he's going to be a great wide receiver."
McFadden thinks Diggs' on-field abilities are otherworldly at times.
"He's a video game on feet," McFadden said. "He's Madden 2011 on feet."
Cracking the varsity as a freshman, Diggs has always been physically mature for his age. But now, heading into his senior season, he's matured as a person as well.
"He's a child and children stumble," McFadden said. "It's about how you get up from that. He understands that kids all over the country that idolize his athletic ability and want to be like Stefon Diggs. That doesn't come easy to him."
{VIDEO_d121a257-f0d6-498c-92d2-9b1361be6c8c,floatRightWithBar}An All-Met selection in 2010, Diggs kicked off the year with a bang, intercepting three passes in Good Counsel's impressive road victory over Cincinnati's St. Xavier.
He finished the year with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Offensively, he caught 43 passes for 811 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with his 506 yards rushing and six scores on the ground.
"Diggs is a great athlete, good on both sides of the ball," Lemming said. "He has great timing and anticipation on defense, great hands and burst on offense."
No stranger to high-profile recruita, Good Counsel is helping Diggs keep a handle on the process by insulating him from the deluge of calls from coaches and media alike.
"It's been crazy," McFadden said. "He and five other guys get one to three offers per day. We've built protection around him so he can focus academically. We've shut that all down."
With schools from across the country courting him, Diggs has numerous offers to sift through.
"He's working on his Top 5 right now," McFadden said, through there is no timetable for his decision.
Tom Lemming's 2012 Top 100 will be released on Wednesday.
