Notre Dame's Koa Farmer can be found all over the field doing many things - and doing them all well. The Knights will need him to be great in everything he does as they battle Serra.
Photo by Steven Silva
rarely, if ever, comes off the football field. In fact, the senior from
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) would not have things any other way. Playing from from start to finish, on both sides of the ball as well as special teams, is something that simply comes along with the territory.
In order for the visiting Knights to have a shot at staying somewhat close to
Serra (Gardena, Calif.) in Friday night's nonleague game at 7 p.m., Farmer must do a little bit of everything and most of it extremely well against one of the nation's premier programs.
"Nothing changes for us against Serra, our plan remains the same, that's to put Koa in the best position to succeed," Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney said. "He does plenty for us. The challenge for us is to be smart, make sure he's rested, so his legs are fresh when we start the fourth quarter."
Farmer says he is bound for Cal, though othercolleges are still showing interest.
Photo by Steven Silva
Make no mistake about it, Farmer will be one busy individual for the Knights (2-0 overall) against perennial powerhouse Serra (2-0), the nation's No. 4 team in the latest
MaxPreps Freeman Rankings and the country's No. 19 program in the most recent
MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
"I have no problems with playing the whole game, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help my team win against Serra and that's the way I've always been," Farmer said. "I think that we're the underdogs this week and we've been in this same spot before. We'll have a chip on our shoulders."
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The upcoming heavy workload will be nothing new for the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder. Farmer has been a particularly steady contributor at Notre Dame since his days as an underclassman. And the jack-of-all-trades mentality from the Cal commit is certainly necessary against the Cavaliers.
On offense, the plan is for Farmer to line up at wide receiver. Expect him to spend time in the backfield at running back and quarterback as well. He'll be a marked man throughout. High-profile senior recruits such as Adoree' Jackson and Dwight Williams from Serra will watch him closely.
When it comes to things on the defensive side of the ball, Farmer will see action at linebacker and in the secondary too. His primary responsibility is to contain a potent passing attack that features Boise State commit Jalen Greene and UCLA commit Jordan Lasley, both seniors.
"Pick your poison against Serra, the team has so many weapons, it's going to be difficult to stop all of the options," Rooney said. "Sure, we rely on Koa. He's one of leaders. He can't possibly be expected to do it all on his own though. Everyone must go out there and do a good job for us."
Farmer and Notre Dame fell out of the playoffs lastseason against St. John Bosco.
File photo by Larry Gasinski
Regardless of the outcome against the Cavaliers, and how things go at Notre Dame over the course of the rest of the season, the future appears to be rather bright for Farmer. And signs point to his next stop being Berkeley after he committed to the Golden Bears in October of last year.
The pledge, however, has not stopped several schools from pursuing him. The nation's No. 39 safety in the
247Sports Composite Rankings, Farmer could explore his options. Plans are in the works for visits to Vanderbilt, Washington and Yale. Colorado and Utah are other possible trips.
"Cal is a dream school for me, I'm still committed," Farmer said. "The campus is kind of far from my home, but it's close enough. I can receive a world-class education from one of the best places in the country too. I'm hearing from other college coaches all of the time though."
Whether he ends up at Cal remains to be seen. This much is fairly certain: Farmer will showcase his well-rounded skill set at the Blue-Grey All-American Game on Jan 11. The game will be broadcast by Fox Sports at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I've seen this kid play at Notre Dame for the last couple of years and have been impressed every time, Koa is talented and can do it all. And I mean everything," said longtime NFL veteran Mark McMillian, who will coach Farmer and the South during the Blue-Grey All-American Game.
"The recipe for success with his high school team, I think, has been to find a way to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. It's plain and simple. When you have a Koa Farmer on your side, that's what you do. He makes things happen and gives you a chance to win."
The Knights certainly hope that's the case on Friday night and he delivers against Serra. Doing so the rest of the season, for that matter, is equally important. Regardless, chances are, Farmer will be on the field from the opening kickoff until the final seconds tick off the scoreboard clock.
Sean Ceglinsky has covered prep and college sports in Southern California for the better part of the past 15-plus years. Follow him on Twitter: @SeanCeglinsky
