As if
Dorial Green-Beckham needed the extra attention.
The nation's No. 1 recruit, who has been in the spotlight since his
freshman season and was the
MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, turned in an astounding performance on national television Saturday night, adding to the popularity he enjoys that far exceeds the city limits of Springfield, Mo.
Green-Beckham's nationally televised
performance was a hot topic of
conversation on Twitter.
Photo by Tom Lemming
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound
Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.) receiver was utterly dominant in front of a national audience, catching 18 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns, leading Hillcrest to a 48-26 victory over Seneca.
His effort prompted a deluge of comments on social media from fans, fellow recruits and even professional athletes.
In San Diego, nearly 1,700 miles from Springfield,
Taylor McNamara, the nation's No. 2 tight end, announced to his followers how he'd be spending his Saturday evening, one week before his season opener.
"I'm excited to watch the #1 receiver in the nation dorial green Beckham tonight at 6, #athlete," McNamara tweeted.
Keith Marshall, the nation's No. 24 recruit who rushed for 130 yards in leading
Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) to a win the previous night, also tuned in on Saturday and came away impressed.
"Watching the top HS player in the country Dorial Green-Beckham on ESPNU," Marshall tweeted Saturday night.
"I have respect for Dorial..He's a man among boys," he later tweeted.
Joe Walljasper, the sports editor at the Columbia Daily Tribune, weighed in on Twitter about Green-Beckham's Saturday night performance as well.
"Dorial Green-Beckham reminds me of a healthy (Rams receiver) Danario Alexander. Too tall to look shifty, but casually makes people miss."
Even Eagles star receiver Jeremy Maclin, himself a product of Missouri high school football, liked what he saw from Green-Beckham, referring to him by his popular internet nickname "DGB."
"DGB caught 18 for 284 and 3 tds.....dude is a flat out beast," Maclin, a
Kirkwood (Mo.) graduate, tweeted.
There is also a
fan account that is now devoted to Green-Beckham.
According to Google Insights, Google searches for "Dorial Green-Beckham" reached an all-time high this month, while queries with other iterations of his name ("Dorial Green Beckham" or "Dorial Green") have also skyrocketed in frequency.
Not all of the buzz about Green-Beckham was positive, however. Some fellow recruits were not impressed by Green-Beckham's seemingly Herculean effort.
"Dorial green-beckam is overrated," tweeted
Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Ga.) linebacker
John Silas on Saturday night.
Tennessee wide receiver commit
Jason Croom also seemed unimpressed. "He cant run routes or catch !...he's not living up to the hype, he doesnt even belong in the top 100," he tweeted.
However, Marshall defended Green-Beckham's performance.
"Haha just read some tweets about outher recruits saying Dorial is overrated but I gurantee the people saying that are jealous ..," he tweeted.
