Three-star wide receiver De’Andre Coleman believes he can help a football team in a variety of ways offensively.
Take last weekend as the latest example. While trying to help Hueyville (AL) rally from a big halftime deficit against Clay-Chalkville, Coleman put up three scores—one passing, one rushing, and one receiving. Throw in another on the ground in the first half and he finished the day with four total touchdowns. Coleman's got six through two games this season.
That four-score performance came a few days after he narrowed the list of college programs he’s still considering to three finalists. The standout receiver is down to Virginia, Florida State, and Coastal Carolina.
“It was crazy. It was difficult,” Coleman told CavsCorner this week about getting down to those three schools. “There was a lot of people I wanted to put in, but at the same time I have to do what’s best for me and what’s in my best interest at the end of the day.”
FSU was among the first schools to offer last fall. The Chanticleers offered in January while UVa just entered the picture this summer, “and ever since they’ve been trying to push me,” Coleman said, “and it’s been a good process with them.”
Possibly the biggest factor in favor of his three finalists, according to Coleman, was the connections he has built with coaches and staff at the three schools. He loves the coaching style of Coastal wide receivers coach Tony Washington, and had a good relationship with Carlos Locklyn before he left the FSU staff for a job at Western Kentucky.
Coleman is also attracted to the academics at UVa. He’s had a few conversations with wide receivers coach Marques Hagans and “from what I’ve heard and what he told me, he sounds pretty good.”
Ranked as the No. 24 player in Alabama and the No. 84 receiver in the country for 2022, Coleman has also done his homework on the offenses of all three of his finalists.
“All of them fit what I like to do. They’re really good passing schools,” he said of his three final three schools. “I’m very physical and I believe in not showing no mercy.”
At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Coleman has tried to model his game after other big receivers like Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins. He likes to use some of the jumping and box-out skills he has honed on the basketball court to beat opposing defensive backs on contested throws.
Coleman has also been lining up at wildcat for Hueyville, leading to those rushing and throwing touchdowns he posted last weekend. He admittedly doesn't anticipate becoming a prolific passer this fall, but Coleman has enjoyed the opportunity to help his team in a variety of ways.
“I love being able to put the product on the field and just being able to lead," he said. "I love it.”
Coleman took an unofficial visit to Coastal this summer but has not yet been to either Tallahassee or Charlottesville. He’s working to line up official visits to all three schools for these first few weeks of the season with the goal of making a decision by late September or early October. He hopes those officials will help in what he anticipates will be a “very hard” decision.
“I want to feel how it feels like during the games, what the coaches do when the team is down,” Coleman explained. “How do they react to everything when I’m there.”
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