Daytona Beach sophomore receiver James Randle Jr. has become quite the popular guy recently. Colleges have already started to take notice of the speedy Mainland youngster, who is piling up scholarship offers.
UCF and Kentucky both offered the 6-foot, 175-pound Randle on Thursday, and he also has Miami, USF and Louisville on board.
“I was like, ‘Whoa,’ to get two offers, back-to-back in one day,” Randle said. “I feel good about it because it’s showing my hard work has paid off.
“It surprises me because I didn’t know it was going to be this big, but I see that I got people’s attention.”
UCF co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Tim Harris Jr. offered Randle, who said he wouldn’t mind following in the footsteps of former UCF standout Adrian Killins Jr.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Randle said. “UCF, it feels great because it’s close to home, and it could be a place I could go.”
Randle has speed and has shown solid route running already in his young career. As a freshman last season, he had 31 catches for 521 yards and nine touchdowns.
“I think they’re seeing what I can do and how well I track down the ball,” Randle said. “They see that I can be a dawg on the field.”
He said he had not been timed in the 40-yard dash, but his speed is obvious.
His next big offer could come next Friday at Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp.
“That would be great because I like the Gators,” said Randle, who grew up as a Miami Hurricanes fan and also liked watching Oregon. “That would be a great offer.”
His offers are coming early, but he’s intent on remaining humble.
“I’m going to just stay focused and stay on my grind,” Randle said. “I’m going to stay dedicated to what I’m doing and stay on track. I need to stay off social media and stuff and be dedicated to my work.”
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays covers the recruiting for the Sentinel. He can be reached at CHays@orlandosentinel.com.
