He says one top assistant has compared him to a recent top-10 NFL Draft pick.
Jacob Copeland, the Pensacola, Fla. four-star, currently ranks as one of 2018’s top 10 receiver recruits and one of the state’s top 10 overall recruits, per the 247Sports Composite. He says at the New Orleans regional camp of Nike’s The Opening tour that Clemson co-OC Jeff Scott has referred to him as a Sammy Watkins-type.
CU, Florida, and Auburn are his biggest standout colleges. He plans to attend each of their spring games, but “I really ain’t trying to take visits right now,” in order to focus on his grades. He recently changed high schools amid a coaching change. North Carolina and Miami are also near the top of the list. He plans to commit at the Under Armour All-America Game in January.
Standing 6’1, 192 with a Spider-Man tat, he expects to reach about 205 in a college strength program. He cites academics and playing time as his biggest factors, noting UNC’s depth chart is currently light on experienced receivers, so the Heels are “sitting high” with him.
Clemson’s use of four- and five-wide sets on offense interests him, since “I’d have a good chance to get the ball.”
He says Florida head coach Jim McElwain texts or calls him every day and that, as a freshman, he was McElwain’s first Florida offer. Head coaches typically don’t have time to personally recruit all that many prospects.
“Knowing it comes from the head coach, that means a lot,” he says.
He refers to Auburn co-OC Kodi Burns as a big brother type. Burns was a QB-turned-WR for Auburn within the last decade, and Copeland says, “It ain’t always about football. I can relate to him on a lot of levels. We keep it real. The vibe we have, he’s always telling me to stay focused. If I was to come to Auburn, he’s gonna make sure I was straight.”