Greenwood eyes Utah trip
Shamond Greenwood, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound wideout at Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas is one of Utah's top receiver targets for the class of 2017. Greenwood has been in contact with Utah receivers coach Guy Holliday, and said he would like to schedule a visit to learn more about the program.
“[I talk to] Coach Holliday,” Greenwood said. “That’s really the only coach I’ve been keeping in contact with [at Utah]. He understands what can make me a better man, player, everything. He knows what I need to do to get to the level I need to be at. He just tells me how I’m #1 on his list, just ‘cause I have a lot of unique gifts, what I’ve been through and stuff, so he knows. We just talk about football, education more, how I need to take school seriously, which I do, that type of talk, what type of receiver I am now, stuff like that. [We talk] maybe like every week, really, at least he reaches out when he can. [We talk] in person [at my school]. I haven’t really learned that much, that’s why I’m thinking about taking a visit to get to know them better. That’s why I really need to take a visit, because I don’t know much.”
Greenwood would also like to visit Iowa, Illinois and Mississippi State, and discussed what he likes about each program. “I really like Iowa, just as a whole, because I know people that go there,” he said. “I grew up with some friends that actually go to Iowa, and they talk to me about it. They told me it’s a nice school. I was supposed to take a visit with my quarterback, but I had a track meet. But he told me it’s a nice program, it’s beautiful out there. Minus the weather, he told me it gets cold down there (laughs). [The cold] doesn’t bother me really. Because Texas [weather] changes every day.
“[At Illinois], I really the coach, that’s what’s making me want to go down there (receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker). [Coach Lovie Smith] DM’d me on Twitter, but I haven’t really talked to him. I talked to my coach about [Mississippi State]. [Ohio State is] my favorite school, and he told me how [Mississippi State], they run the same offense. Plus they’re SEC, that’s like the best conference in college football. Plus I have family members that go to Mississippi State. They tell me all about it, and they go down there every homecoming game.” Greenwood is also intrigued by Arkansas, saying simply, “that’s a place I know that I would like to visit.”
Greenwood holds 12 offers from around the country, and plans to commit by the end of the summer. He said he’s looking for a “good education, good football program and just an all-around good environment, like good people, to make me feel at home.”
The three-star recruit said he doesn’t have a favorite and that he’s, “really trying to just evaluate everything, getting to know each school and stuff, evaluate all my options at each of those schools better. Because I don’t really know much about all of them, about every single one.”
The epitome of a complete receiver, Greenwood can catch, run and block exceptionally well. “[I’m good at] really everything,” he said. “I’m not trying to brag. [The thing I do best] maybe is coming off the line every play, even when I’m tired. [Also], blocking, jump balls. I know [when I’m covered] one-on-one, is when I’ll get the ball. Two-on-one, too. But really it’s blocking, ‘cause I know [it’s] really a big deal when you don’t get the ball, how can you be effective and help the team. That’s really what I’m about.” Greenwood said he almost always comes down with jump balls, “especially when [the corner’s] way smaller than me, which they usually are. I just know if I don’t take my eyes off the ball, I’m going to catch it. Usually the only reason I will get covered [by someone], they got to do pass interference. And I still catch most of those, because I’m going that hard.”
Greenwood said his confidence comes from all the long hours he puts in on the practice field. “Staying after practice with my quarterback. Running routes. Doing footwork drills. When nobody’s watching. I feel like that’s what really matters, ‘cause it doesn’t always matter what you do in front of the coach. That’s what you do [when you have] character. Getting with my quarterback on the weekend, running routes, catching. Doing stuff we would do in the games. But we don’t need to talk to each other, do like the signal to know … [and] have that connection with him.”
Hailing from the greater Dallas area, Greenwood is a big, fast (4.43 40) athlete that draws comparisons to other bruising wide receivers. “A TCU coach came to my game, he said I remind him of Dez Bryant,” Greenwood said. “I like Larry Fitzgerald. I watch Julio Jones, how he go about his stuff. I just try to put all of it into one, because I’m trying to be, because I’m big so I try to be as quick and fast as possible. Work on my [footwork] and stuff, so I just try to put all of it together in one. But my favorite is DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald."
Heading into his senior season, Greenwood is taking on a larger leadership role on his team. “[I’m a vocal leader],” he said. “I like to get them pumped up. [Especially] the ones that lack confidence. Tell them what they can do and what they’re [capable of doing]. So that’s what being a team’s all about, looking out for each other, encouraging. Being a senior, all these young guys see me do what I can do. [I] just tell them, just put in the hard work, [and] they can be [like] this, too. Just stay on their grades. Work hard. “[I just want to win] the championship [this year]. I just want to know when I leave the school, that I put in 100% effort and did the best I could to play every game like it’s my last. I can’t blame nobody, and just did the best I could.”
NOTES
Greenwood’s complete offer list includes Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, SMU, UTSA, Tulane, Utah and Utah State. Greenwood cheered for Ohio State growing up, and said he would “most likely” accept an offer from the Buckeyes … Despite living in Dallas, Greenwood is a fan of the Houston Texans … He has already made unofficial visits to Houston, Kansas and TCU. “I just got invited to a game,” he said. “I didn’t get to see the school” … Greenwood doesn’t shy away from contact, saying “I’m a big guy. I can’t be scared, because that’s my job.”