The Ledger
8/27
SCOTT WHEELER/THE LEDGER
Lake Gibson cornerback Chris Duvalt doesn't seem to feel the pressure of being one of the state's top college prospects. As a matter of fact, he enjoys the attention. "I know I have to step up and make more plays," he said. "People expect that of me."
WHO IS HE?
Name: Chris Duvalt
Class: Senior
School: Lake Gibson
Height: 5'10
Weight: 175
Position: Defensive Back
Specifics: Recorded a 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash at Tallahassee NIKE camp; 31-inch vertical.
Rankings: Rivals.com four-star prospect. No. 22 rated overall prospect in the state of Florida, No. 2 rated cornerback in the state, No. 11 nationally.
Statistics: Recorded 52 tackles and seven interceptions in 2004 season.
Interested Schools: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Marshall, Auburn, Florida State, Florida and Eastern Kentucky.
The Chosen One
Lake Gibson's Chris Duvalt Is the Best of Polk's College Prospects in 2005.
By Roy Fuoco
The Ledger
At first glance, this might seem like a lost year in terms of college prospects from this year's group of Polk County seniors. Last year's recruiting class was led by high-profile players like defensive lineman Kendrick Stewart and quarterback Matt Grothe. Next year's class will be led by Lakeland's Chris Rainey and John Brown.
But if you're ignoring this year's class, you're missing some very talented players -- some highly recruited players.
Lake Gibson's Chris Duvalt heads the list of prospects. If he doesn't generate the same buzz as former teammate Grothe did, it has more to do with his position rather than talent.
Defensive backs simply don't usually generate the same interest as quarterbacks among the fans.
Among coaches, it might be a different story. Duvalt has all the traits one looks for in a top prospect.
"(He has the) ability to change directions, he has a good a vertical jump, good anticipation," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said. "He's a good cover corner."
His 4.4 to 4.5 speed with the ability to change directions quickly is one of his strongest assets.
Duvalt isn't the biggest defensive back at 5 feet, 10 inches and about 175 pounds, but that doesn't appear to be that much of a problem. DeMyer said that although some college recruiters expressed some concern about Duvalt's size, most don't see it as an issue.
After being considered one of the top juniors last season, Duvalt's stock went up sharply after the Nike Camp in May and the 7-on-7 camp at South Florida. The Bulls, who signed Grothe, have shown a lot of interest along with a lot of SEC schools and Michigan State.
For now, anyway, Duvalt is enjoying the attention of being a top recruit.
"I love it," he said. "It's exciting."
Duvalt also said he's ready for the responsibility that comes with being a hot prospect.
"I know I have to step up and make more plays," he said. "People expect that of me."
In preseason rankings of the top seniors, Duvalt typically is the highest-ranked player from Polk County. He is ranked 22nd in the state by flavarsity.com.
Duvalt isn't the only Lake Gibson player to draw interest. Raymond Martin, who was injured playing fullback in the first game of the season and missed the rest of the year, is a candidate to take over at quarterback. Georgia Southern expressed interest in Martin just watching film.
DeMyer said the sleeper of the year could be linebacker John Williams, who has the advantage of having a 3.0 GPA and 1270 on the SAT. The military academies, West Point and Navy, have shown interest.
Linebacker Cameron McCalpin, who will likely be a safety in college, and running back Isaac Harris are two more Braves who will draw interest from college recruiters.
Auburndale is another school with multiple prospects in tight end Cory Powers, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, linebacker Antawn Booker and defensive back DeMario Leverette.
Over at Lakeland, the Dreadnaughts have one of the top three linebackers in the county in Scott Bryant, who transferred from Kathleen. Billy Lowe could be one of the top quarterbacks.
One of the most intriguing seniors is George Jenkins running back Sheldon Dennis, a big, strong tailback.
"You just don't see a lot of 6-2 tailbacks," said Jenkins coach Patrick Smith, who added that Dennis is a prospect at multiple positions.
