Hebron RB Dezmond Wortham is the next Texas sensation
by Wade Perry
Posted April 22, 2011 10:23 pm
The state of Texas is legendary for cranking out some of the top high school football talent in America.
Year in, year out, nobody can argue that the Lone Star state ranks among the best in the USA when it comes to football pedigree.
As far as running backs are concerned, you simply won’t any better than the previous gridiron greats who have scorched the Texas high school football fields.
Adrian Peterson, Cedric Benson, and LaDainian Tomlinson are just a few of the legendary running backs to come out of Texas.
More recently, Oregon Ducks’ running backs LaMichael James and Lache Seastrunk carved out their own dazzling legacies on the Texas high school gridiron as well.
Who’s the next fleet footed Texan at the running back position?
Meet Hebron’s (Carrollton, Texas) all-purpose running back, Dezmond Wortham.
He just wrapped up his sophomore season for the Hebron Hawks and he’s had buzz surrounding him since he catapaulted onto the scene as a freshman two years ago.
Just how special is Wortham?
Dallas high school football examiner Mark Buford claimed after watching “Dez” his freshman year, “if he stays healthy, he’s got a chance to be one of the best ever in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.”
As a 14 year old freshman, Wortham burst onto the scene for the Hawks–piling up 797 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 130 attempts (averaging 6.1 yards per carry). As a receiver, he hauled in 33 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
Not bad for a rookie–especially in the state of Texas!
His sophomore year, the 6’0, 195 pounder rushed for 541 yards and five touchdowns on 100 attempts (averaging 5.4 yards per carry). He also snatched up 18 catches for 218 yards through the air.
Blessed with an excellent combination of agility and acceleration, Wortham makes defenders miss with his cutting ability then uses his acceleration to glide past them.
After looking at those stats it’s easy to see why there is so much buzz surrounding the Hebron phenom but Dezmond even told FinestPreps.com when I was writing this article that he wasn’t happy with his stats the past couple of years.
Even though he’s just a sophomore look for the attention around Wortham to grow this fall and next spring.
He’s bound to see plentiful scholarship offers come in the mail.
FinestPreps.com caught up with the Texas phenom to discuss his college football recruitment process.
Below is the interview.
FinestPreps.com Interview with Hebron RB Dezmond Wortham
FinestPreps.com: Talk about the college football recruitment process and how it’s going for you.
Dezmond Wortham: “So far since I’m a sophomore I can’t really receive written letters. I can contact coaches but they can’t call me. As far as getting letters and being invited to camps, being listed on the freshman and sophomore underclassmen lists to follow–I’ve had some pretty big schools like the University of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Oregon sent me stuff, Alabama, Penn State. A lot of the big powerhouses have acknowledged me for what I’ve been doing the past two years.”
FinestPreps.com: Do you have any teams you’re really interested in at this point or do you really know yet?
Dezmond Wortham: “At this point I just want to play college football but I really like the University of Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Alabama, Notre Dame, USC, LSU, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Oregon, and Florida. I just want to play college football so at this point it’s wherever I can go play.”
FinestPreps.com: Talk about some role models you had growing up football wise Dezmond.
Dezmond Wortham: “My favorite running back is LaDainian Tomlinson. I just like his style of play, how he goes about the game, and how he acknowledges everything. Role models as far as how I view my success on the football field would probably be Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford because they have strong faith in the lord and they say that everything they have is from him. I look to them when it comes to seeing where I get everything from, where I get my abilities from. I know that it’s from a higher power.”
FinestPreps.com: What’s the biggest thing you’re trying to work on in your game heading into next season, Dezmond?
Dezmond Wortham: “Mostly flexibility and explosion–just the first two steps coming out of the backfield, hitting the hole and being able to change directions real quick. I’m decent at it but that’s just the area I feel I need the most improvement in.”
Look for more on the sophomore sensation from FinestPreps.com in the future!
Check out the fleet footed sophomore’s highlight tape below–courtesy of FinestPreps.com!