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Friday, Oct. 09, 2009

Freshman Valentine making an early statement

STATESBORO — In preseason camp, Georgia Southern quarterback Lee Chapple couldn’t say enough good things about a freshman receiver who had caught his eye during summer workouts.

“Jamere Valentine is a playmaker,” Chapple said. “He catches everything … he reminds me a lot of Raja (Andrews).”

As a senior last year, Andrews set program records with 64 receptions for 873 yards and twice had a single-game record 10 catches. He had five 100-yard receiving games while setting a program mark for career catches with 127.

Obviously, Andrews left a big set of shoes to be filled. Valentine’s play to date indicates he’s more than capable of filling them. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Valentine has 26 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns in five games. He will be looking to add to those numbers Saturday when the Eagles (3-2) visit North Carolina (3-2). Kickoff at Kenan Stadium is 3:30 p.m.

“He’s still got a lot of work to do,” head coach Chris Hatcher said. “But he’s getting better each week.

“The thing about him is that, on the football field, he’s a tremendous player. He’s very elusive. He doesn’t have that breakaway speed you want a guy to have, but he’s fast enough to know what he has to do when he gets the ball in his hands.”

It’s that lack of blazing speed that cost Valentine — his 40-yard dash time is 4.6 seconds — a shot at playing at the FBS level.

Despite gaudy numbers coming out of high school, the recruiting battle came down to Georgia Southern and Appalachian State.

On signing day, Hatcher said, “He doesn’t have outstanding speed, but I never saw anyone catch him from behind.”

It was the same thing that was said about Jerry Rice when he was at Mississippi Valley State, former Marshall receiver Mike Barber and current Elon standout Terrell Hudgins, who is on the verge of breaking all of Rice’s and the Southern Conference’s receiving records.

Rice, of course, had a Hall of Fame career with the San Francisco 49ers. Barber, a sure-handed, precise route runner at Marshall who was fearless going over the middle, set numerous SoCon records, most of which have been eclipsed by Hudgins. Barber spent six years with the Cincinnati Bengals before eventually being voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Valentine has been the Eagles’ most consistent receiver this year, and it is no accident.

“He’s a very savvy receiver,” Hatcher said, “and every day he comes out and works hard at getting better. He prepares, and he’s a big, physical guy. Every game this year, he’s made plays for us.”

Valentine excelled in both football and basketball in high school. He was one of the top 25 players in South Carolina as a senior when he caught 98 passes for 1,515 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Myrtle Beach won the Class AAA championship last year, with Valentine scoring 28 points in the title game.

“There are a lot of things you can take from basketball to the football field,” said Valentine, who was a running back before converting to wide receiver during his junior year of high school. “A lot of the cuts, positioning, being physical … sometimes when you’re going to catch a pass, it’s like trying to come down with a rebound.

“I’m earning my stripes. My success comes from practicing hard every day. (Receivers coach Ron) Dugans preaches that you play the way you practice, and I believe that. I don’t want to mess up on Saturday.

“I’ll always be a student of the game because I still have so much to learn, especially on reading defenses. I want to learn something new every day.”