Herring aims to keep level head during big senior year

During the early months of 2014, hospitals were a shared experience for Malik Herring and his aunt, Neco Davis.

Herring, then a freshman at Mary Persons, had hurt his knee and went through surgery and rehab. His aunt was dealing with something far more serious: breast cancer.

Through the experience, Herring and Davis grew close. Davis supported Herring in his quest to return to the football field, while Herring became a big ally of Davis as she fought her disease.

“When I had my ACL surgery, her cancer got really bad,” Herring said. “As it got bad, she couldn’t make it over to see me, so I had to go to see her after practice. I used to go over there every day after practice to be with her, her family and her son, K.J., just to spend time with them and support her, to make sure she knew that I loved her.”

Davis died Aug. 26, 2014, one day after her 42nd birthday. Since then, Herring has carried her memory with him as he worked to become one of the top defensive linemen of the Class of 2017.

Herring, who is ranked seventh nationally among defensive linemen by ESPN and 83rd overall in the ESPN 300, is looking to honor Davis by announcing his college selection on her birthday, Aug. 25.

That said, Herring, who measures in at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, is looking to balance that special day with the realities of the recruiting process. Although he has announced five finalists — Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Southern Cal — he said this month if he does announce Aug. 25, that decision wouldn’t necessarily be locked in.

“I want to make sure I’m ‘that guy’ for that position coach,” Herring said. “Some schools I’m questioning it a little bit. I’d like to get back on campus soon to make sure which is which. If things don’t go as well, then I’ll probably push my date back.

“Ninety-five percent of the time, you’re going to be with your position coach. You could be in a two-hour meeting with your position coach. You’re going to be spending most of your practice with your position coach. So you want to make sure you have a great relationship with that position coach.”

Such a level-headed approach is guiding Herring on and off the field. He is looking to make a big decision in the weeks and month ahead regarding his college football plans, while also looking to deliver one more big season for his hometown team.

Mary Persons’ season starts Aug. 18 at Mercer, when the Bulldogs take on Houston County in a game televised by Fox Sports South.

“It’s a blessing, but you also have to stay humble and not let it get over your head and get a big head,” Herring said of the recruiting process. “Use it as a blessing and a motivation to go hard.”

Herring anchored a defense that yielded no more than 21 points to any opponent during the regular season last year, setting the stage for an unbeaten regular season and the GHSA Region 2-4A championship. He had 62 solo tackles, and he averaged 2.1 tackles for loss per contest.

Mary Persons accomplished its 10-0 regular season (11-1 overall) despite having just two returning starters on each side of the ball.

One thing missing from Herring’s resume is a deep playoff run. Despite Mary Persons’ regular-season success, the Bulldogs left the Class 4A playoffs relatively early, losing 45-21 at home to Marist in the second round.

“The guys we had come in to fill those jobs, they had the heart to come out and compete,” Herring said. “I feel like they did a really good job. This season we have the same thing, but even more athletes.”

Said Mary Persons head coach Brian Nelson, “Malik has done a good job this summer of showing up and being here and trying to do things the right way. I feel like we have a bunch of kids in this program that do that. He probably overshadows people from time to time because of his recruitment, but I feel like we have a bunch of players on this team that are similar to that and do a good job for us.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2016 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Herring aims to keep level head during big senior year."