Explosive wide out Countryman readies for big decision

[allbuffs]

Below is a preview of an article that BoulderBuff contributed to for calihighsports.com:

Explosive wide out Countryman readies for big decision

Off the field Beverly Hills wide receiver Cameron Countryman is well spoken, thoughtful and polite. But on the field this speedy wide out doesn’t feel bad making defenders look foolish. The 5’10 ½ 160 pound Countryman has matured into one of the top playmaking wide receivers in California thanks to his exceptional quickness and agility.

“I try and model my game after Dasean Jackson,” Countryman said and the comparison is appropriate. Just like the Eagles star, Countryman makes up for his lack of size by being a phenomenal route runner that defensive backs just can’t seem to catch up with. Cameron does a great job using fundamentally sound footwork and a quick first burst to get space off the line of scrimmage and is strong enough that he can fight through guys trying to jam him at the line.

Once he gets room to work with in the open field, Country is a touchdown waiting to happen thanks to his lateral quickness and breakaway speed. While big plays are his specialty, Countryman is an every down receiver who isn’t afraid to go over the middle and possesses great hands that make him reliable in short yardage situations.

Division 1 schools have taken notice of Countryman’s abilities and the Beverly Hills star boasts offers from Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. While Countryman’s talents on the field have earned him major Division 1 scholarships, his abilities as a student have led to scholarship offers from Ivy league schools Princeton, Penn and Harvard. Countryman will eventually have to decide whether he wants top level academics or top level athletics and calls the decision “the toughest of my life.”

“It is a decision that is going to set my life down a certain path and there is no going back afterwards. Obviously if you take football out of the equation and your just a regular student, Harvard is the best school in the country. I’m trying to be set not for just four years but 40 years and you can’t put a price on how much a degree from an Ivy League school means and all the connections that come with it. But at the same time I love football. I love the game, I love the camaraderie between teammates, but more then anything I love the competition. I want to play on TV, I want to play in meaningful games and I want to test myself against the best competition. It’s an incredibly difficult choice,” Countryman said.

Continued....

Click through for the remainder of his notes and comments.

 

[sackman]

Screw Harvard. Go to Princeton. Or CU.

Honestly, a kid who is getting legit D-1 offers who ends up at an Ivy league school will absolutely tear up that league. There's maybe 10 guys in that entire league who could crack the two-deep at a middle of the road D-1 program. If he really wants to play against the best, the Ivy League won't give him that opportunity. I wonder if Stanford is interested? That's the best of both worlds, I would think.

 

[White_Rabbit]

Haven't seen much on Stanford, but Northwestern is somewhat interested in him (no offer yet, though). I worry that even if we get him to commit, he'd still be receptive to a school that plays in a big time league, but also offers big time academics.

 

[BinaryBuff]

Good stuff BB! I'd love to see Countryman come to Boulder to play, but if he's got full ride offers from Ivy League schools, I'd think that would be very tough to turn down.

 

[buffs04]

I think getting an Ivy League education is a far cry more important than playing in a better league, unless you are damn sure that you can make it to the NFL. Even then, you can make it to the NFL from an Ivy (see: Matt Birk), but probably with less fanfare (draft slot) and money.

Ivy recruitment interests me. Ivies don't allow athletic scholarships per se, but I would have to guess there is some fudging going on. I believe all of their scholarships, for athletes and non-athletes alike, are need-based only, though.

 

[slider]

CU undergrad. Then Ivy graduate school imo

 

[The Guest]

Can we convince Jim Hansen to give him a call?

 

[BinaryBuff]

Can we convince Jim Hansen to give him a call?

At least with Embree in charge, there's a chance of this (well, at least Embree referencing Hansen). If it were Hack, he'd just recommend that Cameron find a lunchpail.