Makari Vickers Talks Recent Explosion on Recruiting Trail Kicked Off by LSU Football
Makari Vickers was a name not many in the recruiting world knew of three weeks ago. The rising sophomore was a lengthy receiver just starting to learn defensive back when his trainer told him that LSU wanted to give him a call.
The Tigers made him an offer, sparking a string of interest from other programs over the next 48 hours including Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia Tech. Vickers said it's been a blessing to receive that level of interest from some of the top schools in the country.
"It just feels good and with LSU offering me, it really boosted my recruitment and now I'll be able to get more coaches to look at my film and hopefully get more offers," Vickers said. "I knew they had their eyes on me for a while."
The Tigers found out about Vickers through his trainer and were just waiting to see him play a few times before extending him an offer. At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, there's plenty of room for growth for the Tallahassee, Florida native who is just now entering his sophomore season at John Paul Catholic High School.
Vickers was able to speak with cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, who offered him the scholarship for the defensive side of the ball.
"He told me I was a longer DB and that's what they were kind of looking for," Vickers said. "He said since it was my first year playing corner, I looked very good, very disciplined so he was very impressed by my film."
As a freshman, Vickers was an outside receiver before making the switch to defense, where he now plays both positions for John Paul Catholic. Because he goes to a smaller high school, Vickers wants to prove to college coaches around the country that he can play both sides of the ball and has spent the entire offseason preparing for the adjustment.
The entire process has taken about five months and the biggest adjustment Vickers said is having to go at the same speed as a receiver, but going backwards.
"Being able to cover and play on the ball as well as covering are a few things I've really been working hard on these last few months," Vickers said. "I feel like I've done a good job of being able to play zone and knowing when to pick up a receiver or when to pass him off to the next man. I'm getting better at being more aggressive in man coverage at the line."
Vickers just played his first game as a defensive back a few weeks ago and feels he performed well overall but there is plenty that he needs to clean up if he wants to be an elite cover corner.
"There were a few plays I could've made off of simple mistakes but other than that I feel I did ok," Vickers said. "The coach [Raymond] only watched one game and made the offer so I must've done alright. I really need to improve my lateral movement, going side-to-side and covering receiver in open space."
Growing up in Tallahassee, Vickers always watched Florida State but knew all about the purple and gold. He's done research on the Tigers program in the past and has followed how many players that are currently in the league.
Former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu was actually one of Vickers' favorite defensive players.
"Even with him being a shorter DB he's still physical with the taller guys and always find ways to get his hands on the ball," Vickers said.
Now that the offers are starting to pour in from some of the top programs in the country, Vickers hopes to prove on a weekly basis that he's deserving of being one of the top players in his class. The fact that LSU was the first to show that interest in him definitely leaves a mark in his eyes.
"When I got the call I was in shock, I didn't really know what to say," Vickers said. "The defending champs looked at my film and they were one of the first ones to give me an offer so I was just shocked by that."