Top Prospect Da'Shawn Hand Copes with Recruitment

Many high school seniors have to decide where to go to college, but few will have their decision scrutinized by millions. 

Da’Shawn Hand, a rising senior playing defensive end for the Woodbridge Senior High School Vikings, is widely regarded as the top prospect in all of high school football in 2014.

College football fans all over the country are fascinated with determining where Hand plans to study next year, and more importantly, which football team he’ll be joining.

“I really don’t let it get to me,” Hand said. “I just try to be a kid as much as I can.”

The Woodbridge native has tried to remember his roots as he prepares to make a decision that will define the next 50 years of his life.

“Suddenly, everybody is your friend when you make it big,” Hand said. “You need to remember the people who were with you from the start.”

According to those around him, Hand should have no trouble adjusting to the scrutiny.

“He’s not all about the rankings and that kind of thing,” said Woodbridge head coach Karibi Dede. “He’s very appreciative to be ranked so highly, but he’s not the type of kid that’s going to lose sleep over whether he’s number one or number four.”

But Hand’s not the only one receiving attention. The spotlight is big enough that the entire school has been enveloped, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“It’s positive attention that we get because he’s such a good person,” said Woodbridge director of student activities Jason Koch. “Obviously, when you have ESPN calling and all the sports media calling, it can be overwhelming at times, but in the long run, it’s a positive for everybody and the school itself.”

As the school’s national presence has increased, Dede stepped in as coach this February to help both Hand and the rest of the team cope with the increased interest.

His experience as both a player and graduate assistant coach for Auburn combined with his brief stint in professional football gives him unique insight into the recruiting culture.

“He came in and immediately gave me advice on how it is in the SEC and how it’s going to be in college,” Hand said.

But Dede has had to do less work in that department than he was anticipating, due to Hand’s maturity.

“At first I thought it’d be something where I’d try to give him a lot of help with managing everything that goes on with the recruiting process and the accolades and the media, but to be honest, he and his father talk a lot, and he’s a very mature kid,” Dede said.

Even if Hand may be coping well with his recruitment, the coach can be a valuable asset for him in the classroom as well. Dede earned All-Academic SEC honors in his time at Auburn, which should be valuable experience for him as he mentors the academically focused Hand.

“He’s talked about wanting to be an Academic All-American next year,” Dede said. “He really puts a lot of effort into being a good student athlete, and he’s got high ambitions to be great academically at the next level.”

Hand recently eliminated Virginia Tech from contention specifically because it lacked the sports marketing major he was looking for.

“Obviously, I’m looking for a coaching staff and a town I’m comfortable with, but I’m also really focused on finding a good academic support system,” Hand said.

While his good grades are appealing to recruiters, it’s physical dominance on the football field that has truly raised eyebrows.

“He has a skill set that you don’t really see until you get to the next level,” Dede said. “Until you get to the college ranks and the NFL ranks, you generally don’t see that skillset with a guy as big as he is.”

Beyond his obvious physical gifts, his work ethic is unimpeachable as well.

“On the field he’s just a presence, he plays every snap with high intensity,” Dede said. “He just works as hard as he can every day and I think that his ultimate outcome and goal is to be a very dominant high school player.”

This combination of physicality, brains, and diligence may have coaches at his top three schools of Alabama, Michigan, and Florida salivating, but he insists his focus is home and improving on last year’s 7-5 season.

“The process has been a fun ride and I’m ready to make a decision soon, but I’m thinking about the season coming up,” Hand said. “Everybody wants an undefeated season and a state championship, that’s the goal.”