Manny Navarro's Spring Tour, Part 4

MANNY NAVARRO | MIAMI HERALD STAFF Everglades LB Devon Butler (5-11, 210) is a 2009 recruit to watch. » More Photos

New Miami Central football coach Telly Lockett has an affinity for Miami-Dade high school football history.

Ask him about the greatest running back in Central's history -- Elvis Peacock -- and Lockett will come back at you with stories about Peacock, the guys Lockett played against in the early 1990s while at Northwestern High, others he never played against, and players before his time.

Never mind Lockett is only 33.

But while history might be Lockett's off-the-field passion, nothing fuels his fire more than winning on it. And that's exactly what he plans to do with the Rockets, who despite boasting some of the county's best talent for decades have never been able to get out of district rival Northwestern's shadow. But those frustrations might soon end.

After being fired as offensive coordinator at Northwestern -- along with 11 coaches -- amid the Antwain Easterling fiasco before the 2007 season and then being cleared of wrongdoing along with the rest of the Bulls' former coaching staff, Lockett has come to Central hungry to build another winner. And he has put together a stellar staff at Central in a short time.

His assistants include former Dolphins running back Mark Higgs, former Hurricane and NFL veteran Earl Little (defensive coordinator) and three other former Bulls assistants.

They will have a bevy of talent to work with.

On my visit Wednesday to Central (which is still under construction), I was blown away with the overall size, speed, depth and athleticism the Rockets had at spring practice. I almost felt like I was back at Northwestern three years ago when I first saw a young group that included University of Miami recruits Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, Marcus Forston, Tommy Streeter, Kendall Thompkins and Aldarius Johnson. Those kids went 30-0 and won back-to-back Class 6A state titles. Living up to that will be hard for the Rockets. But Central has some impressive weapons in place -- especially among the 2010 and 2011 classes.

But the 2009 class is no pushover, either. And it begins with 6-3, 260-pound center Derrick Jean, who already has an offer from FIU but could see many more by the end of the spring. Jean is a leader and was busy keeping teammates in line Wednesday and leading them during stretching exercises. His snaps were on target and his feet were extremely quick. Two other lineman in the 2010 class to follow whom Lockett pointed out as potential Division I recruits are 6-1, 290-pound guard Sean Brown and 6-4, 250-pound offensive tackle Stanley St. Jean.

Offensive line isn't the only place where the Rockets have size and talent. Defensively, it's hard to miss the two newest faces on the Rockets this spring -- a pair of 2009 recruits to watch in 6-4, 280-pound tackle Ephesians Adams and 6-5, 235-pound end Kevin Patfield. Adams didn't have the grades to play in 2007. But he has the size, strength and speed to put himself on the map and among the top-tier recruits in the state if he can do the right things.

Patfield, a former basketball player, also has the goods to be special. But he never played football until this spring. Lockett believes by the end of the season, though, some big-time school will pursue Patfield.

The rest of the special players in the Rockets' 2009 class are all Division I-caliber. Those include receivers Jerious Williams (6-5, 185) and Jamaal Fleming (6-2, 180). Williams, who reminds me a bit of Streeter because of his size, already has an offer from FIU. Fleming, who might have the softest hands on the team, should receive offers soon enough. Linebacker Damon Wright (6-0, 205) and strong safety Leonard Owens (5-10, 190) are two other players Lockett pointed out.

As strong a senior class as that is, the Rockets' current sophomore and freshman classes are where the biggest stars appear to be.

Quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey (6-0, 175) is at the top of the list. A starter at Edison as a freshman, Godfrey earned All-Dade third-team honors as a sophomore at Central last fall after throwing for 1,287 yards, 13 TDs and 4 INTs. One can only imagine what Godfrey will accomplish under the same coaches who helped Harris shred the county record book this past two seasons.

Godfrey will have arguably the best receiving corps to throw to. Williams and Fleming are good, but the best receivers at Central are likely 2010 recruit E.J. Alvin (5-11, 170) and 2011 recruit Charles Gainer (5-10, 160). Alvin caught 13 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown a year ago but should thrive as a junior and senior. Gainer caught seven passes for 73 yards and three scores as a ninth-grader. There are more weapons -- including two sophomores in the backfield. At the top of the list is 6-foot, 205-pound running back Brandon Gainer, who ran for 487 yards and four scores on 64 carries last season. The other is 5-8, 160-pound slot back Anthony Williams, the team's fourth-leading rusher last season with 246 yards and four TDs.

Gainer is the best in Central's freshman class. But there are three others Lockett says to keep an eye on, including free safety Thomas Finnie (5-11, 180), who played on the varsity as a true freshman and who has deep roots in athletics. Middle linebacker Prince DeJesus (5-11, 205) and outside linebacker Dwight Jackson (6-2, 205) are two hitters Lockett says opponents will grow to fear.

The Rockets, who finished 7-3 last season and lost to Columbus in the first round of the playoffs, will play their spring game at Glades Central on May 24. Expect it to be a well-attended game by college recruiters.

HIALEAH

Defensive end Corey Liuget had Hialeah High crawling with recruiters last year. Florida State's Bobby Bowden, Miami's Randy Shannon, Georgia's Mark Richt, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and LSU's Les Miles all made their way into coach Mark Berman's office to try and get the nation's seventh-rated defensive tackle to come to their school. Illinois' Ron Zook eventually won the Liuget sweepstakes shortly before National Signing Day.

While the same cast of characters might skip Hialeah in 2009, they'll probably be lining up for a return visit in 2010 for another big defensive lineman in Corey Lemonier. The 6-4, 230-pound end started every game for the T-Breds as a sophomore in his first full season in football. Lemonier, who grew up a basketball standout and wanting to be Shaquille O'Neal, has realized football is his calling and already has schools going after him. After starting to lift weights in the sixth grade, he's already lifting as much weight as Liuget was as a senior.

''My dad is a pretty big guy and my doctor told me he thinks I'll grow to be about 6-6,'' Lemonier said. ``I'd like to be just like Julius Peppers. He was a basketball player who fell in love with football. He played both ways too. Coach told me he'd like for me to play a little tight end this year, so I'm excited about that.''

Lemonier isn't the only big young player Berman is excited about. He has several more, including 6-4, 255-pound lineman Chris Acosta, whom colleges already are asking about. Defensive end Lebranden Richardson (6-2, 220), defensive tackle Calvin Smith (6-3, 240), linebacker Marcus Fairley (6-1, 220), safety Jermaine Kaisley (6-3, 180), tight end Joel Ramos (6-4, 215) and athletes Chris Auerlin (5-10, 165) and Raheem Jackson (5-9, 185) are all 2010 recruits he believes can play Division I-A football.

The 2011 class features three freshmen starters from last season. Quarterback Bidler Dorlean (6-2, 195) and receiver George Smith (6-0, 185) were key contributors last season. Dorlean completed 37 passes for 512 yards and 5 touchdowns to lead the team in passing. Smith caught eight passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns to lead the team in receiving. But running back Jerron Seymour (5-8, 175) had arguably the most impressive season of any freshman with 466 yards rushing and 6 TDs on 62 attempts while sharing the load with senior Paris Cotton. This fall, Seymour, the younger brother of former Pace and Chaminade standout Jerry Seymour, will be the man in Hialeah's backfield.

''There is no question Corey is the guy every college coach asks me about,'' Berman said. ``But right after him is Jerron. He's got some special abilities. He's going to be a great one.''

Hialeah's 2009 class might not pack the punch the younger classes do, but Berman said he still has at least three players he believes can play Division I football. All are in his defensive backfield. Berman said Shawn Smith (5-10, 165) is getting close looks from Western Kentucky, South Florida and Florida Atlantic. He expects Jonathan Charles (5-10, 165) and Jed Jean-Jaques (6-0, 185) to find takers, too.

As a team, Berman expects Hialeah to be improved this fall. The T-Breds went 3-7 last season against one of the toughest schedules in Dade. With 10 starters back on offense and seven on defense, though, you can expect the T-Breds to notch a few more wins in 2008 even if they can't beat out Central or Northwestern in District 13-6A to make the playoffs.

Hialeah plays its spring game at Southwest at 4 p.m. next Thursday.

EVERGLADES

I haven't made my way north to Broward enough in the two weeks I've been treading across South Florida to visit schools. But I'm glad I made it out to the county's southwest corner Thursday to check out some of the 2009 kids coach Joshua Shapiro has at Everglades.

I wasn't the only one there. Scouts from FIU, Jacksonville and a few other schools were there to come see the Gators' two biggest attractions -- linebackers Roderic Blunt (6-2, 210) and Devon Butler (5-11, 210). Both looked impressive during drills and practice, showing the type of closing speed and coverage skills colleges certainly want. Blunt, the son of former Clemson running back Rodney Blunt, already has offers from Clemson, South Carolina, Purdue and Wisconsin. Butler should have some of his own soon.

''I know Cypress Bay has a real good group and I respect those kids and the job the staff up there does, but I'll take these two over anyone in the county,'' Shapiro said Thursday. ``They know how to close and wrap up.''

The schools recruiting offensive lineman Morel Pierre might want to get in on the 6-3, 335-pounder soon. Shapiro said Florida, Miami and Central Florida have all begun to look at Pierre, who by the way was outrunning his thinner and smaller teammates downfield for blocks Thursday.

Those three players are at the top of Shapiro's 2009 list. But they aren't the only juniors he believes can earn themselves Division I-A scholarship offers this spring and next fall. Courtney Thompson (5-10, 180), Rodney Rumph (5-9, 170), tailback Damian Fortner (5-10, 170) and safety Jamal Lane (5-10, 170) all have the speed and skill to play at that level, according to Shapiro. Thompson, a state finalist in the 110-meter hurdles earlier this month, will play quarterback for Everglades this season. But he'll be a defensive back at the next level. Fortner, who will be the team's starting tailback this fall, has interest from Indiana, Georgia Tech and Colorado State. Rumph is a three-year starter who will be used all over the field this season.

The Gators, who finished 3-7 last season, have several underclassmen to keep an eye on. The 2010 class features tight end Fidelis Ezwike (6-1, 200), receiver Brian Redding (6-2, 180). Shapiro said the most talented player at Everglades could end up being 2011 recruit and running back Cedric Thompson (5-10, 180), whose father played at West Virginia.

Everglades, which returns seven starters on offense and eight on defense, will host Coconut Creek in its spring game at 7 p.m. May 29.