It takes some serious gumption for someone to be so confident in their defensive abilities that they intentionally leave their back turned to an opponent at the start of a play. Yet that’s precisely what Ocean Lakes High School (Virginia Beach, Va.) two-way starter Devon Allen did at a spring tournament.
That’s Allen in the play below. He’s lined up on defense, and he’s clearly not at all intimidated by the player he’s lined up against. He starts with his back to the ball, he ends with his back to the ball and in the entire period in between, he’s a blanket on a poor guy who just wants to try to catch a football.
Needless to say, the receiver didn’t succeed.
As of now, Allen apparently holds no Division I scholarship offers. Given the traditional strength of Ocean Lakes and his improving play, and confidence, its hard to imagine he won’t receive one or more soon. After all, how many cornerbacks have you see defend an entire play backwards?
