AUSTIN, Texas -- Every spring, the evaluation period in Texas produces a handful of prospects who had flown under the radar until that point. Count South Houston (Texas) wide receiver Elton Dyer in that group.
Elton Dyer a rising wide receiver to watch in Texas
The 6’3, 165-pounder is starting to earn some notice for his football exploits.
While the school has produced prospects in recent years like Texas cornerback Leroy Scott and Texas A&M safety Kenneth Marshall, it is in a part of the Houston area that doesn't get recruited as heavily as others.
A three-sport standout in football, basketball, and track, Dyer is receiving college interest in all three, though his football recruitment is only now starting to pick up after he gained 598 yards on only 27 receptions as a junior -- more than 22 yards per catch. Of those 27 catches, seven went for touchdowns, meaning he scored a touchdown better than once every four touches.
So it's no surprise that he's picked up his first football offer from Old Dominion and has received interest from Boise State, Kansas, New Mexico, and New Mexico State. As he finally starts up football practice this week, more schools should come by South Houston to watch him work out, with the Texas Longhorns numbering among those.
The three-star prospect’s recruitment by Texas has begun in earnest after he took advantage of his time in Austin for the state track meet to meet with the coaches.
“I loved it. It was great,” Dyer said of his unofficial visit, during which the coaching staff stood out to him.
“They gave me great feedback. They want me to come in for a camp,” he said, which will happen on June 9th.
“I can spread the field,” he says about his best skill on the football field, while mentioning that he’s working on his focus and on increasing his strength, which isn’t an easy task given that he doesn’t have much of an offseason with the time he spends in football, basketball, and track.
Dyer was at the state track meet participating in the high jump, but said that in his one attempt at the 200m this spring, he ran it in 23 seconds. His best mark in the high jump this spring was 6’11”.
This summer, He’s going to spend much of his time traveling with his AAU team, while he tries to fit in a few football camps around his work on the hardwood.
Dyer followed Baylor, Texas, and Texas A&M while growing up and used to make trips to Waco with his father “nearly every year” to watch the Bears play, quite the journey from the south side of Houston. He hasn’t taken a football-related visit there yet, but he already has a high opinion of the atmosphere there and head coach Art Briles.
For Texas A&M, the appeal is the new Airraid offense that head coach Kevin Sumlin helped install prior to the 2012 season.
The offer list may not be impressive for Dyer yet, but interest in his services is starting to pick up, which should make for an eventful summer and senior season.
