Freshman 15: No. 1 – Jeremy Deering

Freshman Jeremy Deering as a great chance in today's second scrimmage to earn more playing time after injuries to Tim Wright and Quron Pratt. (Sam Hellman)

— Sam Hellman

The “Freshman 15” is a series on TargumBlog where we count down the top 15 freshmen from this class with an article or video each day from the guys. The freshmen’s rankings are based primarily on their chances of seeing the field immediately and what type of impact they can make as true freshmen.

Background info:

Jeremy Deering earned very solid rankings throughout every recruiting service during his senior year. Everywhere from Rivals.com to Scout.com to ESPN to newspapers rated him as one of the better athletes in the very deep state of Florida.

A lot of that came on potential though, never putting up the astounding numbers in high school that many recruits of his caliber did, partially because no one was really sure what position he was — starring at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and safety.

“I’m very versatile,” Deering said. “I just like to play football. It doesn’t matter where because I know the coaches will find a use for me.”

Adjusting to college:

Deering quickly settled into the wide receiver role with the Scarlet Knights. Through the first two weeks of training camp, he creeped from the bottom of the barrel, like all freshmen, to taking reps with the two-deep.

“I didn’t really know what to expect because I didn’t know many people that played college football and I’m from far away, but I like it,” Deering said. “It’s more challenging than high school and you have better guys around and more competition. You just have to compete every day.”

Deering also demonstrated his value to the team by playing out of the Wild Knight formation behind Mohamed Sanu in practices.

That might give him a leg-up over the other receivers in a deep class for the Scarlet Knights.

“Competition like that is what makes you a good player,” Deering said. “You can’t be an everyday guy without competing with the best and making each other better.”

Jeremy Deering

Outlook for this season:

With injuries to Tim Wright and Quron Pratt, it looks like at least two of the true freshman receivers will see the field this season. Deering is probably one of them, based on his background and versatility.

Using Deering in the Wild Knight could be an advantage and a way to keep Sanu from over-working himself.

The first few games will be make-or-break for Deering, with Pratt out and slot receiver reps up in the air.

“My goal is to come in and make an impact,” Deering said. “But before I can do that, I have to learn the system and take it one day at a time and see what happens.”

EDIT: After a stellar second scrimmage in which Deering caught seven balls for 136 yards and J.T. Tartacoff made just one catch, Deering leaped him for No. 1 on the Freshman 15 list. Expect Deering to start or get significant playing time in the slot against Norfolk State.

Freshman 15:

15 – Jawaun Wynn

14 – Sam Bergen

13 – Chris Fonti

12 – Jordan Thomas

11 – Marcus Thompson

10 – Lorenzo Waters

9 – Gareef Glashen

8 – Jawan Jamison

7 – Rashad Knight

6 – Brandon Coleman

5 – Betim Bujari