At the end of a successful summer for Jefferson quarterback Deiondre Porter, one in which he wowed coaches during the Unsigned Preps Bus Tour of college campuses and orally committed to play at USF next season, a handful of schools wanted to see more.
Basically, they wanted to see if Porter could backpedal.
So he and Unsigned Preps CEO Ricky Sailor shot a video of Porter, well, backpedaling. No coverage, no turn and go, no bump and run. Just backpedaling.
Since making the video in the early part of the football season, those schools that wanted to see more apparently liked what they saw.
Porter (6-1, 185 pounds) has picked up offers from Cincinnati, UCF, Rutgers, Michigan State, Maryland and Wisconsin the past two months.
While he says he remains committed to USF, he plans on taking a look at some of his new suitors.
"I've been living in Tampa all my life,'' he said. "I want to see what else is out there. I want the experience."
Porter has already checked out UCF and will visit Rutgers on Dec. 13 with friend and Largo defensive back Cordell Hudson. Porter said he plans on setting up at least three other visits prior to signing day.
The Dragon senior hasn't played defensive back since eighth grade, when he had three interceptions in his first game at the position in a youth league game playing for Fishhawk Ranch.
But Porter's speed and athleticism makes him an intriguing option for college coaches.
At quarterback this season, he threw for more than 3,100 yards and 33 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,450 yards and 19 more scores. In his three years as the starter at Jefferson, Porter passed for more than 7,000 yards and 77 touchdowns.
His days under center, however, came to an end Friday in a 52-48 playoff loss to Armwood, in which he threw for a career-high 383 yards and five touchdowns. When he met with teammates and friends Monday afternoon to start working out in prepapration for college, he said he wouldn't be throwing any balls; he'd just be trying to prevent any from being caught.
"I'm not a quarterback anymore,'' he said. "I'm now officially a defensive back."