Eric had offers on the table from Florida, <!--Default For Miami is to ignore-->Miami, <!--Default For Michigan is to ignore-->Michigan, <!--Default For Tennessee is to ignore-->Tennessee, <!--Default For Clemson is to ignore-->Clemson, <!--Default For Virginia Tech is to ignore-->Virginia Tech and Miami, but decided to end the recruiting early.
Huggins gives verbal to Sooners
By Keith Pompey
The Sun News
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'I'm trying to go somewhere where I know I can make it to the next level.'
Eric Huggins
CONWAY - Eric Huggins didn't keep his admiration for Oklahoma's football program a secret.
The Conway High rising senior wideout has a plate with red OU letters on the front bumper of his black 1999 Dodge Durango.
After former Conway standout Allen Patrick, who's at Independence (Kan.) Community College, committed to the Sooners earlier this month, Huggins smiled at the thought of playing major-college ball with his good friend.
Huggins always said Oklahoma was his No. 1 choice with Clemson a close second.
On Thursday night, with his senior season still more than three months away, the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder went with his No. 1 choice and called Oklahoma coaches to tell them he'd be a Sooner.
Why rush with the verbal commitment?
"At Oklahoma they have an 'X' receiver," he said. "I'm an 'X' receiver and [Oklahoma is recruiting] three others. Whoever committed was going to be the one that was going to go there. And they are having a camp this weekend or next weekend. The other 'X' receivers are going there. They could easily commit right then and there. So that's why I went ahead and committed so nobody else could beat me to the spot."
Utilizing his height and 4.5 speed, Huggins had arguably the best single-season receiving performance in Conway history last season.
His 14 touchdown receptions and 932 receiving yards were school records. Huggins' 51 catches were one shy of Jeff Hemingway's school record.
Rivals.com ranks Huggins as the state's No. 3 prospect regardless of position. The recruiting Web site also lists him among the country's top 100 players. Huggins is also listed as one of the top 100 players to watch by Tom Lemming, a well-known recruiting analyst.
Oklahoma "feels like Eric might be the premier guy," Conway receivers coach Tyler Palisin said. "So this is going to give Eric a chance to go off and start a new situation and kind of be his own person. And you know we will all be able to follow him, watching him on Saturdays at 3:30 [p.m.]. We can watch Clemson and South Carolina at [1 p.m.] and then watch him."
Like many touted players who commit to schools from outside their home states, Huggins has heard comments from people who question his interest in Oklahoma.
"I don't really care what people think ...," Huggins said. "I'm trying to go somewhere where I know I can make it to the next level. Clemson is not a bad school, because they were my second choice. I was going to pick them if I didn't go to Oklahoma. But I'm saying, I wanted to go to Oklahoma."
So far, Huggins doesn't have a high enough SAT or ACT score for freshman eligibility in college. He is scheduled to retake the SAT in two weeks and plans to retake the ACT in the near future.
However, Palisin said Huggins has a 3.1 grade point average.
"That kind of balances things out," Palisin said.
If Huggins improves his college boards, he may get a chance to contribute as a true freshman.
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