Photo by Elijah Bradley

By Elijah Bradley, Staff Writer

The transfer portal has made high school football recruiting more competitive as colleges now prioritize experienced players from other four year universities and community colleges over high school athletes. Freshman wide receiver Devyn Jackson and tight-end Kameron Gates are among the select few high school recruits who have earned the chance to continue their football journey at Morehouse College.

The pressure of the transfer portal puts high school players in desperate need to showcase their skills earlier to stand out against seasoned college transfers. Despite the negative impact of the transfer portal on high school athletes, some are still finding opportunities to advance their athletic careers at the collegiate level. 

Gates is very excited that he still has the opportunity to compete at the next level, he commented in a recent interview. 

“Honestly I feel blessed that someone took the opportunity to truly want to take me, especially because a-lot of opportunities were taken away coming out of high school because of the transfer portal.”  

Gates attended King Drew Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles, CA, where he was a standout athlete. Meanwhile, Jackson also attended school in Los Angeles, playing at Birmingham High School. Head football coach Terance Mathis recruited both athletes during their high school careers. 

At King Drew, Gates earned second-team All-City honors as a senior and became the first receiver in the school’s history to gain 1,000 receiving yards. Gates scored ten touchdowns and intercepted one pass. The team named him MVP at the end of the football season, while only just starting to play football as a junior. In addition to  football, Gates also played basketball for the Golden Eagles. As a senior, he helped the boys’ basketball team win the CIF City Section Open Division Championship while earning second-team All Colosseum League honors.  

Gates has meaningful advice towards those who are coming behind him.

“I would tell those in the recruiting process to learn to truly love the game and not the idea of playing college football. Keep working hard and don’t get caught up in other people getting offers; your time will come.”

Jackson had a similar path into playing football. Devyn did not start playing football until his junior year, previously competing in basketball at Birmingham. While he only played for a short period of time, he was a starting wide receiver and helped lead his team to the CIF Open Division Regional and State Championship game. In his senior year Jackson scored the game winning touchdown to take his team to the State Championship game. Jackson finished his senior year with 26 catches, 586 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. 

Jackson takes pride in the opportunity of playing at Morehouse, he stated in a recent interview. 

“It feels amazing to still have the opportunity to play college football at Morehouse despite coaches focusing on the transfer portal, especially since I only started this sport my junior year of high school. This motivates me to work harder and show that I can stand out even with tough competition from experienced players.” 

Although both athletes are over 1,000 miles away from home, Gates and Jackson are honored to represent Los Angeles and the West Coast. 

“Being able to represent LA at Morehouse College as a student athlete is a huge honor. It gives me pride to showcase where I come from here in Atlanta while striving for excellence both on and off the field,” Jackson said.

Gates also expressed his happiness in representing his hometown.

“Being From LA and playing collegiate football already means a lot because it’s not easy and not everyone can do it. Being able to do it at Morehouse, which is one of the top HBCUs, makes it mean even more,” Gates stated. 

With the shift to a higher level of play, Gates and Jackson will need to quickly adapt to new strategies, building chemistry with teammates, and meeting the expectations of the college level. Both athletes will compete for playing time during their freshman year. 

Copy Edited by Sports Editor, Rece Allen