Louisville’s David Haynes is going to play college football. The question is just what position Haynes will play.
Haynes enters his senior year at Louisville after a big summer where he has emerged as one of the Wildcats top playmakers, making him the latest addition’s to the Winston County Journal’s Eleven To Watch for 2019.
Already named to the Winston County Journal list are Kristian Hopkins and Jy’Kevious Hibbler of Louisville; Raheem Hathorn and Kyler Carter of Noxapater; Jody McCorkle and Josh McGinnis of Winston Academy; and Shia Moore of Nanih Waiya
First-year Louisville head coach Tyrone Shorter has been impressed with Haynes.
“He’s a big kid, explosive and uses his body really well,” Shorter said. “He has made some crazy plays during 7 on 7 this summer. He is a good kid and a good leader. We are going to play David on both sides of the football and he’s that kind of player.”
New offensive coordinator Dillon Mitchell also likes what he has seen out of Haynes so far.
“He is a playmaker, that’s for sure,” Mitchell said. “He is a big, physical, athletic kid. We are looking for him to be a vertical threat that can go up and get the football. And also, just get him the football in the short game. Secondary players at the high school level don’t really like to tackle and he’s a force out there. He’s not a lot of fun to tackle. He’s about 190 pounds and a big kid. We just have to get him the football and let him make plays for us. He’s going to get his targets every week.”
Haynes is a prototypical on-the-ball receiver as he stands at 6-foot-2, weighs 200 pounds and runs a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Last year, Haynes was second on the team in receiver yardage with 402 yards on 18 catches with five touchdowns. And with senior Niselbyion Kirk, who is 6-3 and 190 pounds and had 30 catches last year, opposing defenses can’t double team Haynes.
“He’s going to have a huge role in our offense,” Shorter said. “We can isolate him and do a lot of things with him. He’s a big, huge target. He did really well in the spring game, had five or six catches for about 100 yards. We plan on using him a lot in different positions. We have been moving him around on offense, putting him in the slot because people are going to start trying to double him. We want to get him used to playing the slot. He’s going to play a big part of what we are going to do on offense. We have another big receiver so we are excited about our receiving corp. We are going to get the football to him.”
Shorter, who is an admitted defensive coach, said Haynes will see time on both sides of the football.
“He’s one of the few kids that can give you full minutes on offense and can give you minutes at safety,” Shorter said. “A lot of college coaches are interested in him at safety because he is a big physical kid. I just like everything about him. He has come to practice every single day and he has worked hard. He knows what’s it going to take.”
Shorter said he thinks Haynes could end up playing safety in college.
“I think he likes receiver a little bit better but I think he can be a really great free safety at the next level,” Shorter said. “That’s the reason you give a kid the opportunity to play on both sides because you never know. I believe if you have a stud kid, you let him play offense and defense. You are trying to win and do what’s best for these kids. I”m a little biased because I’m a defensive guy and I want my best guys on defense. I like him at both positions and will use him at both sides of the football. It depends on our scheme and who we are playing as to how much we use him on defense.”
So far, Haynes has just one Division I offer and that’s from Austin Peay and Winston County native Mark Hudspeth. He also has several junior college offers already from Coahoma, East Mississippi, Hinds and Copiah-Lincoln.
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do,” Haynes said. “Austin Peay is my only Division I offer and if that’s the only one I get, that’s where I’ll go. They have offered me as a receiver and that’s what I like the best. Several of the junior colleges have offered me. Co-Lin has shown the most interest. They have been here the most and talked to me the most.”
Shorter said Haynes will be a December graduate and has already made an 18 on the ACT and is a qualifier. Shorter said he thinks it’s a matter of time before more offers come.
“We are taking him to different camps over the summer,” Shorter said. “A lot of teams are really looking and evaluating him. I think before the end of the season that he will get a lot more offers. A lot of schools are looking at him but haven’t pulled the trigger on him. A lot of scouts are trying to figure out if he’s a receiver or a safety. He hasn’t gotten a lot of defensive work. So he needs some film on the defensive side and we plan on getting him a lot of film. I think he is a tremendous football player and a great kid.”
With a new head coach and new offensive coordinator, Haynes said he hasn’t had any troubles picking up the offense.
“I thought last year’s offense was complicated but this offense is a lot simpler,” Haynes said. “I think I will get targeted a lot more this year. I think I can get 1,000 yards this season, that’s my goal. I’m supposed to be a playmaker for this team. I like to make play. I like to catch balls and run with it. I think I catch the ball pretty well and can shake and dodge defenders.”
Mitchell said the summer started slow for the Wildcats on offense but it started to catch a gear, even without quarterback Dre’ Shumaker who has been hurt this summer.
“David is going to get his targets every week,” Mitchell said. “We started a little slow this summer in 7 on 7 but I expected that. Our quarterback is hurt and it’s a new offense so I sort of suspected that. We played really well in the Mississippi State camp and lost to Starkville in the semifinals. But David has had a good summer and will only get better.”
