Recruiting Report: De’Leon Gardner (2020)
It’s always easy to talk about the victors and the successes of prep football. Football always seems like the greatest thing in the world reading the Saturday morning paper filled with scores and pictures of the Metro’s biggest matchup that…
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Continue ReadingIt’s always easy to talk about the victors and the successes of prep football. Football always seems like the greatest thing in the world reading the Saturday morning paper filled with scores and pictures of the Metro’s biggest matchup that week. Things like competing for a state championship, not having to worry about having enough players on your roster, or booster money to feed the team after games are things that people take for granted when reading recaps of some of Minnesota’s biggest schools. What usually goes unnoticed is the hard work and dedication of the state’s smaller programs, whose rosters are filled with kids playing for the pure joy of it, and whose path to success and glory comes with a lot more obstacles. De’Leon Gardner (6’2, 170) is one of these players. Knowing that his name most likely will not show up on the front page of the StarTribune the next morning, or his hard work even appreciated by his own peers, Gardner still grinds and has turned himself into a college worthy football player whose love for football and athletic gifts can no doubt help an NCAA or NAIA college team.
Originally from Chicago, Gardner and his family moved North up the 90 when he was 5 or 6 years old. It was soon after that the genesis of his love for football began, as the now Minneapolis Patrick Henry stud was the first person in his family to play football at any level. Finding success throughout park board football in Minneapolis at Fairview, Gardner told Northstar Football News in an interview that he loved the team aspect of the game and all the things that bring the team together. It’s a good thing to love about the game, as Patrick Henry needs players like Gardner as they attempt to build on their 2018 season.
Credit: De’Leon GardnerGardner told me that some highlights of last year included “guys not quitting and coming back to practices after bad blowouts in front of family and friends. Some team highlights I can think of were out last couple of games where we came out very strong against very good teams.” Unfortunately, Gardner also said that some lowlights included “walking in the school on Monday hearing people say ‘the team sucks’ or ‘that’s why I’m not playing”…it was almost like peer pressure to quit.” Gardner has faced a lot of the worst aspects of prep football, and yet the 2020 ATH who finished with 28 catches for almost 400 yards last year continues to put his all into the game. With a lot of room to grow and the athleticism already present, these obstacles he has already succeeded in would make him a great addition to a college football team.
Already gaining their first victory in over two years a couple weeks ago, Henry is already improving with the help of Gardner. He stated that this offseason consisted of working “on strength and stamina, like running hills, hitting the weights as much as possible, and working on my hands. Last year (I had) 1-3 drops and this year I wanted zero so I caught bricks/tennis balls and had sand workouts. I just tried to get better every workouts and that was with friends and solo I had the same mindset.” This hard work has served him well, as Gardner has already been having a prolific season for Henry. His three-game highlight shows him mossing DB’s and whacking receivers on defense. He also returns kicks and punts for the Patriots, and is an instinctual football player in all three facets of the game. He told me that what he’s looking for in a college team is “a family somewhere I can go learn and grow as a person. Honestly, I want to go somewhere I know that I have a chance to chase my dream realistically, so all options are open to me. Me coming in as a freshman again I want to come in and bring my spirit, grind, and I want to be competitive at the position I’m at. Right now I’m interested in Bemidji, Mankato, U of Mary, and I have some D3 schools I’m looking at as well.” He also told me that he’s also looking for a school that will give him their honest opinion and push him to be better in the classroom. I believe some schools at all levels should talk to Gardner himself and let him spring that spirit to their campus, he wants to be great.
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