The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

MAVIN Saunders left the Bahamas to pursue a career based on his basketball prowess, but after just a single season of football, he has become one of the most sought after prospects on the gridiron for the class of 2014 in the state of Texas.

Heading into his senior season, Saunders said he is nearing a final decision on which sport to pursue, but is leaning heavily toward giving up basketball and pursuing football full-time.

“I didn’t play basketball at my school this year, just AAU ball, but I still love the game and it won’t be easy to walk away, but football has been so amazing and so many opportunities are coming every day that I’m leaning heavily on just going into football for my senior year and moving forward at the collegiate level,” Saunders said.

The 6’6”, 225-pound receiver has NCAA programmes across the country eagerly anticipating his decision.

The Bimini native currently plays for the Kinkaid Falcons in Houston, Texas. And Saunders has continued to garner interest from several elite programmes in both sports.

“I know I have a lot of catching up to do in football. Right now I’m relying on using my size and athleticism to get ahead because there are not a lot of guys my size with my skill set so I feel like I have a lot to offer. The more I learn the better I’m going to become, I’m just committed to working hard and getting better at this point,” Saunders said.

As of this week, he has received offers from Florida State, Arkansas, Houston, Illinois, Michigan State, Mississippi St, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Purdue, Texas Tech and Utah.

“The recruitment process has been crazy. It’s at the point right now where I know whenever the phone rings and it’s a strange number, it’s a new school to add to the list but I’m taking it all in stride,” he said. “I know I’m blessed to be in this position and I’m grateful for God giving me the talent to be able to pursue my dreams.”

With a decision expected to come at some point during his senior season, Saunders has narrowed his list to Florida State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Michigan State.

As one of the most imposing wide receivers on the field for the Falcons, Saunders helped the team to an 8-3 record and a playoff run in the Southwest Prep Conference. He totalled 40 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns in his first season.

His average of 12.63 yards per catch finished second on the team. Saunders’ top performance came in a 66-7 blowout win over St Andrew’s (Houston, Texas) when he caught four passes for 74 yards and three touchdowns.

Other major games included nine catches, 67 yards and a touchdown against S Pius X, five catches for 72 yards against Kelly Catholic (Beaumont, Texas) and six catches for 83 yards against Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas).

On the basketball court, Saunders has already garnered the attention of major Division I NCAA programmes, including perennial Big East title contender, the Connecticut Huskies, the USC Trojans and Auburn Tigers.

In his sophomore season, Saunders averaged 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He led the Falcons to a 21-10 record, 6-2 in the league and ranked 110 in the state of Texas.

Saunders moved to Houston before his freshman year of high school after playing locally for the TA Thompson Scorpions and helped the Falcons finish fifth in the Southwest Preparatory Conference last season and plays AAU with the Franchize All-Stars.