Football recruiting: Wellington's Larson, Dwyer's Lee, Newman's Mizell take offers

The spring season makes for quite the time to be a high school football player in Palm Beach County.

With spring jamborees kicking off the 2022-23 cycle and graduation ceremonies saying farewell to last season's senior standouts, colleges are scoping out South Florida's hidden gems and scooping them up while their programs have the chance.

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Here are some highlights from the local recruiting scene.

Larson made for Mountaineers

Thursday evening, Wellington wide receiver Reece Larson announced his official commitment to Appalachian State University.

"I can't wait to get to the facilities and start my journey," the senior said.

Despite having received looks from such schools as Louisiana State in the fall, it wouldn't be until January when Larson earned his first Division I offer.

"Starting my freshman year, I came into Wellington very small and undersized, and because of that, I wasn't looked at as a top recruit for the Class of 2022," Larson said.

Like other prospects around the nation squandered by COVID-19, Larson's recruitment was stunted even further into his junior year — the most imperative.

But the aspiring prospect made sure to hit the weight room and the field to post a breakout season despite the outbreak, continuing his momentum into the final lap of his preps career.

Larson still may not be the longest receiver around, billed at 6-feet, 180-pounds, but his 4.47-second 40-yard dash and hops produced a stat line of 25 catches for 450 yards, returning for 550 yards for 11 touchdowns in 2021.

"My senior year was my first chance to have a real season and show what I worked for," Larson said.

A busy senior spring saw Larson tour such schools as Florida State, Florida Atlantic and Charleston Southern, and one final stop last weekend — Boone, North Carolina.

It was a trip that was "different" from other visits, and for all the right reasons.

"This one felt like home," Larson said.

"Once I got there, from the welcoming coaching staff to the beautiful mountains, I knew it was a place for me. Every single coach on my visit made me feel welcomed and appreciated," Larson said, excited to join App State's "down to earth" coaching staff on June 29.

Lee bringing the edge to Wake brings more offers

Committing to Wake Forest as a junior seems to have only made recruiters want Dwyer three-star Kerrington Lee that much more.

After choosing the Demon Deacons over fellow top threes Duke and Vanderbilt on April 27, the Yellow Jackets soon caught the buzz surrounding the 6-foot-4, 231 pound edge, and Georgia Tech offered Lee the following week.

That makes 16 Power 5 offers for Lee, including Arkansas, Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky, Pitt and Virginia Tech, of 23 total.

Not bad for someone who just posted his first full season at defensive end.

Lee made a seamless transition from the offensive trenches, recording 47 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 2021 to become one of the premier rushers of this cycle and earn a No. 80 ranking on the USA Today Florida Network's pre-spring top 100.

Mizell proves strength to be a Bulldog

Another local player piling up offers can be found on former Dwyer coach and state championship winner Jack Daniels' roster at Cardinal Newman.

Sophomore Tovani Mizell is known to many as "Boogeyman" for his speed, running a 4.3-second 40, and some may know him better as the "world's strongest kid," having gone viral for doing 35 uninterrupted pushups at age 3.

Since then, the grind hasn't stopped for Mizell, who currently holds 20 offers, 12 from Power 5 programs.

"My past success in track and field has helped my recruiting, and my weightlifting success with winning districts and regionals have also brought attention," Mizell said, struggling to find his version of flighty footing this spring with a hamstring tweak.

As a freshman, Mizell already had Texas A&M, Indiana, Cincinnati, University of Alabama-Birmingham and Arkansas before transferring to Newman from Stranahan.

Earlier this month, the four-star picked up one of the biggest offers to come through the area after catching Georgia's eye, recruiting the multiposition athlete in hopes of creating a new winning culture and skirting another 41-year national championship drought.

Recruiters "love" the "versatility" displayed in Mizell's film, namely last year when he turned heads on the run as anticipated, but shocked midseason with flashy catches for the highly touted Davi Belfort before the quarterback transferred to Dillard over winter break.

On the run, Mizell had 616 yards and received for 481 yards — the longest of 76 — scoring a combined 14 touchdowns in Newman's route to Class 3A regional finals in 2021.

Mizell maintains that "it's early on" in his recruiting and he's "open" to all options, not having a "top school or favorite school," although he does have factors he's keeping at the forefront of his college search.

"The opportunity to compete for a starting position as a freshman," how coaching staffs plan to use his skill set, and a "strong" strength and conditioning program are all on Mizell's recruitment wish list.

"It's a blessing to be in this position. I'm not surprised because I've been praying for this," Mizell said.

Emilee Smarr can be reached at esmarr@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Football recruiting: Reece Larson commits to App State, Kerrington Lee picks Wake, Tovani Mizell nabs Georgia