I caught wind of the video below a few days back – Miami receiver Leonard Hankerson, jacked up and working with former NFL great Mark Duper this off-season. Check it out as it’s definitely worth a watch.
Emotionally, it’s the type of video that fuels your fire while waiting on a new season to get underway. Logically, you still employ an “I’ll believe it when I see it” mentality, having been burned so many times by pre-season hype followed by regular season disappointment.
Hankerson is an enigma to me. I followed his recruitment in late 2006 while Miami was without a coach and the St. Thomas wideout was considering The U along with Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Georgia. Ranked the No. 43 wideout in the nation and No. 20 player on the Florida Hot 100.
I remember Hankerson’s performance in a crushing 45-42 double overtime loss against Lakeland in the Class 5A championship game at Dolphin Stadium back in 2006. I recall all the stories of Hankerson working with his position coach and NFL great Cris Carter, wondering if the then 6-foot-1 and 200 pound wideout would be the Canes next great.
Almost three years later we’re all still waiting.
Hankerson is gearing up for his junior season at Miami and unlike 2007, this year’s squad is loaded with hungry, talented wide receivers. If Lenny can’t cut it, back to the bench he’ll go. Two years ago the Canes really needed Hankerson. Now with NFL aspirations and two years of eligibility remaining, it’s the wideout who really needs the Canes. The rotation will be cut this year and only the best will play. Will #85 make the top three?
The knock on Hankerson is said to be his hands… which is hard to buy when Duper talks of the Miami wideout having bigger hands than him. The tools are all there, which means the issue here is between the ears. Can Hankerson turn it around mentally? Can he regain the focus that made him a high school great? Time will tell.
I’m hoping for the best, but I’m cautiously optimistic. Having ‘the drops’ entering year three of your collegiate career isn’t where you want to be. Regarding regaining his focus, Hankerson fights an uphill battle as a father of two, in a relationship. Social networking has opened new doors regarding the insight fans have into athletes’ lives and after a quick look at Hankerson’s MySpace page, you see a young man carrying a heavy burden for a 20-year old college student.
Hankerson’s headline on his page states, “If football was my job I’ll be gettin paid overtime”. Unfortunately those NFL dreams will remain just that – a dream – if Hankerson can’t turn things around on the field over the next few years. Here’s hoping this kid the best. He has the physical tools and has Duper says in the video below, he has NFL written all over him – if he can catch the ball.
LH having two kids and being in a relationship, while it is a heavy burden for a 20 year old, it should serve as ample motivation for him to improve his flaws to garner the attention of NFL scouts
ATL – A good point, but again we're talking about a 20-year old. While that SHOULD serve as motivation, sometimes you don't see the forest for the trees.
A great high school career, an opportunity at Miami and a slew of people who told you all your life that you're a superstar and will be in the League someday — sometimes that's detrimental to your outlook.
I worry for a lot of these kids that think a career in the NFL is fait accompli. Whether it was a Ryan Moore or a Tyrone Moss who broke records left and right in high school and then had a sub par college career — right down to a Leonard Hankerson.
I think a lot of these kids fail to realize that physical talent is just part of the equation. Heart, work effort and determination are even more important. Guys with the talent are a dime a dozen.
I went to Westminster and graduated back in 1992 — same year as Doug Mientkiewicz. Doug was no superstar. He has pretty decent talent, but he was a workhorse. Busted his ass. Had a batting cage in the backyard. Chased his MLB dream like it was his be all, end all. He's now in his 12th year as a pro.
Another kid on that Westminster team (besides A-Rod…) was Steve Butler. An all world athlete and pitcher. He was class of '93, wound up at Florida State with Mientkiewicz (and Mickey Lopez) and eventually flamed out big time. Lacked the focus and heart.
There are great success stories about those who make it… but there are many more about those who didn't. Leonard Hankerson needs to realize that his past accolades are meaningless and his window to impress and get to the next level is closing quickly.
Hopefully he turns it around and doesn't go the way of the last guy to sport #85 at The U.
Chris, I take your approach with the guys now – seeing is believing. Show me on Saturdays, when it counts, and then I will believe. Anything said Sunday through Friday means nothing. I like the positive vibes, dont get me wrong, but at some point production over potential has to happen. The best players have to play. Period. I hope Hankerson does step up, but time will tell.
-Columbus Canes
Thats why it was great to get this 08 class in. They are so talented and so driven they push the kids ahead of them. Without their hard work and determination, Hankerson might still not be out with DUper doing such things.
He came here and just expected to be great because of previous acheivemnts and because he was at Miami. Little did he know how hard the guys worked who paved the way for him.
Times they are a changin here at the U.
John – Seeing will be believing. I am pulling for #85… but I'm not going to get too hyped over the fact he's working with Duper. If Carter couldn't help him get his head on straight, what's to say Duper will? Scary thing watching that video is the fact he's still dropping balls in drills.
jkasse2 – Good point and that's Shannon's attitude regarding competition breeding success. Hank will either rise to the challenge or he won't. Either way, Miami will press on with our without him as the talent is finally returning. No wideouts will be going through the motions. They'll either get it done or they'll ride the pine.
Well put, 305. Theoretically this all sounds great. Current Cane working with a former NFL superstar. That being the case, let's see how it pans out. What will Duper do for him that Carter didn't do in years passed?
For Leonard's sake I hope he turns things around. The wide receiver position is loaded at Miami and he's going to find himself the odd man out if he doesn't get his you-know-what together.
I know that this is off topic but Pacificus just read that Florida Coach Urban Myer received a $750,000.00 raise. That works out to $50,000.00 for each of the twenty five Florida football players arrested since he became coach.
More Bail money please!
Pacificus's math was off. Myers raise only works out to $25,000.00 for eash arrested florda football player.
Heck, that barely covers bail, attorney fees and cour costs.
what people must understand is that some kids peek in highschool, some peek in college, and some take it to the next level and become superstars. Maybe Hankerson has played his best football already or he is a late bloomer at the college level. I think he is a late bloomer but it might be too late with some serious ballers ahead of him at reciever.
Although I have never played football for any team, when I wanted to become better at catching the ball I took the advice from a wide receiver on my high school team. He told me to keep the football with me at all times, just carrying it wherever I went in order to get my hands familiar with it. I would walk around toss it from hand to hand, practice gripping it, even spun it on my fingertips, etc. This helped my fingers/brain to recognize the football once it touched my hand and now i am pretty damn good at catching.
Also, I read in a magazine some years ago that a high school coach somewhere in GA would have his players stand inside a dark shed with limited room(about the size of a port-a-potty. The coach would close the door and have the player stand in the dark. Next he would have someone open the door very suddenly. Then another person would point a water hose at him and spraying it,and while all this is going on a football is being thrown at him. That drill was inteded to make the receiver concentrate solely on catching the ball. Sounds a little extreme but maybe LH would benefit from such an activity, although it may be frowned upon and seen as torture.
AllCanes, you did it again, I love it brother, this is why I come to you for whats going on. This morning I went on Herald.com to the sports session and what do I find, some crap about FSwho beefing up there O-line and another story about the Gaytors throwing more money at good o'lboy Urban. Man this is Miami, this is Hurricane Country, I dont wanna read any of the bulls*#t. All I care about is the U, and I wanna know whats going on at the U, I come here. So thank you.
Go Canes!!!
I BLEED ORANGE AND GREEN
PAY MY BOY SHANNON HIS MONEY!!!
Pacificus…go back to France. Why don't you worry about The U finishing ranked instead of worrying about a team in another conference? This is supposed to be a Canes page…not a bash other teams page. It's people like you that ruin this page for the rest of us.
Lol! Yeahh he is still droppin those balls though. But maybe if he…nahh he does drop balls. Im hoping that he can break out this year! But I thought last year was gonna be his year.
((ZarOkoN))
bzcanes
I also wish 85 the best.
I didn't know some of the info about him coming out of high school, but with that said I think the past 2 years are just more disappointing.
He gets open, he makes some outstanding catches, and then he breaks your heart on 3rd and 4 with a drop.
I've seen it for 2 years, and in my mind—to this point….I'd rather see AJ, Laron, Benjamin, Collier, or DJ catching the rock.
I do like to see the extra work, but I think Allcanes hit this nail on the head. It's not a physical thing….it's completely mental.
I haven't seen many WRs "get it" after 2 years. You either got it…or ya don't.
Regardless—whoever the best 4 WRs are at the end of camp—-they'll probably be the best group we've seen at the U in a long long time. So while I'd like to see Hank step up…..at the same time…I'm ready for the new an improved young guns to take us back to an elite level.
If a few established/older guys get left behind..so be it.
We've nearly weeded out all the Coker busts. Either become a 1st day pick—or get the hell out of the way.
We now have to depth where we don't have to wait 2 years to see if someone will pan out or not.
Once we have that across the board—at all positions. Then we won't have to watch any preseason tapes about POTENTIAL.
To 11:33
Why would Pacificus go back to France. My name sake, Alexander Hamilton was a Anglophile. You have Pacificus confused with Jefferson.
That being said, apparently you have not been around as long as Pacificus. Durring the 80's and
90's other teams fans , including the Gators, and the media constantly maligned the Canes as covicts or worse. Today's Gators have more arrests to their credit than we did in the day and yet they get a pass. Why?
By the way, Pacificus is not a bit worried about the Canes being ranked. We will be!
Maybe you should go to a Gator site and commiserate with them.
Lenoard definetly has the size to play at the next level and he even has the abliity to bulk up more on that size.
After watching all the workout videos of him and Marc Duper he shows to me in the video a great amount of improvement. He shows confindence in where the ball is with his eyes and catches the balls fluenty.
But with all these great things being said the big test starts September 7, 2009 in Tallahasse florida. But I believe he will example everything he has been doing this summer and it will all transition for the good.