A trio of Chattanooga-area prep football stars who are on the rise as college prospects have earned a Prime Time weekend.
Brainerd athlete Boo Carter, Bradley Central defensive back Marcus Goree Jr. and Red Bank running back Daune Morris — along with their families — will make an official visit to the University of Colorado this weekend.
The group's flight to Denver left early Friday morning, and they are scheduled to return home Sunday evening. All three recently received official offers from new Buffaloes coach Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, who wanted a face-to-face meeting to make his recruiting pitch on why they should commit to his Pac-12 program.
AP photo by David Zalubowski / Deion Sanders speaks after being introduced as the head football coach at the University of Colorado during a news conference in Boulder on Dec. 4, 2022."It's monumental," Brainerd coach Martels Carter said. "Everyone is following what Coach Prime is doing right now. He's the top name in recruiting, the hottest coach out there for a lot of the kids, so for him to have offered those kids speaks volumes for their talent level."
Both Carter and Goree currently have Tennessee listed among their favorites, and most recruiting websites have those two projected as likely commitments to the Volunteers, although each has scholarship offers from more than 30 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
One week ago, Sanders flipped five-star prospect Cormani McClain, who had been committed to Miami since October. McClain is from Lakeland, Florida, and is ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2024 class by 247Sports.com.
Boo Carter is a consensus four-star prospect who compiled 1,478 offensive yards and 28 touchdowns and had four interceptions on defense during his junior season last fall at Chattanooga Christian School before transferring to Brainerd. In December, the 6-foot, 185-pounder narrowed his list of college programs to five: Colorado, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Tennessee.
Goree (6-1, 175), a three-star cornerback in the class of 2024, has offers from Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt among others. Last season he had 11 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Bradley Central's Marcus Goree Jr. runs for a touchdown after a catch during a home game against Walker Valley on Aug. 26, 2022.Morris (5-10, 180), a class of 2025 athlete who projects to be a running back at the collegiate level, has picked up offers recently from Charlotte, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt among others.
"Every coach I've talked to have said that Daune's talent just jumps off the film at them real quick," Red Bank coach Ted Gatewood said. "He's got that extra gear that's just really unique, and that's what makes him so special.
"Daune's excited to get to go visit Colorado and especially to go with guys he already knows from home. I'm anxious to hear what he thought about it when he gets back home."
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Red Bank's Daune Morris (17) celebrates his touchdown with Jaden Baccus during a home game against Cleveland on Aug. 19, 2022.Baylor receivers Amari Jefferson and Max LeBlanc and Brainerd sophomore defensive back Martels Carter Jr. also have offers from Colorado, giving the Chattanooga area six players with interest from "Coach Prime," the former Florida State and NFL cornerback who won two Super Bowls and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the College Football Hall of Fame.
"The coaches I've talked to all like the energy of these Chattanooga kids," Coach Carter said. "They talk about the way they play and make others around them better. This is a different group of athletes from our area than we've ever seen, and having programs like Coach Prime's wanting them says a lot.
"Kids all around are loving what Coach Prime is selling, and especially if you're a defensive back and he wants you, you're going to respond to him and go hear what he has to say."
Rather than joining the area group headed to Boulder, Coach Carter and his son, Martels Jr., will make an official visit to West Virginia this weekend, along with Chattanooga Christian junior receiver A.J. Wallace.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.
Updated with more information at 5:25 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2023.