Green tries hand at WR

Northwest Rankin (Miss.) junior Nigel Green made his presence felt often in the defensive secondary last fall. Looking ahead to his final prep campaign, the 6-foot-1 and 165-pound defensive back expects to display his talents on the other side of the ball as well.

"I played safety and corner last year," said Green, who tallied 89 tackles, 12 PBUs and two interceptions last year. "We have started spring ball and this year I am going to be playing some receiver, too, and my coaches want me to play on both sides. I believe it will be a good thing because I love having the ball in my hands and it is another way for me to help out my team.

"I love playing safety but it will be fun being on offense, too. But the thing is, your name may not be called on certain plays on offense but at safety you are in the action all the time."

With his defensive skills, Green said he is drawing interest from in-state programs as well as schools from neighboring states.

"I have seen Southern Miss, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech stop by this spring," said Green. "Louisiana Tech also stopped by practice and Oklahoma also came down to watch practice and Memphis is coming by, too. I would say Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech are showing me the most interest right now and Ole Miss has been sending me a lot of letters."

Green also attended a few juniors days earlier this spring and noted of those experiences.

"I went to Ole Miss' junior day and it was great," said Green. "They showed me a lot of interest and explained how their defense works and their style of play. I also went to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech and then I went to Mississippi State's junior day.

"I have talked with Coach (Greg) Knox from Mississippi State and the first time I went to Mississippi State I loved it. Their stadium and field are huge and they have a great campus, too. I like how they build up their players and all their players are big and fast with theor good workout routines."

This summer, Green said he is scheduling some return visits to those schools showing interest and hopes to maintain their interest with his camp showings.

"I am trying to go to all the in-state senior camps," said Green. "I know it will be a busy summer and I am just trying to get my name out there. I will also probably go to Louisiana Tech, LSU and we are going as a team to Alabama's 7-on-7 camp."