Warrick has drive, athleticism to overcome injury

By Gabriel Baumgaertner, SI.com

In a big district in one of the U.S.'s largest cities, you could probably hear every coach sigh with some relief when they learned Cypress Falls receiver Jacorey Warrick was out for the rest of the regular season. The sigh comes from the temporary loss of one of Houston's elite athletes; the relief is that those coaches may sleep a few extra hours when Cypress Falls is on the schedule.

It can be challenging to distinguish oneself in Houston, but Warrick did so long ago with skills, athleticism and a football IQ that could make him the talk of the Orangebloods during his time in Austin. But first, he needs to prove his resilience by properly healing from a season-ending meniscus tear.

Warrick becomes the second major receiving prospect in Texas to succumb to a knee injury this season (Sealy's Ricky Seals-Jones suffered a similar knee injury earlier in the year), but the excitement surrounding his future has not wavered. Warrick is committed to play for Mack Brown and Texas next year and the two sides aren't parting because of a minor knee injury.

The injury is hardly a significant detail to Cypress Falls head coach Kirk Eaton. Coaches naturally love their star players, but Eaton's appreciation for Warrick is discernably heartfelt even through the telephone. He can wax poetic about Warrick while seldom pausing for breath, but by the end, his description is rather simple.

"You just can't teach what he does," Eaton says after a brief sermon about Warrick's abilities and character. "He was blessed by God with some incredible gifts."

Thus the injury, a "bucket handle" meniscus tear, is significant, but not something Eaton feels is capable of derailing Jacorey over the long-term. The tear requires a suturing instead of a shaving (as is common in degenerative meniscus injuries), thus Warrick must limit his activity on his knee of several weeks. Unfortunately for Warrick, this means he will likely miss the rest of the season.

But that doesn't mean he's staying off of the field itself.

"Heck, he was out there at practice helping coach just a couple days before his surgery," Eaton says. "He just has such tremendous character. It's very rare you get a kid with this kind of talent with such a great attitude."

Once Warrick heals, he will probably line up as a slot receiver when he arrives in Austin. Standing five-feet-10, he has shown his abilities to run deep routes and go up to catch passes, but Warrick's lateral quickness and footwork are mesmerizing. Despite being a bit undersized, Warrick bursts on slant routes, can seamlessly change direction, and is completely elusive in the open field.

"Heck, if Jacorey were any bigger, he'd be plain scary," Eaton says. "He is just such a versatile threat. We have lined him up at quarterback in Wildcat formations, we have lined him up in the slot as a receiver. He's had at least five touchdowns after catching the ball at the line of scrimmage. He'll catch it and and run 60, 70, 80 yards easily. It's just amazing."

Rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and a member of the Rivals250, Warrick fielded offers from all over the country before committing to the Longhorns.

With a little bit of rehab and the sunny attitude he exudes (just check out his highly positive Twitter feed), Warrick could give Mack Brown an exceptional receiving threat soon.

And as for the knee? It's merely a bump in the road.