Jermaine Veu, Part of the Freshman Duo That Will Make Noise at Lawton Ike
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Marshall Levenson and I had the pleasure of talking to cousins from Lawton that we believe will be making a name for themselves at one-time Oklahoma high school powerhouse Lawton Eisenhower. The Eagles are picked sixth in District 5A-2 for this season, but head coach Eric Gibson surely knows by now that he has a big surprise coming for opponents. Marshall Levenson spoke to Kingston Tito, while I interviewed Jermain Veu, but the two Lawton natives that are Samoan by blood and culture both look ready to play. The pair dominated in middle school and both live by their cultural beliefs of family first and always and always compete like a warrior.
Aso Pogi, the former Oklahoma State quarterback and long-time high school coach, is related to both young men and has known them and followed them as they have grown up.
"They are really good kids, but they are also not afraid to step out and compete," Pogi said. "That is why I wanted them at the i4Football camp, so they could see what they will be up against."
If the way they performed at the camp is any indication then they will step in and only move up. They will not play like typical freshmen. You could see during the camp that they pay attention, quickly learn, and are not afraid of going against top competition. In fact, they really seek it out.
Both move well as Veu had a 5.1 in the forty and he will get faster, remember he is just a freshman. He was directed to do the 185-pound rep on the bench press test and he did it eight times. He also had a 4.94 in the 5-10-5 shuttle and I'm not sure he had done one before. It looked new to him. I believe he is faster on his change of direction than that and it showed up in drills later.
"I got the love for football when I was, like, seven," Veu told me when I asked how much he liked football. "I just got the lover for it when I started playing and I've always loved it."
Both Tito and Veu play offensive tackle and defensive end, so they could end up being book ends or opposite tackles on offense. Honestly, I prefer both of them on defense and might want to look at both of them for the tight end position on offense. You could make them a hybrid blocker, ball carrier, receiver because I think they are and will continue to be athletic enough.
Asked about the future, Veu didn't mince words.
"Yes, I want to play college football," he said.
Asked if he has a favorite?
"A school that will give me a scholarship to play D-1 football," was Veu's answer.
Both players are raw, but way ahead of the curve for most freshmen football players. I will predict they stay way ahead of the curve throughout their time at Lawton Ike and they will attract plenty of recruiters to see the Eagles in the future.
