News Sentinel Top 10 in Tennessee, No. 6: Eric Gordon of Hillsboro

No one has ever said Eric Gordon lacks confidence.

"Playmaker. Explosive," the News Sentinel's sixth-best football prospect in the state said when asked to describe his game.

Gordon's statistics back up his talk. He caught 41 passes for 816 yards at receiver and registered 77 tackles and three interceptions playing cornerback for Hillsboro High School in Nashville. That, Gordon said, is just the beginning.

"Honestly, I can turn my hips and get out and run but my technique isn't good," the 5-foot-11, 189-pounder said of his defensive back skills. "With some technique, I can be great. It just always came naturally to me."

Gordon is being recruited by several schools - such as Alabama, Miami, South Florida, Tennessee and Texas - to play a number of positions.

"Most are recruiting me to return punts, defensive back and wide receiver," Gordon said.

Defensive back and punt returner are Gordon's two favorite positions. Returning punts always has had a certain allure.

"It's the best part of the game to me," Gordon said. "It's all me. I can set guys up to get a kill shot on another guy. It's just fun."

Gordon isn't too bad returning kickoffs, either. He had two attempts last season, taking one to the end zone and the other to midfield.

"I take it to the house," Gordon said.

The question is, which house will Gordon be taking his game to?

"Man, I'm wide open," he said. "This is a big decision. It's probably the biggest decision I'll ever make. I'm going to take it serious."

So serious in fact that a quick, pre-fall decision seems next to impossible. That means whichever schools want to land Gordon need to be in it for the long haul.

"I've got to see what they've got to offer," Gordon said. "One school might have what another one doesn't . . . I want to get all the details right and make sure I'm going to be able to play."

Therein lies the key factor: playing time. "It's the most important thing," Gordon said.

Gordon said he probably will take all five of his NCAA-allotted official visits this fall. His "wide open" status has coaches and fans alike wondering where he might be leaning. Two schools seem to have cemented a strong, albeit early, standing.

Gordon attended a football camp at Alabama and visited UT shortly after the Vols' football camp in June. Does that mean the Tide and Vols are secret leaders?

"They're the closest schools," Gordon said. "I can drive that in no time."

Alabama's coaches have already made an impression, led by head coach Nick Saban.

"I definitely think they are great coaches, being in the (National Football) League all those years," Gordon said.

Coaches recruiting against Alabama will surely bring up the Tide's recent off-field issues, which include double-digit brushes with the law in the past year. Gordon said he's not concerned.

"That isn't a problem," he said. "You can get in trouble anywhere."

As for UT, Gordon said, "Another big school. Being in state gives them a little boost."

Maybe that will give UT's coaches some confidence - yet hardly enough to rival Gordon's.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!