Josh Imatorbhebhe, a wide receiver from North Gwinnett High, has been wowing college coaches since his sophomore year.
He is the one who got away, choosing to sign with USC and enrolling early.
Three things to know about Imatorbhebhe:
1. A giant leap: The Trojans beat out Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Stanford, Alabama and Ohio State for the gifted Imatorbhebhe. At an offseason workout at North Gwinnett, players started pointing to a pencil that was stuck high on the fieldhouse ceiling. With a recruiter looking on, Imatorbhebhe jumped and pulled the pencil out of the ceiling.
“It just displayed his incredible vertical jump ability, which turned out to be 46 inches at ‘The Opening’ in Oregon,” North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire. “When it happened, that coach turned to me and said, ‘Coach, I have seen enough already. Tell that young man he has a scholarship offer from our school. That was his sophomore year.”
2. Made for Hollywood: In Hollywood fashion, he announced his commitment to the Trojans with a professional-produced trailer on Bleacher Report.com. "Here I come LA. Fight On," the video concludes. He is enrolled and attending classes at USC.
3. More to come: Imatobhebhe caught 31 passes for 452 yards with three touchdowns his senior season and has only begun to realize his potential, Sphire said.
“From an ability standpoint, Josh was able to take the simplest routes and turn them into big plays,” Sphire said. “A lot TDs were simple hitch routes where after the catch he would make a defender miss and then turn it into a long run or big play. He is still learning the game as a receiver when it comes to spacing on routes because he did not play football growing up. But one-on-one or on jump-ball, 50/50 plays, he had such athleticism that the potential for an explosive play was always there.”
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