[12/22/03]t’s 3:30 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, and Vicksburg High football coach Alonzo Stevens is sitting at a spare desk in the school’s fieldhouse, his head propped up on his arm and his mind fast asleep.

As a visitor walks into the office, he wakes from his nap and quickly mutters a list of colleges.

“Texas A&M, Louisiana Tech, Nebraska …,” Stevens says groggily, before coming to his senses.

It’s not hard to figure out why Stevens has the schools on his mind. Vicksburg High has been the epicenter of this recruiting season in Warren County, with nearly a dozen Gators being courted by four-year schools, and Stevens has been the middleman between college coaches and players, setting up meetings, providing film, and hosting an endless parade of coaches through the VHS fieldhouse.

“It runs me ragged,” said Stevens, who has been on both sides of the recruiting game as an assistant at Alcorn State and a coach at VHS. “I tell my coaches to be courteous and treat all of them the same. Just try to make it as cordial and as entertaining as possible for the kids, and they’ll say we’re coming back to Vicksburg.”

The early recruiting period ended on Sunday, giving Stevens and the rest of the Gator coaching staff a chance to catch their breath. In accordance with NCAA rules, no contact is allowed between coaches and recruits until after the bowl season.

Come Jan. 5, however, the process will resume in full force until February’s national signing day and the VHS fieldhouse will once again be under siege.

“You’ve got about 10 guys that can go I-A, I-AA. It’s a good group,” Stevens said of his senior class. “What I like about this group is they’ve been enjoying the education part.

“Next year’s group will be as good. There probably won’t be as many (recruits), but they’ll be good. Last year’s group didn’t take care of that too well, but they continue to get better.”

The hottest prospect at Vicksburg High is linebacker Rory Johnson. He made 80 tackles before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Warren Central, but there appears to be no lingering damage and it hasn’t scared off recruiters.

Johnson expects to run for the VHS track team this spring, and has had in-home visits from head coaches from Nebraska, LSU, Marshall, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss.

He took an on-campus visit to Southern Miss last weekend, and has other visits to Nebraska, Marshall, and Mississippi State scheduled for January.

“We’ve been busy, and I’m sure we’re going to be busy right up until he signs,” said Johnson’s mother, Rebecca.

While Johnson is the most sought-after Gator player, a slew of others are drawing plenty of attention, too:

Wide receiver Ben Shelton, who led Warren County with 38 receptions for 579 yards and six touchdowns, is awaiting an offer from Marshall. Louisiana Tech has also shown interest, Stevens said.

Mississippi State and Southern Miss are after Gator running back Maurice Taylor, who had 1,186 total yards in 2003 and is the defending Class 5A champion in the 100 meters.

Running back Michael Rainey and offensive lineman Michael Smith are being recruited by several Southwestern Athletic Conference schools, Stevens said. Rainey’s brother Antonio, a former VHS quarterback, plays at Grambling.

Defensive tackle Casey Younger, linebacker Ray Kline, defensive back William Erves, and running back A.J. Hicks are being looked at by several Division II and I-AA schools and figure to get more looks after the dead period is over.

All of the Gators will get Stevens’ help and advice through the entire recruiting process, but he said the final decision is theirs alone.

“I try to stay out of it because I’ve been a recruiter myself. If you tell a kid to go there and he’s not happy with a coach or something, he tends to fault you for it,” Stevens said. “These days you have to look past the coach when you make that decision.”

While Vicksburg High is the busiest stop this winter, the other Warren County schools also have a few players who are receiving attention from four-year schools.

Warren Central kicker Will Clark, a Class 5A All-State selection, is looking at Mississippi State but may have to walk on. Kickers often don’t receive football scholarships in their freshman year.

WC safety Jason Williams has also gotten some attention, and interest will probably pick up after the dead period, WC recruiting coordinator Brian Oakes said.

Drew Mazzanti, who was a Class 1A All-State selection at punter but also played quarterback and defensive back for St. Aloysius, has drawn interest from Delta State and Southern Miss, St. Al coach Jim Taylor said.

At Porters Chapel Academy, a pair of players may get a chance to go the small-college route. Lance Gullett, an offensive and defensive lineman, and linebacker Humphrey Barlow, The Vicksburg Post’s Defensive Player of the Year, are being recruited by Belhaven, PCA coach Bubba Mims said.