4-Star WR Emmanuel Greene Gives Latest on His Recruitment After Breakout Game
Racing up and down a football field more than 1,000 miles away from home, Emmanuel Greene never looked more comfortable in his new surroundings than he did Saturday afternoon.
The electric wide receiver tallied 210 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in his fourth regular-season game with Florida heavyweight IMG Academy, helping the Ascenders secure a 59-47 win at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey.
"This was the breakout game I've been looking for," Greene told Bleacher Report afterward.
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The 4-star prospect, considered a top-25 talent at his position in the 2017 composite rankings, caught three passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns, adding another score as kick returner. He flashed tremendous explosiveness, twice taking it to the house from at least 70 yards out.
"I'm just learning to be patient and capitalize on opportunities when they come to me. In this game, I had an opportunity to be great," Greene said.
The transition into a new offensive attack is rarely smooth, and that's the challenge that faced Greene his summer. He spent the past two seasons at Coconut Creek High School, making an immediate impact with 54 receptions and seven scores as a freshman, per MaxPreps.
Greene was relatively contained during his initial stretch at IMG, collecting five total receptions for 60 yards in the team's first three victories. His progress coincides with mounting momentum for a group of playmakers that measures up against any in America.
"We want to be recognized as the nation's best offense this year and we're starting to come together," he said. "We have two dynamic running backs, an awful lot of receivers and the top tight end in the country with a quarterback who knows how to spread the ball. If opponents want to look at us as the bad boys, we're going to be the bad boys."
His quarterback, 5-star Ole Miss commit Shea Patterson, lauded IMG's new weapon after the latest effort.
"Mannie came up big for us all day. He went off," Patterson said. "I hadn't really thrown to him too much before but opportunities came up and he got on a roll. Our chemistry is definitely improving, so I think we all expect big things the rest of this season."
Expectations have been immense for Greene since the earliest stages of high school action. It didn't take long for collegiate coaching staffs to take notice, as he claimed more than 15 scholarship offers by the end of his sophomore year.
"This recruiting process is hard. It's long. I'm a young guy and this is the hardest decision of my life so far," Greene said. "I'm taking it day by day, trying to do what's best for my family. I'm wide-open, but there are programs recruiting me extra hard. They're doing their job."
Following a series of campus visits in past months, Greene now aims to attend a few college games this season. He's eyeing a pair of pivotal conference showdowns slated to take place in October.
Greene hopes to make it to Miami's Oct. 24 matchup against Clemson. A week earlier, he has Ohio State circled as a potential destination when the defending national champions welcome Penn State to town.
The Hurricanes look strong among in-state options at this stage, as Greene highlighted his "great bond" with wide receivers coach Kevin Beard as a key cause for excitement.
Along with Ohio State and Miami, he mentioned West Virginia, Louisville and UCLA as strong contenders who continue to pursue him with significant urgency.
"Those schools are going at the throat right now. They're trying to do anything and everything they can to get me," Greene said.
The Bruins, in particular, have piqued his interest this season. He's been impressed by a strong start from heralded 2015 quarterback recruit Josh Rosen and plans to visit Los Angeles sometime down the line.
"Coach Yarbs [UCLA wide receivers coach Eric Yarber] is a great guy. We probably talk about twice a week and those conversations are about life, football and the future," Greene said. "He does a really good job putting receivers in position to play in the NFL and that's what it's all about."
Greene's ambitions to play professionally help motivate him at IMG, and that desire should become further enhanced when he reaches the next phase of a promising career. For now, he's in no rush to decide where the journey will continue.
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