Da'Shawn Hand
| Alabama Crimson Tide — No. -- | |
| Defensive end | HS Senior |
| Major: Undecided | |
| Date of birth: November 14, 1995 | |
| Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 248 lb (112 kg) |
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| High school: Woodbridge (VA) | |
College(s):
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Da'Shawn Hand (born November 14, 1995[1]) is an American football defensive end. He currently attends Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, Virginia. He is considered the nation's best recruit in the 2014 class by Rivals.com.[2] In 2012, he was the Rivals High School Football Junior of the Year.[3]
Early years
Hand was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fathered by Sharif Hand, who was a junior in high school when Da'Shawn was born.[4] Hand's uncle, Damone Boone, was a Parade All-American running back at West Springfield in Virginia in the mid-1990s.[5][6] After moving to Woodbridge, Virginia, Hand attended Woodbridge High School, where he was an All-State defensive lineman. In his junior year, Hand recorded 110 tackles, 16 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Woodbridge finished the season 6–5, losing 0–17 to Haymarket Battlefield in the first round of the VHSL playoffs.
After his junior year, Hand was named Rivals.com Junior of the Year, an honor that comes along with being rated the No. 1 prospect of one's class entering senior season. Media attention steadily increased, and the Washington Post decided to make Hand the subject of a documentary series named “First and 17,” which follows him both on and off the field, “giving an inside look at the challenges facing a top recruit juggling school, football and his senior year.”[7] On September 21, 2013, one of Hand's teammates, Kenny Diaz, a reserve linebacker, was fatally stabbed in Marumsco Acre Lake Park in Woodbridge.[8]
With over 90 scholarship offers, Hand narrowed down his choice of college destination to three—Alabama, Florida, and Michigan—before the start of his senior season.[1] On November 14, 2013, his eighteenth birthday, he committed to attend the University of Alabama.[9][10] Eyeing a civil engineering major, Hand cited Alabama's civil engineering program as one of the key reasons he decided to choose the Crimson Tide.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheinin, Dave (August 23, 2013). "Da’Shawn Hand: A vaunted college football recruit with a hefty decision on his mind". Washington Post.
- ↑ 'Shawn-Hand-125889 Da'Shawn Hand. Rivals.yahoo.com (2011-04-20). Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
- ↑ Friedman, Adam (February 4, 2013) Junior of the Year: Da'Shawn Hand. Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-19.
- ↑ Williams, Preston (October 18, 2012). "Da’Shawn Hand of Woodbridge: The recruit who cares as much about academics as the gridiron". Washington Post.
- ↑ "Much-sought running back Boone signs with Maryland: D.C.-area star accents '96 recruiting successes". Baltimore Sun. February 8, 1996.
- ↑ "Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand has good grip on future". USA Today.
- ↑ "About First and 17". Washington Post. September 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Woodbridge senior football player Kenny Diaz fatally stabbed in park". Washington Post. September 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Woodbridge DE Da’Shawn Hand commits to Alabama". Washington Post. November 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Da'Shawn Hand, No. 6 prospect in ESPN 300, commits to Alabama Crimson Tide". ESPN. November 14, 2013.
- ↑ "Alabama took unique approach in recruitment of Da'Shawn Hand". AL.com. November 19, 2013.