As a high school junior, Charone Peake (Dorman High School, South Carolina) already possesses the ideal size of a collegiate wide receiver. At 6'3" 185, Peake does many things well. Unlike most receivers at this level, Peake does not avoid contact and does a great job at making catches in traffic by utilizing his frame. Peake is ranked #12 overall on the ESPNU Top 150 list for 2011 football recruits, and #91 overall on Rivals100 list. Peake is ranked one spot ahead of highly touted wide recevier George Farmer (Gardena Serra, CA) on the ESPNU list, while Farmer sits at #4 overall on the Rivals100 list.
In terms of route running, Peake eats up ground quickly against defensive backs with his long stride and breaks the cushion with ease. Peake also displays the natural ability to get in and out of his breaks smoothly, which is rare for a player of his size on any level. Another great aspect of Peake's game is his ability to catch the underneath screen pass and run after the catch. This is a role usually given to smaller, shiftier receivers, but Peake's playmaking skills allow him to make people miss whenever he gets the ball in his hands.
Last season, Peake led led the Dorman Cavaliers to the Division I-4A state title over highly touted running back recruit Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina commit, 2010) and Byrnes High School (28-17). Charone finished the season with 52 catches, 881 yards and 9 touchdowns.
On a team that has already produced one Clemson verbal commit in the class of 2010 in wide receiver Adam Humphries, Peake is poised to take his time in the recruiting process. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, Peake told CLA Sports that he'd like to "Do enough where my teammates can get looked at." This highlights the fact that Peake is the ultimate team player and possesses maturity beyond his age for a student-athlete.
Peake will be a great asset to whichever university he decides to attend and is dedicated to improving his stock while aiming at another state football championship at Dorman High School in South Carolina as a senior this year. Look for more recruiting news, stories, and exclusive interviews from CollegeLevelAthletes.com & CLA Sports. Complete interview transcript below.
