Photo by Todd Lester
Vestavia DB Andrew Knight (24) tackles Hoover WR George Pickens (1) during a game between Hoover and Vestavia Hills on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, at Thompson Reynolds Stadium in Vestavia Hills.
The countdown to the high school football season is on, with July 31 marking 20 days until the season kicks off.
Vestavia Hills will play on the first day of AHSAA competition, as the Rebels will take on Parker on Aug. 20.
As kickoff approaches over the coming weeks, Vestavia Voice and Under the Lights will be counting down the days until the season begins.
Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans has coached with and against plenty of talented players over the years, but when asked to name the best he's ever seen in person, he pointed to a name now familiar to NFL fans: George Pickens.
"The best high school player I've ever coached against is George Pickens," Evans said.
Evans said the unique part of his history with Pickens is that the two were on the same side for a stretch. While Evans was defensive coordinator at Hoover, Pickens played receiver on the scout team as a sophomore, with Robby Ashford at quarterback. Both went on to remarkable success on the varsity team at Hoover and in college football (and now the NFL for Pickens).
"George was immensely talented," Evans said.
Evans said his final game at Hoover came during Pickens' junior season, and sensing it might be his last year there, he made a point to get a photo with him.
"I made my wife and my mother-in-law get in a pic with George at Bryant-Denny [Stadium in 2017], and I still have that picture," Evans said. "I knew he was, by far, the most talented player I've ever seen in high school."
The following season, Evans found himself coaching against Pickens rather than with him after moving to Mountain Brook. The results didn't go his way.
"He had five touchdowns in the two games we played him," Evans said. "It is no surprise to me that he's playing on that $28 million contract now. I hope he signs a $100 million deal in the offseason. He's one of the better receivers in the NFL, and the best high school player I've ever seen in person."
