Skip to main content

Way of LeBron: 10 hometown hero college football stars

LeBron James made a whole bunch of folks in Northeast Ohio happy on Friday with his decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A big reason for his decision, James said, is that he can return to his home area: He went to high school in nearby Akron and he said "what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio."

On a smaller scale (much smaller), here is a look at 10 current stars, listed alphabetically, that made some folks happy when they decided to play college football at home.

WR Tyler Boyd, Pittsburgh

High school: Clairton
Buzz: Boyd (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) might have been the nation's best true freshman wide receiver last season. His high school is located in a suburb south of Pittsburgh. (Clairton was the setting for the 1978 movie "The Deer Hunter.")

OT La'el Collins, LSU

High school: Baton Rouge Redemptorist
Buzz: Collins (6-5, 315), a senior, is one of the nation's top four or five offensive tackles. He was a three-time all-state pick in high school.

WR Stefon Diggs, Maryland

High school: Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Olney, Md.
Buzz: His high school is about 20 miles from Maryland's campus in College Park. Diggs (6-0, 195), a junior, missed the second half of last season with a broken leg. When he's healthy, he's an explosive player who can score from anywhere. His return to full health is vital to the Terps' offense this season.

RB Duke Johnson, Miami

High school: Miami Norland
Buzz: Johnson (5-9, 206), a junior, is one of the nation's most explosive running backs. He helped Norland -- which is in north Miami-Dade County -- to a state title in 2011 by scoring 36 total TDs.

WR DeVante Parker, Louisville

High school: Louisville Ballard
Buzz: Parker (6-3, 208) is a senior; his high school is about a 15-minute drive from the Louisville campus.

LB Denzel Perryman, Miami

High school: Coral Gables
Buzz: Perryman (6-0, 242), a senior, grew up a few miles from UM's campus in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami.

LB Hayes Pullard, USC

High school: Los Angeles Crenshaw
Buzz: Pullard (6-1, 235) will be a four-year starter for the Trojans. Crenshaw's campus is about 10 minutes from USC's (depending on L.A. traffic, of course).

G Alex Redmond, UCLA

High school: Los Alamitos
Buzz: Redmond (6-5, 300), a sophomore who could be the best guard in the Pac-12 this season, went to high school in suburban L.A. His high school is in Orange County, south of L.A., and is about 35 miles from UCLA's campus.

C Isaac Seumalo, Oregon State

High school: Corvallis
Buzz: Seumalo (6-4, 297) is a junior who is one of the best centers on the West Coast. He was quite familiar with Oregon State's campus before he signed with the school because his dad is the Beavers' defensive line coach. (His last name is pronounced "Say-u-mah-low.")

NT Danny Shelton, Washington

High school: Auburn
Buzz: Shelton (6-2, 332), a senior, might be the nation's best nose tackle. He went to high school in a Seattle suburb.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.