Coach: Austin A Rarity On Field & Off It

It was a little thing that could have gone unnoticed, and it probably did go unnoticed by many, but not John Garrish.

It happened during a Saturday workout following one of North Broward Prep’s blowout victories early in the 2016 season. The large margin of victory that Friday night offered the Eagles staff the chance to get some of its younger players some game action. One of those youngsters suffered an injury that caused him pain physically and emotionally through the following day.

“He was noticeably really upset,” said Garrish, who serves as North Broward’s strength coach.

“He couldn’t run with his teammates and couldn’t do much. You could see he was frustrated and upset because he saw it as one of his few opportunities to get on the field and show what he’s got.”

That was obvious, but it’s how Kevin Austin Jr. responded that wasn’t so obvious.

“I’ll never forget it, Kevin pulled me aside and asked if the young man was OK,” Garrish recalled. “I told him he was probably upset he was hurt and probably saw it as his opportunity and was frustrated. Kevin said, ‘Coach, excuse me for this next rep. I want to go talk to him.’ Kevin sat there and spoke with him and had his arm around him and just made sure this kid was OK.”

Garrish wasn’t surprised by the gesture, but it crystallized what Austin is all about to him.

“His focus and his concern and care for his teammates was just the ultimate example,” the coach said of the team’s standout wide receiver. “He ended up calling me later that day and letting me know what that conversation was about.

“Ultimately, Kevin told him no matter what happens and no matter what he’s able to do or unable to do with that injury that he loved him, his teammates loved him and cared about him and that no matter what happens on the field, he’s going to be every bit a part of the team. That was a small moment, but was one of the moments that has really, really impressed me from a character standpoint since I’ve been here.”

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The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Austin has had plenty of impressive moments on the field in his three years at North Broward Prep, which has allowed him to blossom to one of the nation’s top receiver prospects in the Class of 2018 with offers from schools like Notre Dame, Miami, Tennessee, Duke and Clemson along with many others.

While many of Austin’s talents are God-given, he’s also worked to maximize his potential.

“When he came in, we knew he was really well-wired,” said Garrish. “He was a really good athlete, he was an explosive athlete. If we could work on his hip mobility and his flexibility in his hips, that would increase his fluidity out on the field and his ability to make moves and make those moves look easy. That’s really what he’s committed himself to and the last two years, we’ve seen the most drastic improvement. I think he’s going to continue to see improvement on that.”

Garrish, who also serves as the school’s track coach, says Austin excels in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, but “could go out and score in just about any event probably.”

Still, it’s the off-the-field stuff that really catches the attention of Garrish, who calls Austin “a four-star receiver and a five-star character.”

“Everything he does from a personality standpoint, from a character standpoint, from the classroom setting to weight room setting to the practice field setting matches or exceeds his ability as a football player,” he says. “It’s incredible…You itch and beg for a kid like Kevin.”

While it may sound like hyperbole, Garrish is sure to note he’s not exaggerating his thoughts on Austin.

“It’s nice to talk about Kevin,” he said. “I mean everything I say. There’s not a kid who deserves it more than he does.”

Everyone may not have caught Austin’s moment with his younger teammate last fall, but everyone has noticed the work he’s put in for his team and that pushes them too. That’s important for a team that prides itself on outworking opponents to overcome any talent deficiencies.

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“Any time you have a person who is genetically gifted and coming in and understanding that he still needs to put in work to get to the next level and improve himself, all of his teammates are in there working out every day because they say, ‘Kevin is pushing himself for this, so I’m going to,’” Garris explained.

“That holds a little bit more weight than your average good high school player who busts their butt. When that elite athlete is busting their butt, it tells me, I better get working.

“Unfortunately, the Kevin Austins of the world are a rarity.”

Even more rare in South Florida, according to Garrish.

“I’m a South Florida guy,” he said. “I was raised here, this is my home and all I’ve known all my life are South Florida athletes. That’s what I grew up around and that’s who I played with and sometimes, I even identified myself as one. You see, especially down here and especially at the skill positions, the guys who are highly-touted and highly-recruited, they have all of those reasons lined up of why they can be a selfish person and why they can have a little bit of an ego.

“Kids like Kevin do not come by often. I understand that and that’s why I promise you, I wouldn’t say these things about anybody else. It’s such a rarity unfortunately, but fortunately I get to work with him and have him on campus. The benefit we’ve seen from having Kevin Austin on campus has been extraordinary. There aren’t many people like him and we know that.”

Garrish says all of the attention during the recruiting process has actually helped Austin keep a level head.

“There are very few people who will ever experience the amount of attention and expectations that he is experiencing now as a 17-year-old, but for the past year, mostly as a 16-year-old,” he said. “It would be simple to lose his level-headedness or lose focus in the classroom or lose focus on the process and the concept of high school athletics.

“For him, he has been able to avoid that and he’s been able to maintain his focus and keep his concentration in the classroom and keep his concentration and excitement for the weight room and the track and on the field. I think it’s helped him – and will continue to help him.”

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While Garrish and the staff at North Broward are focused on having as much success as possible on the field this fall, they also feel a responsibility to get Austin ready for the next level.

“Everything we do is always going to prepare us for something in the future,” he said. “When the time comes that he does step foot on campus and does have those classroom expectations, especially at an academic institution like the ones he’s choosing from, he’s going to be well-prepared for that.

“He’s going to be prepared for what’s to come in the meeting and the expectations of his coaches. He’s going to be able to meld those personalities and characters in his life who will be drawing him in all different directions. He’s going to have a pretty good idea of who’s looking out for what’s best for him and who’s looking out for what’s best for themselves and not necessarily Kevin Austin.”

The North Broward Prep staff wants to see Austin have a great senior season, but the plan is to watch him have even more success when he leaves.

“If this is the pinnacle of his career and this is the most elite he’s going to be in his career then we’ve all failed him on this campus. We want him to have a healthy, successful, long career.”