[1/17/05]By most performance standards, Larry Warner should be one of the most coveted running back recruits in the nation.

He was a first-team all-state selection this season, a two-year starter for a Class 5A playoff team, and ran for 2,914 yards and 27 touchdowns in only 19 high school games.

Warner works hard, plays hurt, breaks tackles like a fullback, has the speed to leave defenders in the dust and can cut on a dime and make change.

None of that matters to big-time college football programs, though. They take one look at one of Warner’s numbers 5-foot-3, 150 pounds and run away.

So as recruiting season heats up, the list of schools lining up to recruit the Warren Central tailback is nearly as short as Warner himself. Yet, true to his easygoing nature, Warner doesn’t feel slighted by the relative lack of interest. The schools that have come calling are giving him what he wants most a chance to play football.

“It doesn’t bother me, as long as I get to go play football and focus on getting my degree. That’s all I’m worried about right now,” Warner said.

Not every school has turned a blind eye to Warner. He visited Delta State last week, and has a visit to Southern University in Baton Rouge scheduled for Friday.

Warner said he wasn’t leaning toward a particular school yet, and may even consider the junior college route. He’ll take a trip to Gulf Coast C.C. on Tuesday. National signing day is Feb. 2.

“I’m just going to view the schools and go on from there,” Warner said.

Warner said several junior colleges besides Gulf Coast have shown interest. Hinds was not one of them. The Raymond school did not put Warner on its list of protected players, leaving him free to sign with any other junior college in the state.

While signing with a four-year school is more prestigious, Warner wasn’t quick to dismiss the benefits of going to a juco for a couple of years.

“I can go to a juco and play and perform, and get offers from bigger schools,” he said.

In the meantime, Warner hopes he’s not done with high school football just yet. He likely will be selected for one of the two all-star games featuring Mississippi players, either the Mississippi-Alabama all-star game in June or the Bernard Blackwell Classic in July.

“I just want to play, before I leave high school, one more game,” Warner said.