ST. PETERSBURG — He pulled a navy practice jersey over his shoulder pads, slipped into his Samford University helmet and trotted into a familiar scenario Monday.
On the opening day of practice for the East-West Shrine Game, Karel Hamilton — small-school dynamo nestled amid a smorgasbord of Division I-A standouts — found himself trying to prove he can perform at the next level.
It's a daunting challenge for some, deja vu for the best player in Strawberry Crest High's brief history.
"They'll find you if you have talent," Hamilton said.
This time Hamilton is counting on it. Recognition was tough to attain during his impressive senior year at Strawberry Crest.
But St. Petersburg High's Stewart Field is swarming with scouts and agents this week, so his opportunity is ripe. With each rep he receives during practices and Saturday's game at Tropicana Field, Hamilton will try to convince observers of what he couldn't seem to convey to Division I-A coaches in 2012.
He can play with the big boys.
"There's a couple of players out here from (Division I-AA)," Hamilton said, "and they're trying to make a statement for themselves that … these (I-AA) players are no pushovers."
In an era when college football recruiting has evolved from a cottage industry to a burgeoning one, it's hard to imagine anyone with Division I-caliber chops slipping through the cracks. Hamilton did.
He played for three coaches in as many seasons at Strawberry Crest. In his senior year, he had 1,629 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns, and posted arguably his best effort against neighboring juggernaut Armwood, collecting 13 catches for 233 yards and scoring twice.
One of Armwood's safeties that night, Leon McQuay III, signed with USC and is one of Hamilton's teammates this week on the West squad.
"Karel is the best player in the county with no D-I offers," Strawberry Crest coach John Kelly said that season.
Samford, UT-Chattanooga and Coastal Carolina were Hamilton's options. Hamilton's stepdad, Steve Savory, said Willie Taggart swooped in with an offer shortly after being hired at USF in December 2012, but Hamilton had given his word to Samford by then.
"I just picked the best school that I felt was for the betterment of myself, and Samford really helped me prepare for this moment right here," Hamilton said.
He'll graduate this spring with a sports administration degree and at least five school records, including career catches (279), career receiving yards (3,803) and career touchdown receptions (31).
He flourished his last two seasons, which coincided with pass-centric coach Chris Hatcher's hiring. A cornerstone of the Bulldog offense was a quick screen or hitch route to Hamilton, allowing him to make a play in space.
"That's something he did a great job at, because he's so physical, especially at our level," said Bulldogs offensive quality-control assistant C.J. Bennett, a former Alonso High quarterback and winner of the 2009 Guy Toph Award, given to Hillsborough County's top senior football player.
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Explore all your options"He's a lot bigger (6 feet, 199 pounds) than any of the corners," Bennett said, "so just getting it to him and letting him play with the ball in his hands is something we really emphasized this year."
Hamilton finished with 111 catches as a senior — leading I-AA with an average 10.1 catches per game — for 1,389 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning first-team I-AA All-America honors.
His Shrine game invitation just might have been sealed in late October. Hamilton collected 14 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns (of 30 and 45 yards) in a 56-41 loss to Mississippi State.
Nearly three months later, he acknowledges the desire to validate himself remains seared in his psyche.
"I think that's definitely part of his game," Bennett said.
Now, another grand stage beckons.
"I've always been proving myself," Hamilton said. "And this is just another level, another step for me to prove myself even more."
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.