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Under Armour All-America Game: TBT's Daquon Green, from shadows to spotlight

 
Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Daquon Green makes a touchdown catch over Plant City cornerback Calvin Richardson during the first half of a game between the Plant City Raiders and Tampa Bay Tech Titans at Tampa Bay Tech High in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. (Loren Elliott, Times)
Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Daquon Green makes a touchdown catch over Plant City cornerback Calvin Richardson during the first half of a game between the Plant City Raiders and Tampa Bay Tech Titans at Tampa Bay Tech High in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. (Loren Elliott, Times)
Published Dec. 31, 2016

Daquon Green knew that to play wide receiver his first two seasons at Tampa Bay Tech was to play in the shadow of Deon Cain, a gifted playmaker who is becoming a bona fide star at Clemson.

Green took that apprenticeship seriously. After all, he grew up idolizing Cain.

"I learned from the best," Green said.

Once Cain graduated in 2015, Green took over as the headliner. Green proved to be a worthy successor, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns each of the past two seasons.

The offers came. So did the lofty rankings for Green, a 6-foot-1 Florida commit and four-star prospect, according to 247Sports.

Today, Green's high school career concludes at the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando. Green also was invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but the decision was easy.

"My dream was to always play in this game," Green said. "I watched the game on television and went to a few when they were still playing in St. Petersburg (at Tropicana Field)."

Green's meteoric rise is a surprise considering that his baptism into football did not go exactly as planned.

He started playing when he was 7 years old, at the urging of his mother, Sherri Green.

"I kind of forced Daquon to play," his mother said. "I wanted him to get out of the house and do something. He didn't like it all. He only lasted a year."

Soccer was Green's sporting preference, at least back then. When Green was 12, he gave football another chance.

This time, he loved it.

Green played everything in youth leagues: defensive back, receiver, even punter.

"It was like he was six different people on the field," Sherri Green said. "He would punt the ball, then go down and make the tackle. He was everywhere."

Green also became close friends with Richard Benjamin (Tampa Bay Tech/Louisville) and Alvin Bailey (Armwood/Youngstown State). Their bond became so tight that Green started calling them his cousins.

Bailey often would hang out at Green's house with former Armwood star Matt Jones (Florida/Washington Redskins). That started Green's desire to become a Gator.

After years of obscurity at the high school level, Green became the headliner the past two seasons. But it would be hard to notice he was a star during practices at Tampa Bay Tech.

"Daquon was definitely our leader," Titans coach Jayson Roberts said. "He leads in a different way. He is more quiet and reserved, not a rah-rah guy at all. He is more by example. He doesn't miss practices and is the first one on the field.

"He does this even though he already has all the offers and rankings. Just looking at him you would think he is the one trying to get noticed by colleges just by how hard he works."

That work ethic is something Green picked up from studying Cain.

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"(Deon) gave me a lot of direction and showed me what kind of player I wanted to be," Green said. "I've been trying to pass along what I was taught to the younger receivers and keep the tradition we have here at this school going."

Contact Bob Putnam at bputnam@tampabay.com. Follow @BobbyHomeTeam.