By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Due to hard work and dedication, Jeremiah Littles has gone from a relative unknown to a three-star prospect.

There were few high school players in the nation who were more productive than class of 2016 three-star linebacker Jeremiah Littles in 2014.

That is not an exaggeration, either.

In his first season playing for Wayne County after moving from McIntosh County Academy the season prior, Littles led the state of Georgia in tackles from his inside linebacker position, accumulating 176 stops in just 12 contests. His statistical performance also ranked him in the top 20 nationally in total tackles.

But Littles was also able to show off his versatility during a successful junior campaign, registering 19.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in addition to his 176 tackles.

“I feel like I performed very well,” Littles commented on his first season with the Yellow Jackets. “Going from the AA classification to the AAAA classification allowed me to test myself and to show that I can really play.”

Following a season in which he firmly established himself as one of the top defensive players in all of the Peach State, Little immediately began to see his recruiting take off to another level.

A relative-unknown on the recruiting scene following his sophomore season, Littles all of a sudden found himself being rated by all of the nation’s leading recruiting services. He was recently ranked as the No. 36 inside linebacker in the country by Scout.com, garnering a strong three-star rating in the process.

Naturally, increased exposure amongst the nation’s recruiting databases coincided with an increase in the amount of attention Littles was receiving from college programs.

In a span of just a few months, Littles suddenly found himself receiving significant recruiting interest from Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, amongst numerous others. He has already taken visits to all four ACC schools in North Carolina, Auburn and Georgia, and says that he has plans to visit numerous other college campuses after collegiate coaches finish contacting him after spring practice.

“I just really have to thank God for it,” Littles said of his recruitment to Southern Pigskin. “He is the one who put me in the position to get recruited, and I was able to take advantage of it. I’m just thankful to him that he put me in that position.”

Carrying along the momentum he has generated over the past 12 months, Littles was able to more than back up the hype around his name at the recent Explosive Southern Pigskin Camp in Jacksonville. Measuring in at a legitimate 6-1, 237 pounds, Littles proved to be a dominating force with his strength, in addition to showing surprising ability to move in the open field.

With his top-notch instincts, which are apparent from his 176 tackles during his junior season, could very well develop into a tackling machine from inside linebacker at the next level. His ability to quickly recognize plays and his strength to thwart off opposing blockers allow him to constantly find himself around the football.

And the excellent news for college programs is that, depending on how the value his skill set, he also has enough size and initial burst to excel with his hand on the ground. Littles carries his 237 pounds exceptionally well, and has a broad lower base which would easily allow for additional quality weight to be added to his frame.

Seemingly overnight, Littles went from being a relative unknown on the recruiting scene to a major prospect for colleges in the FBS’ “Power Five” conferences. But when, like Littles, you are a tremendous athlete, an exceptional student in the classroom and a respectful young man filled with integrity and great faith, it is certainly difficult for colleges not to notice.

Littles has used hard work and determination in order to begin writing his own recruiting story.

And with the way that he persistently works, it is undoubtedly a story which will conclude with a happy ending.