Coach Analysis: Dante Kelly

VandySports.com caught up with Leflore County head coach Eric House to discuss Vanderbilt signee Dante Kelly.Leflore County finished the 2022 season with a 8-3 record.

- On what kind of player Vanderbilt is getting in Dante Kelly:

Eric House: "Vanderbilt is getting a very special player who I think one day will be a NFL talent. The sky is the limit for Dante.”

- How Kelly’s skill set translates to the college game:

House: "The things that stick out with Dante is his physical attributes. He’s 6-foot-3 and around 210-pounds. He’s very athletic. What sticks out is definitely his speed especially his speed and agility for that size.”

- On his favorite memory of Dante Kelly:

House: "Dante throughout the year contributed so much to our defense. I remember of one of the better moments that he had. Once I threw a screen pass to him. Actually it was a reverse. I gave him a reverse and he went about 80-yards. Then, I knew I had to start giving him some more offensive touches. He’s just so athletic. When he took the reverse, it was actually his first time touching the ball on offense.”

- On his leadership qualities:

House: "He’s an in between in leadership. He’s kind of a quiet kid. When the lights come on and then just like all great players, he turns it up a notch. Over the years, I’ve watched him grow. That’s one of the things that really stood out this year was his confidence. You know I saw it in his play.”

- On how current physical skills:

House: “When he was a freshman, he was about 6-foot-1 and around 175-pounds. I’ll never forget our first day in the weight room. We noticed how high he could jump. We were doing a jumping drill in the weight room. We were amazed at how high he could jump. We knew at that point that he was going to be a SEC type player. At that point, we started taking pictures of his physique and sending it out to different coaches. From that point, he took off.”