RJ Mickens of Southlake Carroll High (Southlake Carroll, Texas). is getting ready to start his sophomore year and he already has an offer list that would be coveted by most seniors. The young cornerback is well on his way to being an elite prospect in the country and is a name for Stanford fans to remember.

The 2020 prospect visited Stanford for Friday Night Lights camp on July 31, and in the intimate setting of a camp with less than 50 participants it wasn’t difficult to see how impressed Stanford’s coaches were with Mickens. Defensive coordinator Lance Anderson and defensive backs coach Duane Akina didn’t appear to need long to become fans of the son of former NFL player Ray Mickens.

While RJ Mickens’ play in the camp stood out to the coaches, there were several highlights throughout the day for the young Texan.

“What really stands out (from the visit) is the chance you have after football (at Stanford),” he said. “They emphasize that. If you are among the few percent that go to the league then you have that, too. People go to the league from Stanford. If you’re not then pretty much everyone there is successful after football."

And Akina has plenty of experience teaching future professional players: “He was like a library,” Mickens said. “He knew everything and had every answer to every question. He was showing tapes of a whole bunch of people who have been successful and gone to the NFL. He’s been coaching for a long time.”

Mickens also spent a lot of time talking with sophomore Obi Eboh, who starred at Southlake Carroll. Mickens achieved a rarity at one of the state’s most renowned high school programs, he earned a starting spot as a freshman.

Mickens has been training as a defensive back since he was in fifth grade and he started his freshman season with confidence in his ability to earn a spot on the field. By the fourth week he was starting and found himself matched up against some of the state’s best senior receivers, such as Wisconsin’s Emmet Perry and Alabama’s Tyrell Shavers, and he learned several lessons quickly.

“Never get too high in the highs or too low,” he said. “Do what you do and don’t let the momentum or the crowd affect you. If you get beat you can’t let happen it again.”

College coaches haven’t been shy about showing how impressed they are with Mickens. He already reports offers from UCLA to Georgia and Texas A&M to Michigan. His father is helping him navigate the process by providing guidance about what is real and what sounds too good to be true on recruiting trips.

“He knows what is best for me and he will help me in my decision,” Mickens said. “He’s been there and done that, so I can always listen to him. He tries to stay out of it as much as he can as far as telling me what (school is) good and whatnot. He really wants me to choose for myself.”

Mickens still has a long list of schools that he would like to see, including Michigan, Ohio State, Florida and Cal. He said distance from home won’t be a factor. In the meantime, he's focused on the work he needs to do for the Dragons.

“I’m just thinking about grinding and ball out wherever I do go to college,” he said. “Of course I’m focused on high school, but I’m trying to work for the next level. I’m not working just to play high school football for the next three years.”