One on One: Canaan Severin ‘12 - Wide Receiver - Worcester Academy - Football
Posted: August 01 2011
Worcester Academy's Canaan Severin '12 is one of the top ranked players in New England and one of the elite unsigned athletes in the class of 2012. Severin, a Marlborough, MA resident and wide receiver prospect recently competed in the 2011 ESPN RISE Gridiron Kings competition down at the Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
The Gridiron Kings event brought together the Nation's best athletes for a three-day competition. Severin's Midwest team fell to the Southwest in the finals but the rising senior faired well and impressed many more this weekend.
Severin chatted with us after he got back from last weekend's event in our latest One-on-One Interview:
How was the Gridiron Kings event last weekend in Florida? Can you talk about the experience and how you learned of your selection to the event?
CS: The Gridiron Kings was awesome. The competition was probably the best I've ever faced, going up against the top players in the country. It was good to interact with kids from all over the country experiencing the same recruiting process that I'm going through. The coach selects his opinion of the top players to form a team and play with and when coach Mike White called to me play I was honored.
As one of the top ranked players in a strong Massachusetts Class of 2012 can you talk about the progression you have made in your game both skill wise and athletically since transferring to Worcester Academy from Marlborough HS (MA)?
CS: My game has definitely sky rocketed since being at Worcester Academy. Schools that I would have never imagined have visited me at school or contacted me such as USC, Stanford, Notre Dame, Penn State and Miami.
Living at the school has really helped me. Being able to workout at the school track to get faster for football and getting in the gym to do dribbling drills or getting shots up has also helped.
I would say my grades have been impacted the most since transferring. We have study hall every night and I go to the center for learning during my free periods to get started on homework and projects.
credit: Shengkun Duan
Heading into your final year at Worcester Academy can you talk about how the experience has been at the school, not only with football but with academics and structure?
CS: My experience at Worcester has really been something special. The people have welcomed me in from the start. I feel like Worcester has seen so many good athletes with such amazing talent attend good schools such as Colt Brennan (pictured below), Jarrett Jack, David Ball, and Craig Smith, that the faculty really know how to handle them.
They know what will happen if you do not do the work and also what will happen if you do the work. Living on campus has really made me mature as a man. The experience is really like college. Without time management you just will not make it.
credit: Greg McWilliams/ Icon SMI
How does the team look for this upcoming season? What are your team goals for the 2011 season?
CS: This upcoming season is really going to be something special. We have a good rising senior class and a really good group of Post Graduates. Kids from Ohio, Colorado, New York, Rhode Island, Western Mass and Florida. the team goals are taking it one game at a time and winning the Super Bowl.
You also play basketball at Worcester Academy. Can you talk about how the game of basketball helps you on the football field?
CS: Yes, basketball has really helped football a lot. Defense is mostly lateral which helps me for football and offensive fast breaks in basketball help my sprinting for football. Also competing in basketball helps me compete in football, especially the level of competition that we face in schools like Brewster Academy, St. Marks, Tilton and New Hampton.
What is the best piece of advice that you have received during your recruiting experience and what is something that you could share with others who are going through the process?
CS: A lot of people are going to give their opinions of what you should do on picking a school. I honestly like hearing what people have to say on what school I should attend but my best advice is take it all with a grain of salt.
You have had a busy summer taking trips and narrowing down your list of potential schools to five (BC, UConn, UVA, Iowa and Penn State). Have you had any movement recently with your schools and when do you expect to make a choice?
CS: No, I have not really had a change in my Top 5 but recently Michigan St. and Missouri have offered me and they really want me to come down for a visit so I am thinking about maybe visiting them in the fall. I expect to make a decision when I am clearly comfortable in a decision.
When you have free time what do you like to do away from the football field and gym?
CS: I love going to the beach or being by the pool in the summer. I just like to hang out with my friends from Marlboro because I do not get to see them as much as I did before going to Worcester.
What is something about you or your interests that not many people know about? Anything unique or different?
CS: Something that people may not no about me is that I was actually brought to Worcester to play basketball but everything started to fall into place for football first. It is crazy how things happen.
