When you look at Khaleb Hood’s high school statistics and compare them to his college stats, well there’s no comparison.

Hood, a fifth-year senior who spent a year at Air Force Academy Prep before transferring to Georgia Southern, will have his name firmly etched in the school’s record book as its most productive receiver ever when he leaves.

That was assured last Saturday night when he hauled in a pass from Davis Brin with about five minutes remaining in the Eagles’ 49-35 win over UAB giving him 1,859 yards receiving for his career to pass Monty Sharpe (1983-1986). 

Hood also now has 164 career receptions far and away the most ever by an Eagles receiver. His 87 catches for 925 yards last year are also single season marks. Fellow wide receiver Derwin Burgess has the single game mark for receptions with 12 in last year’s win over Nebraska. Hood is right behind with 11 which he had last year against Georgia State.   

Going into Saturday’s game at Wisconsin (1-1) the 5-10, 180-pound speedster has accounted for 2,807 total yards in 53 games:  1,859 receiving, 514 on kick returns, 295 on punt returns and 139 rushing. 

What makes these accomplishments most remarkable is that in high school at Eagles Landing Christian Academy available statistics on Max Preps records show Hood with nary a touch of the football other than kickoff or punt returns.

Hood was a starter at free safety on Chargers teams which were unbeaten his junior and senior years while winning three straight championships. As a freshman ELCA lost in the title game. His senior year he scored five touchdowns, returning three punts for a score and two kickoffs.

So, when he says he did not come to Georgia Southern with the thought of breaking any receiving records he is speaking the truth. Once the decision to put his skills on offense as a receiver was made, he’s never looked back in forging a stellar career.

“To be honest that record is not something I think about,” Hood said of Sharpe’s record. “You know I really just love the game and want to win for my teammates. That’s all that really matters to me.”

Hood said when he came to Georgia Southern it was not part of his thought process that he would become a record-setting receiver.

“I really just came to be part of the brotherhood,” Hood said. “Everything else is really God given. You’ve got to stay humble.”

The Eagles (2-0) will be looking for their second straight win over a Big 10 team after having previously lost to Indiana and Minnesota before beating the Cornhuskers last year.

Hood, of course, will be a major player in the contest. He and his fellow receivers will be going up against a Badger defense which has allowed 445 yards passing in two games including 251 in a 31-22 loss at Washington State last Saturday.

Quarterback Brin Davis has thrown for 562 yards and four touchdowns while completing 78.3 percent (65-83) of his passes to seven different receivers.

I feel like we’ve got all the tools,” Hood said of the offense. “It’s really about us keeping on balling. You’ve got a bunch of people who love the game so it’s bound to happen. At the end of the day, we don’t take the first hit, we get the first hit.”

Davis, incidentally, has faced Fickell defenses twice before. As a junior at Tulsa, he threw for 160 yards against an unbeaten Cincinnati team that reached the college football playoffs. Last year he passed for 237 yards against the Bearcats.