Donovan Green got the news from his dad over the phone.
The 6-foot-4 Dickinson Gator was named the No. 1 tight end in the country for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.
"My dad texted me like 30 minutes ago and that's how I found out," he said. "I didn't expect that."
His dad Dominque Green won a state title as a receiver for the La Marque Cougars in 1995, so Green has some football lineage.
The sophomore was also a member of the Gator hoops team that reached the state tournament for the first time in decades a few weeks back.
"Playing basketball helps my fluidness on the football field," he said. "It helps me with cutting in my routes and agility. It also helps with conditioning. Football helps me on the basketball court to just be tough and be ready for contact all the time."
When he's not playing sports, Green excels at another hobby – painting sneakers.
"My mom's side of the family is really creative and I'd watch them draw," he said. "It's a great way to get away from sports sometimes. I watched some videos of people painting shoes and I thought, 'Let me try this real quick.' I picked it up and I really enjoy it."
Hybrid athletes are all the rage in college football and in the NFL. The tight ends are becoming one of the most important positions on the field from Travis Kelce to George Kittle to Darren Waller to Zach Ertz to Austin Hooper and Mark Andrews. The list goes on.
Who does Green watch?
"I watch Mark Andrews," he said. "I've talked to coach (Cale) Gundy and how they used him at Oklahoma and how the (Baltimore) Ravens use him in their offense. He's really good."
For a year, Green was the understudy to another talented TE in Jalen Wydermyer, who led Texas A&M in receiving touchdowns in 2019.
"When I was a freshman, I'd watch him in practice," he said. "He was a role model the way he worked. He stayed humble and worked on his form all the time."
Being named the nation's top TE come the onslaught of recruiting. He already has dozens of offers and is just evaluating.
"The main thing I'm looking at is atmosphere and location," he said. "Also, how a team uses the tight end. I'm really considering everyone and looking for the best fit."
For now, he continues to work on his craft on the field and on the canvas.