After rushing for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns during his junior season, River Hill running back/slot receiver Malek Redd was optimistic that scholarship offers would begin to arrive.

That hasn’t happened yet, but the 5-foot-6, 171-pounder has taken important steps this spring to make sure the offers do eventually come through. For Redd, one of those steps took place about a week and a half ago on the campus of Rutgers.

“I just actually went to the Big Time Showcase combine up in New Jersey and I ran a 4.35, hand-timed [40],” Redd said. “I’ve been training with my coach and I’ve been running 4.3s, but I just hadn’t run it at camps. ... So I was really excited because I had the top time at the camp.”

Redd spoke with Recruiting Report recently about the importance of combine and camp experiences in his recruitment.

What’s the latest on your recruiting?

Actually, UNLV apparently is going to offer soon and I’ve been keeping in contact with West Virginia and a lot of other coaches -- Syracuse, Temple, and I actually visited Connecticut a couple weeks ago. ... I’ve also been talking to [Tony White] the linebackers coach at New Mexico.

How did New Mexico get involved in your recruitment?

Because [coach White] was at UCLA and I was at their camp last year and he was the linebackers coach. I was doing really well against the linebackers there. So he asked me for my contact info. Then he went from UCLA to New Mexico.

Do you expect to receive an offer from New Mexico?

He said that they’re kind of waiting to offer, but they’re definitely going to because they have a lot of big receivers and they need a small, speedy guy.

What have the West Virginia coaches been telling you?

I was talking to the coach at West Virginia and they just want me to come to camp. Because with guys like me, all they have to do is get the ball in my hands and I just go.

Which camps do you plan on attending this summer?

Actually, we have a whole schedule. Boston College, Syracuse, Temple, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio State, Oregon and Akron.

Since you’re traveling to Oregon for camp, and receiving interest from New Mexico and UNLV, would you be comfortable going to a school out west?

Yeah, I’m going to go wherever it’s the best fit for me because I travel out west a lot. My stepfather’s a boxing manger and he has a lot of fighters in California.

What have coaches been saying you need to do to receive offers?

Just a lot of coaches have been talking to me and telling me they want me to come to their prospect camps. The regular camps are still teaching kids. Prospect camps are the big-time camps for top prospects that they may offer. I just want to go up against those guys.

What are the next camps on tap for you?

June 3 [I’ll be] at the Scout.com combine in Baltimore, and June 8 I’ve got the Wake Forest camp.

What are the chances that you end up at Wake Forest with River Hill teammate Michael Campanaro?

I think we’ll probably end up at separate schools. When we were freshmen and sophomores we kind of wanted to go to the same school, but now we’re just looking for the right fit for us.

Have you enjoyed the recruiting process?

I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m ready for the offers to start coming in. I’m ready to get it over with really.

Click on the YouTube player to see Redd’s junior highlights.