Dandy Dozen: 'Contagious' work ethic sets Kirby's Corbet Mims apart

When Corbet Mims arrived at Kirby as a freshman, he looked more like a wide receiver than a Division I-caliber lineman. He was about 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds with a wiry frame and natural athleticism. 

"He was so long and rangy you could tell that frame would hold 40 or 50 more pounds easily," said Kirby coach Chester Flowers. "When you have a tall guy that can run well and fluid like he does, you would think ‘extraordinary, dominant skill guy’ but his fundamentals were so clean and polished at such a young age you knew that this guy could be a next-level lineman."

"I kept losing and I kept asking them to keep going again. I would say, ‘I’ll get you the next time,'" said Mims, an Arkansas State commitment. "I guess my heart was telling me to keep going against the strongest person on the team, and then you’ll get on the field."

Mims has now added about 35 pounds. He's now a 6-4 245-pound defensive end. 

He is No. 12 on The Commercial Appeal's inaugural 2019 Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top 12 college football prospects for the Class of 2020 from the Mid-South as picked by the newspaper.

Mims began to play defensive end his junior year and it was a natural fit.

He is a three-star defensive end and is the No. 18 prospect in the state according to the 247Sports Composite and the No. 23 strong side defensive end in the country. He's the No. 503 overall prospect in the country.

That comes after being unranked in February.

"He's prototypical. He looks like he’s supposed to look and that’s what all the college scouts rave about," said Flowers. "He walks in the room and they say, 'Coach, this is how they’re supposed to look. He’s put together real well. Everything, his upper body, his base, his rhythm, it looks well when you put it all together.'"

After impressing coaches at a number of camps, Mims earned over 20 offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss and Arkansas among others. 

But he chose to commit to the school that offered him first, Arkansas State. 

"To me it's not about going to a big school or a big conference. You can get drafted coming out of any conference. NFL coaches are going to come and see if anyone shows them what they need to see," said Mims. "I’ve seen Demario Davis from Arkansas State. He showed his work ethic and now he’s on the Saints. That’s why I say I don’t care about what conference I go to. No matter what you’re still going to be looked at. It’s just how you work yourself and show it on the field."

Last year, Mims helped lead Kirby to its strongest finish in over a decade as the Cougars were 11-2 and made an appearance in the Class 5A quarterfinals. 

"The work ethic he brings on a daily basis is contagious. All the kids see how he works and all the attention he is getting on the recruiting trail and they say, ‘Hey if I follow that formula and pattern my career after that, maybe one day I’ll be highly recruited like this young man is,'" said Flowers. "He sets the precedent and the standard here at Kirby and I’m just so proud that he trusted my vision and came to Kirby and wanted to build this program to where it is today. "