IMMOKALEE, Fla. -- Around every corner here, disappointment looms.
Alongside, hope persists that this generation of children -- it's always this generation -- will find a better life. That they'll escape the fields, for too long the only option afforded families of migrant workers from Haiti and Mexico who pick America's tomatoes and oranges.
Football is their way out.
Football worked as the escape route for Edgerrin James, the four-time Pro Bowl running back and most famous son of this unincorporated community of approximately 20,000 along Alligator Alley between Miami and Naples.
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Steve Guyot/ESPNImmokalee, which is Seminole for "My Home," has a resilience that can be found in its football players.
Their latest hope is Mackensie Alexander, the nation's No. 4 recruit in the ESPN 150. On Wednesday, Alexander, a lockdown cornerback and potential impact freshman this fall, will sign a letter of intent in a ceremony to be telecast from Immokalee High School on ESPNU at 11:15 a.m. ET.
He is the great mystery in the Class of 2013.
Alexander is an enigma, the anti-recruit. In an age in which top prospects' every move and tweet are documented and dissected, Alexander shuns attention. He avoids interviews. He's been purposefully deceptive about his college plans.
He has confused and frustrated fans, media and college coaches alike. In the absence of information, observers have drawn conclusions about Alexander -- that he's arrogant, even unappreciative.
But peel back the layers and take the time to look. Alexander is introspective and indebted to the people inside his small circle. And his every move is skillfully calculated.
"That's one thing about Mackensie," said teammate and West Virginia commit running back Jacky Marcellus, "when he does something, he does it for a purpose."
On the eve of his anticipated college announcement, it's clear that Mackensie Alexander is misunderstood in much the same way as his impoverished hometown.