As a fan, the next cycle always feels official when the first camp hits. We can see the local crop as a whole, evaluate positional strengths and weakesses and see players in person. The body-type evaluations are especially valuable because you can compare peers and see who stands out. This year’s camp was limited by some 7-on-7 conflicts but still featured a ton of high-level talent in the ’23 class and beyond.
QB- Sometimes it’s hard finding a group of local camp QBs capable of functioning in drills. This year’s crop was actually one of the stronger groups in the whole camp.
Marcus Stokes (’23 Nease), who made the drive down from Ponte Vedra Beach, is a smooth athlete and an engaged teammate. He was very vocal and positive and even did little things like carefully arranging the footballs for the staff. The arm is good, not great, but he is a basketball kid with throwing upside. He already has Miami interest and a Penn State offer.
The local South Florida group also showed out.
Tyler Aronson (’24 STA) has P5 offers and is the most physically impressive of the group. Cardinal Gibbons has two QBs with FBS potential-
Dylan Rizk (’23) and
Michael ****inger (’24). Rizk reminds me a bit of Michael Pratt from Tulane, maybe not as athletic.
Will Prichard (’23, King’s Academy) doesn’t look the part with red hair and an unimposing body, but he has a strong arm and Buffalo offer.
Tyger ****ens (’23, Northwestern) has an Akron offer and may physically fit best as a WR like his predecessor TuTu Atwell.
Blake Murphy (’23, American Heritage) won the accuracy challenge.
The Class of 2025 also looks promising in South Florida.
Davi Belfort (’25 Dillard) has generated headlines with his famous father (UFC legend Vitor Belfort) and early offers. He is short but has a live deep ball. The guy that really impressed me is
Austin Simmons (’25 Pahokee). He has great hands, twitchy movements, a smooth dropback and easy release. I’m not crowning him for a Heisman or anything, but his lefty delivery and quick playing style will remind people of Tua.
RB- Camp is not a great setting for running backs other than evaluating body types and receiving ability.
Richard Young (’23 Lehigh) is built like a top player and has obvious quick-twitch athleticism. He is not comfortable as a receiver, though, and more of a pure runner at this stage. The guy that really impressed me is
Chauncey Bowens (’24, Benjamin), a guy
@canepb put me on last year. He hasn’t gotten a ton of hype yet, but he looks like a true elite RB prospect from South Florida. The size stands out and, while not a polished receiver, he got huge separation because of his acceleration and natural athleticism.
Javin Simpkins (’23 Norland) is a scatback body who knows how to function as a receiver.
WRs- Even with some big-names competing in 7-on-7 elsewhere, this is the strongest group in South Florida.
William Fowles (’23 Dade Christian) is, as
@gogeta4 has been saying, firmly in the conversation with the top guys down here. He has a massive upper-body with wide receiver legs that can accelerate with the best of them. Dwayne Bowe-type frame. Nobody could stay with him vertically and he won WR MVP.
Andy Jean (’23 Northwestern) only took a few reps after a track meet the day before, but he was routing up everyone and looked like someone who will be 6’1, 190 early in his college career. Jean has the attributes that define the modern NFL receiver- suddenness, diligent work and craft as a route-runner, and the ability to pluck the ball. He is a blue chipper all day. Some other rising seniors that caught my eye were
Micah Mays (’23 Benjamin) and
Za’ron Collins (’23 Pace). Mays is a long, fast track athlete who plays both ways but has huge upside on defense. He has P5 offers already and is still underrated. Collins wasn’t that impressive in his junior HL but stood out with his twitch and speed in a camp setting.
Kelton Henderson (’23 Lehigh) is an unranked player with length and speed who should generate P5 interest on defense.
The 2024 class looks to be loaded again.
Jeremiah Smith (’24 Chaminade) will be a 4-5 star type and has a college-ready frame.
James Madison II (’24 STA) is an absolute freak show. He flies at 6’3 and looks poised for a huge season with Aronson at QB.
Chance Robinson (’24 STA) is another big Aquinas receiver who could breakout.
TEs-
Camp Magee (’23 Edgewater) already has a UM offer and showed why. He is every bit of 6’6 and dominated in competitive drills with his size and contested-catch ability. I was skeptical when I first saw him, as he has a naturally skinny frame and is built more like a WR. But nobody could deny his production in winning every rep. While
Isaiah Nixon (’23 Lakewood) is somehow unranked, I expect him to be recruited like a high blue-chip talent. He is a strong, 6’4 edge who wants to play TE and competed with the WRs today. Nobody could cover him and he was too powerful and twitchy for the DBs. Remember that name.
OL- It seemed like we were headed for a local OL renaissance a couple years ago, but a lot of the guys who signed with big schools have yet to produce. This crop looks down from those years. The headliners were from elsewhere in the state:
Payton Kirkland (’23 Edgewater) and the big Swede,
Lucas Simmons (’23 Clearwater Catholic). Kirkland was massively wide and solid. He wore two knee braces but had decent mobility. Guard frame. He easily won the two reps I saw against overmatched competition. Simmons will need some work but his height and movement are legit. Big-time potential and he seemed to have the right attitude for improvement.
Roderick Kearney (’23 Orange Park) tested well and looks like a solid 4* prospect.
Bryce Lovett (’23 Rockledge) also looked the part.
The most prominent ’23 local guys were from Chaminade: Elvin Harris, Will Larkins and Deandre Duffus. I thought Larkins had the best day of the three. He is tall for a center at a legit 6’4 and athletic. He stoned STA DT Jason Hammond (a legit P5 prospect) twice and seems to progressing with each event. The other name to watch is
Frankie Tinilau from Australia. He got outquicked in his rep, but he is a true giant (6’6, 320) with some decent movement skills.
DT- This position is down from last year’s camp. The big name is
John Walker (’23 Osceola ). He took care of business and looked like a blue-chipper with a solid, wide frame. Someone started a fight with him that he finished. His teammate
Derrick LeBlanc (’23 Osceola) is a different type of player- long and lean with slinky athleticism and good bend. He can play inside or outside.
Jason Hammond (’23 STA) won most of his reps and looked like a low-mid P5 talent physically, with decent quickness and good mass.
DE- Major difference between last year’s class and this year’s class. The fact that guys like Reggie Bain and Lamont Green didn’t attend made it worse.
Wilky Denaud (’23 John Carroll) of Fort Pierce was the most impressive name in the group. He is an athletic, basketball-playing pass rusher with good length.
Armondo Blount (’25 Dillard) looks like a future big-timer and was beating older competition.
LB- The best player I saw was an unranked kid from Lakeland named
Larry Jones (’23). He looked every bit the 6’2, 220 he was listed at and was surprisingly good in coverage. Very competitive and aware with great acceleration to make up for quickness limitations. His FBS interest should skyrocket soon.
Rodney Hill (’24 Flagler) won MVP and his two-way skills were evident. Although small, the best pure cover guy was
Gerral Blue (’23 Lehigh).
DBs- This group has not been as impressive in recent years, especially after the wave of talent from 17-19. Some names that stood out to me in terms of size and movement skills were
Cameron Upshaw (’23 Gadsden County),
Preston Thompson (’23 Clewiston),
Dijon Johnson (’23 Wharton),
Shamar McNeil (’23 American Heritage) and
Mark-Allen *** (’23 Killian).
Antonio Robinson (’23 Florida Christian) doesn’t have the physical tools to match his reported offers, but he is a good football player and smooth cover corner.
Two small-school ’24 Miami kids to keep your eye on are
Jamari Howard (Westland Hialeah) and
Tomauri Johnson (Miami International). Both towered over the other DBs in terms of height and length.
