Alabama Versus Mississippi All-Star Game Top Players Practice Notebook

Talking top players from the Alabama and Mississippi practices this week, including some recruiting information.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Dec 11, 2021 11:13 AM EST

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - While bouncing back and forth between the two teams’ practices, it was eye opening to see all the talent from both teams. Speed, size, intelligence, and football acumen were all on display during mid-week practices.

If there’s one thing that stood out above everything else, it’s size. Indeed, it shall be discussed within this notebook, and it should be. There’s still far more to discuss, and let’s get to it, player by player, starting with some of the top performers for the Alabama All-Stars.

Quinshon Judkins, Running Back, Montgomery (Ala.) Pike Road - Ole Miss Commitment

As discussed earlier this week about his overall effort and talent, no player will out work Judkins. Here’s a full article discussing why Judkins was the ‘work ethic’ MVP from this week.

He’s an every-rep matters prospect and one that will do wonders in Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffins’ offensive attack.

First off, he’s a downhill runner. He does not waist steps, yet chooses wisely, when running the football during inside zone or even a pin and pull play. He sees a crease, he places his foot firmly in the ground and goes! Judkins understands how and when to run the football. Arguably even more important for Ole Miss, he’s a really good receiver out of the backfield.

Look for Judkins to play very early for Coach Kiffin and the Rebels.

Justice Finkley, Defensive End, Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville - Texas Commitment

When first walking into the Alabama practice, the thought of, “‘Who’s that guy?!’” came to mind. Finkley looks the part. His massive upper legs stood out, as did his overall build. He’s also incredibly flexible and nimble despite his size.

Texas Commitment Defensive Lineman Justice Finkley Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville — Justice Finkley - Texas Commitment
Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

He’s a blur off the edge and could eventually move inside for the Longhorns. Despite being at least 250-pounds, Finkley moved like he was 210. He’s just an incredible athlete.

He was really good with his ability to bend off the edge during one-on-one drills, too. Finkley is a young man that can make an immediate impact in Austin, Texas.

Omari Kelly, Wide Receiver, Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville - Auburn Commitment

Mr. Consistency. Kelly ran by defenders quite a few times during one-on-one opportunities, but even more importantly he showed good hands. Those hands were busy as he understands route concepts and how to break down and move laterally after hitting top-end speed.

With excellent arm length and the ability to jump and catch a pass over a defensive back, Kelly is going to be really hard to cover for the Auburn Tigers.

Kobe Prentice, Wide Receiver, Calera (Ala.) High School - Alabama Commitment

Burner. Pure and simple. He’s also a player that can stop on a dime just as well as hitting the turbo bursters like a Ferrari. That impactful trait showed itself multiple times when Prentice stopped and settled down in zones to make catches.

When going against man coverage, most defensive backs preferred to play off coverage. That fact also helped Prentice run shorter and intermediate routes. Placing Prentice in the lineup with other speedy and athletic wide receivers will continue to allow Alabama to have a bag of riches at its disposal for years to come.

Jarell Stinson, Cornerback Opelika (Ala.) High School - Ole Miss Commitment

If there’s a cornerback with all but unlimited upside, it’s Stinson. He’s thin and wiry with his build, but there’s plenty of room for added muscle growth. His lack of weight was more than compensated for with sheer speed.

Stinson runs in the 10.3 range in the 100 meters, and he’s translated that speed to the gridiron. He twisted and turned, stopped and started, and hit the gas whenever he needed to during drills and action against top wide receivers.

He’s still learning in terms of technique, but he’s just getting started. When thinking of a position fit, Stinson could be a nickel or play either boundary and/or field cornerback. Time will tell. The physical tools were there and it was obvious while watching him perform during Alabama team practices.

Moving over to the Mississippi practices, size was the focal point. In fact, the defensive line for the Mississippi team was incredible, so that’s a starting point.

Jehiem Oatis, Nose Guard, Columbia (Miss.) High School - Alabama Commitment

There’s been a heated recruiting battle for Oatis, and for good reason. He’s incredibly agile despite his girth. When Oatis wants to ‘go’ he’s all but unblockable in the middle of the line. He’s even adept at using a swim move to get by the center. When a quarterback takes the snap and immediately sees Oatis coming at him after quickly passing by the center, it’s not a good sign of things to come.

Oatis is still learning the finer points of being a two-gap player and he will need to continue learning schemes and defensive line concepts as well. He did a good job of extending his arms after contact and simply moving through an area, a trait that’s as welcomed by defensive line coaches as there can be. His power was unquestionably evident time and time again despite going up against really talented Mississippi interior linemen during practice.

As for his recruitment, Oatis will visit Alabama later today and has Head Coach Nick Saban coming for an in-home visit before National Signing Day on Dec. 15. Expect Oatis to sign with the Crimson Tide despite Ole Miss and Mississippi State giving chase.

Bryson Hurst, Offensive Tackle, Gautier (Miss.) High School - Ole Miss Commitment

While quite as big as Oatis, Hurst is still 6’6” and 320-pounds. The way he moved, even in space during a screen play, was also evident during Mississippi practices. Hust should not be deemed just a power player. During several different plays, he showed the ability to get vertical and take on defenders at the linebacker level after scraping off a defensive end or outside linebacker.

The big question for this big player would be, which exact position does he play for the Rebels? He certainly displayed the talent to stay at offensive tackle, but he could also be an asset at offensive guard. Good problem to have for Coach Kiffin at Ole Miss.

Zxavian Harris, Defensive Line, Madison (Miss.) Germantown - Ole Miss Commitment

Despite being 6’8” and 350-pounds, Harris moved extremely well from side-to-side. He’s not just a downhill power player. In fact, it was shocking just how well he moved. When a person first looks at Harris, the notion likely comes that he’s destined for the offensive line. In fact, Harris could do quite well at offensive tackle. He’s still capable along the defensive line, too.

As a 3-4 defensive end, he can two-gap with the best of defensive ends. He’s incredibly long and possesses a natural ability to find the football during running plays. Harris just needs to continue honing his craft because his natural ability and incredible size are about as rare as it gets.

Ole Miss needed defensive line help, so it will be interesting to see how the coaches in Oxford, Miss. go about getting Harris into the lineup.

Cedrick Beavers, Cornerback, Taylorsville (Miss.) High School

Length, speed, frame and instincts, those attributes defined the way Beavers played during practices this week. His ability to bend and change direction while shadowing a speedy receiver was evident numerous times.

Maybe the best thing about Beavers was his ability to adjust. The Mississippi All-Star team has plenty of speed at wide receiver (see below) and Beavers was tasked with tracking all of them during one-on-one drills. It was rare for a receiver to get by during a deep pass.

He’s also a player that likes to place his hands on a receiver early in the route to take him off his intended track. Beavers could play just about any place in a defensive secondary.

Speaking of speed and talent, there’s a wide receiver that needs to be mentioned.

Jordan Anthony, Wide Receiver, Tylertown (Miss.) High School - Kentucky Commitment

It would be awesome to see Stinson race Anthony. Talk about blurs on a track or football field. Anthony’s first step is right now! He’s not waiting on anyone and he constantly beats defenders across the field during over routes and post patterns. He’s a nightmare because he’s also adept at operating in the screen game.

Shifty and athletic, Anthony proved that he’s more than capable of running between multiple defenders after catching a pass at or near the line of scrimmage. One can bet that Kentucky coaches are excited to get him to Lexington, Ky. Look for Anthony to be a part of the Wildcats special teams units as a return man, too.

Trevion Williams, Defensive End, Crystal Springs (Miss.) High School

Williams will be making his final decision soon, and it looks like he could go several different places.

“I’m down to… Auburn, Tennessee, FSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State,” Williams said after practice on Wednesday. He’s done with in-home visits and will make his decision on Dec. 15.

Out of all the players that were on the Mississippi roster, Williams flashed his speed, strength and natural football IQ better than anyone. He was constantly in the backfield during 11-on-11 practices. He’s a really rare talent.

The 6’4”, 255-pound edge defender showed his ability to dominate blockers when he was in a true one-on-one situation coming off the edge. He’s going to play early no matter what school he attends.

It was an incredible array of talent on each practice field this week, and it will be entertaining watching these young men perform at the next level.

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