Previewing Jacksonville Trinity Christian at Lake City Columbia
LAKE CITY, Fla. - One of the best Florida high school football games for the weekend of Sep. 24 would be Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian traveling to play at Lake City (Fla.) Columbia. These are two programs that routinely send players to major programs across the South and the United States.
For tonight’s game, there will be several prospects involved, and here are a few players from both teams to remember. It’s only a basic list, as the entire group of Division I players likely extends beyond what’s below. Again, very talented programs playing one another this evening.
Here is The Daily Knight podcast previewing the game, with the traditional preview below it:
Lake City Columbia
Marcus Peterson - 2022
Marcus Peterson
Brian Smith, Inside The Knights
Vitals: 6’4”, 190 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
Recruitment: Committed to Cincinnati
Peterson represents the rare athlete that could play multiple Division I sports. He’s a very talented basketball player, and that’s where many from the North Florida area recognize his name. As a junior, Peterson decided to come out for football. Did he ever make an impression!
It was actually the game against Trinity Christian that he really made a name for himself. His first touchdown catch was spectacular. It appeared as if the quarterback overthrew everyone. Then, Peterson simply jumped up higher than anyone else and snatched the football out of the air to score a touchdown.
Immediately it was obvious that Peterson was not one’s normal basketball transplant. This young man has special talent. Later in the game, Peterson made another great play.
He made multiple defenders miss after catching a short pass and ran the football into the endzone. It was not long after that he began to receive offers.
He’s the type of wide receiver that could play to the boundary or play out wide. His athleticism and natural pass-catching ability make him a difficult matchup for traditional cornerbacks.
With his length and strong hands, Peterson wins the majority of matchups during a 50-50 ball that could be intercepted without good effort from a wide receiver. That’s the type of situation Peterson made a name for himself with, and that same type of situation could come about again against Trinity Christian.
Tray Tolliver - 2023
Vitals: 5’9”, 170 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
Recruitment: Offers already came in from Cincinnati, Arizona, UCF, USF, and South Carolina.
Tolliver represents the type of player that once he separates from a defender, few will make the up the ground to catch him. He’s also very good at changing direction in space; he’s also a good fit to be a college punt return man.
While his natural position will be slot wide receiver, tonight will be an important opportunity to evaluate how well Tolliver runs routes and plays against bump-and-run coverage.
If he’s capable of beating his man near the line of scrimmage, his speed and quickness make him a threat to score. Really interesting player, and he’s only a junior.
Amare Ferrell - 2023
Vitals: 6’1.5”, 190 pounds
Position: Free Safety/Cornerback
Recruitment: Offers received from Miami, Penn State, Florida State, South Carolina, UCF, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Troy, and Arizona among others.
Ferrell’s upside stems from the potential to play multiple positions. He could play boundary cornerback at the college level, or stick with being a safety. For his length, he changes direction well. Further evaluation this evening will help determine the answer.
Jaden Robinson - 2023
Jaden Robinson
Vitals: 6’2”, 210 pounds
Position: Linebackers
Recruitment: Offers from programs such as LSU, South Carolina, Notre Dame, UCF, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech.
A tremendous linebacker in space, Robinson plays fast regardless of what he’s doing. Not many 210 pound players move quite the way Robinson does. His ability to run and hit allows him to play in the box, but he’s also adept at playing in space to defend the pass.
Robinson recently intercepted a pass and proceeded to make a good return before being tackled out of bounds. With his combination of traditional linebacker skills to stuff the run and play the pass, it’s not surprising that he would already hold several offers.
Trinity Christian
Cam Miller - 2022
Vitals: 6’1”, 185 pounds
Position: Cornerback/Wide Receiver
Recruitment: Committed to Penn State
Miller represents a player that’s talented enough to make it hard to even determine which side of the football he’s going to be best at. He’s twitchy, so playing receiver and getting him the football in space makes sense. Still, it’s hard to find a player with his size and speed.
That’s why cornerback could be his future college position. It would be fantastic if he followed Peterson for much of the evening, and there could also be opportunities for Miller to defend Tolliver as well.
Tonight will hopefully define which side of the football Miller should play at the college level.
Colin Hurley - 2025
Vitals: 5’11”, 200 pounds
Position: Quarterback
Recruitment: Several Power Five offers already.
This is one of those rare players that receives offers even before entering high school. There’s more information about Hurley via the podcast, but do note that this young man has a strong arm for his age and can make plays that even seniors in high school often do not.
Tonight will be a first look at this young man in pads. More information about him on Sunday, but for now do know that Hurley is an up and coming prospect with vast potential at the all-important quarterback position.
For UCF insights, college football news, and recruiting information go to: The Daily Knight podcast; it will be found on iTunes and Spotify. For Twitter, @fbscout_florida and @UCF_FanNation, as well as my YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Like and Subscribe!
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