Battle Miami Recruiting Notes

Top football prospects converge on South Florida

For recruiting purposes, the best seven-on-seven tournament each year is Battle Miami.

Top prospects come from all over the United States. California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida are just some states that had prospects at Battle Miami today.

Here are a few recruiting notes from today's event, and some comments about their performances.

KJ Lacey - QB - 24K - Saraland (Ala.) High School - 2025

Seeing Lacey play over the past three years, it's amazing how much he's improving his arm strength, improving his ability to pass the football from different arm angles, as well as throwing wide receivers open.

He's still technically committed to the Texas Longhorns and did have an unofficial set to go there this weekend. He wanted to play with 24K and have some fun in South Florida though. Here's the baseline for his recruitment, after speaking with Lacey.

"Alabama has not re-offered me," Lacey said. While that note is a bit surprising, it is a new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide might want to do their own evaluation.

Auburn is still recruiting him and that's not likely to change. Look for Lacey's recruitment to be one of the more interesting in the entire 2025 recruiting cycle.

Daylyn Upshaw - WR - 24K - Phenix City (Ala.) Central - 2025

He's one of Lacey's favorite targets and Upshaw delivers receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He could be a slot receiver or a player who plays on the outside in college.

Upshaw is considering several schools and his offer list going to continue to grow. That being the case, Auburn, Alabama, and the SEC programs will likely be prime contenders. Upshaw did one note about upcoming visits.

"I'll be at Miami today and Alabama next week."

Jaime Ffrench - WR - South Florida Express - Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin - 2025

The former Alabama commitment is still as dominant as ever. His ability to get in and out of breaks is arguably the best in the country. The 5-star recruit helped to solidify his top ranking today and college coaches are noticing.

After de-committing from Bama with Nick Saban's retirement, he's looking at several schools. Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State are the best bets right now and Ffrench does not deny that. The Canes are hosting Ffrench and his SFE teammates today, in fact.

Bama is trying to get back into the mix and Ffrench admitted, "Bama is slowly getting back towards the top three."

He's a great guy and his recruitment could take many more twists. Ohio State is his most likely next unofficial visit.

Aiden Hall - FS - 4th Quarter Mentality - New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr - 2026

Physically, Hall is as twitchy as one could want with a free safety. Considering Hall has two more years of high school, it's even more eye-opening to watch him perform. Long arms and legs are a big part of Hall passing the look test.

He covers a lot of ground and in a hurry. It's not surprising his offer list is already impressive. Here are some of the schools Hall could remember offering him already.

"LSU, Florida State, Troy, Tulane, Ole Miss, Alabama State, Texas, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Oregon, and Texas Tech."

Look for the 6-foot-1 and 175-pound playmaker to be one of the more highly-coveted bayou recruits during the next couple of years.

Daryus Dixson - CB - South Florida Express - Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei - 2025

Just looking at Dixson's frame and watching his raw power in coverage, he looks like he's 20 years old and going into Year 3 at an SEC school. No joke. He's as impressive as any player here.

Of course, Southern California, Washington, Arizona State, and other West Coast schools are after Dixson. Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and programs down South are coming after him as well. 

Do not be surprised if Dixson ends up being considered for a fifth star when all is said and done.

Cole Bergeron - QB - 4th Quarter Mentality - Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas Moore - 2026

If you're looking for an up-and-coming quarterback, Bergeron should be a player to take into consideration. Great size already at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. He plays in one of the best mid-city hotbeds in America and that means top competition as well.

Seeing Bergeron's arm strength and natural passing motion, there's certainly a lot to like about this young man. Curious to see him play again throughout the 2024 spring seven-on-seven season. Looks like a future Power 4 quarterback.