Young Prospects Shine at Inaugural DexPreps Camp in Alabama
HOOVER, Ala. -- The classes of 2021, 2022, 2023 and even 2024 was well represented Sunday as college football prospect camp season kicked off in the Birmingham area as part of the inaugural DexPreps Camp.
The offensive and defensive line prospects were featured in the morning session and the skill guys worked thereafter in a pair of spirited and competitive setting.
SI All-American was on hand and shares notes from the latest look at some of Alabama's best.
OL Rules the Morning
While there were Power Five and FBS prospects on both sides of the line, there were more clear wins with the offensive group when it came time to compete. From morning MVP Almarion Crim (Adamsville, Ala./Minor) to emerger Devon Waldrop (Birmingham, Ala./Wenonah), there was no shortage of of offensive dominance.
Crim - A reshaped and refined interior prospect, there was little doubt on the alpha among the offensive line prospects from a wins or competitive standpoint overall (video above). Crim was consistent with leverage and extension against all types of pass rushers and technique alike, showcasing great leg drive and motor to play through each rep. He wasn't afraid to let onlookers know how excited he was after some of his many victories. Jacksonville State was added to Crim's offer list shortly after the event wrapped up.
Waldrop - The 'who is this guy?' question popped up after just about every rep the stout interior projection took. Waldrop had the best finishes of the morning session in getting prospects to the turf, without holding, with true upper-body power after getting defenders off balance. Searching for his initial FBS offer, Waldrop is probably a center projection down the line.
Cort Bradley - The versatile athlete who supplements football with wrestling and show choir was as stout as any offensive lineman on this day. He carries 300 pounds incredibly well, especially while on the move laterally. Bradley has the strong anchor one would expect of a top wrestler and already has experience snapping the football. A handful of offers are already in for the Auburn (Ala.) High standout, including UAB and South Alabama.
Ray Crum - No prospect held immense weight better than Crum among those competing. A tall, yet well-proportioned specimen who has tackle length and athleticism, Crum surprised everyone in checking in at more than 350 pounds. He can extend and win with raw power but has a lot of room to refine his technique from the top down. But the frame, athleticism and foundation will have more and more FBS programs checking in on the Pinson (Ala.) Pinson Valley standout. Arizona State and Kansas are among those already on board with offers.
Jaelon Brown - A massive interior type, Brown has worked hard on his weight management this offseason and is said to be down 20-plus pounds since the 2019 campaign wrapped up. The Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing trenchman moves well for 340 or so pounds and is more fluid than he should be at that size. As Brown continues to progress physically his recruiting profile should do the same. Tennessee and Central Michigan have offered.
Kyler Gibson - The Munford (Ala.) offensive tackle, who also plays baseball, is a tall and lean tackle type with a good athletic foundation. Obviously long, he has room to fill out and it will help with his base as he becomes a high school upperclassman. The class of 2022 prospect has active footwork and enough aggression relative to his age. Gibson looks to have FBS upside early on.
DL Edward Smith - An inside-out defensive lineman out of Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Central, Smith has that new-age makeup at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds or so. He is too quick for big interior types but packs plenty of power for tackles on the edge. Smith can use his hands well and redirect laterally for wins that can project properly on all three downs. Smith, who has an offer from South Alabama, plans on hitting the camp circuit hard in search of additional offers.
DL Ronde Henderson - Another Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing standout, the short and stout defensive tackle was a handful for even the top prospects to combat. Harrison is probably 5-foot-11 on his best day but has leverage and quickness on his side with an FCS ceiling.
DL Kelby Collins - A class of 2023 prospect already with multiple offers, it took mere seconds to see why upon an initial live look. Collins is a legit 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and looks like a future national recruit when he puts it in motion. Collins is long, quick and shows early signs of polish for a rising sophomore. Auburn and UAB have already seen enough to offer and more are coming.
DL Keldrick Faulk - Another freshman who has the look of a national prospect is the tall and lanky Faulk, who also plays basketball for Highland Home (Ala..) High. More than a dozen programs have already offered the productive pass rusher, who wants to win with speed and counters underneath at this stage of his development. As Faulk eventually focuses on football, which he said is the plan considering his ceiling on the gridiron, he will fill out and play with a bit more control.
The DB MVP Debate
While looking at top performers immediately following the event, there was a prolonged discussion about top defensive back honors. A handful of prospects were legitimately under consideration for the honor including Justin Parks (Gardendale, Ala.), Trequon Fegans (Oxford, Ala.), BJ Kynard (Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay) and Keon Handley, Jr. (Fairfield, Ala.) who was selected after the deliberation. Each won well more than otherwise and proved willing to combat the best the wide receiver group had to offer.
Parks - Great length and competitiveness make Parks an easy-to-see FBS prospect. He is strong at the line of scrimmage and has sneaky speed with his wiry frame. Few defensive backs got their hands on the football as much as Parks did Sunday. He plays through the football and it's part of the reason programs are still considering him at corner despite a solid safety floor. UAB, Troy, South Alabama, Louisiana and Southern Miss are on board at this point.
Fegans - A long and gifted prospect, the youngest of the three Fegans brothers who helped Oxford (Ala.) High to a state title in 2019 may end up as the one with the highest ceiling. He is at home challenging wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and can use his long stride to close the distance between he and the target down the field. Fegans tracks the ball fairly well and can play the opponents' hands with force, part of the reason he has offers from a handful of SEC programs despite being in the class of 2022.
Handley - The hungriest prospect among the skill guys, Handley fought for reps and fought harder to win them. Working mostly in the slot, he played patient defense to stick to his leverage and rarely spent parts of reps out of phase with the wide receiver. Handley, the son of Fairfield (Ala.) High's head coach of the same name, has strong body control and ball skills at 5-foot-10 or so, too.
Kynard - Yet another nickel type who impressed is Kynard. There is polish and consistency here along with the quickest head-snap of any defensive back competing. Finding the football in any position is as important a DB trait as there is and Kynard is ahead of the pack at this stage of his development.
Jaden Taylor - "Hollywood" does a bit of everything on Friday nights but his future will be in the secondary. The Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing standout looks comfortable working the nickel role already, with good leverage discipline, closing speed and physicality at the point evident at this event. Taylor, whose older brother Cam Taylor plays in the Nebraska secondary, has great feel anywhere on the field. Austin Peay has offered and of course the Cornhuskers are keeping tabs on him.
Justin Jackson - True speed sits with the other Ramsay High corner, who sits opposite Kynard on Friday nights. Jackson is bigger and faster but he's not just a track guy playing football as a hobby. He has a strong build and can come out of his break with power in addition to combating downfield routes pretty consistently.
WR Micah Woods - There was next to no debate for the top wideout performer on Sunday with Woods looking and playing the part from drills all the way through the final one-on-one rep he took. The Pinson (Ala.) Pinson Valley rising senior has easy speed, meaning he can accelerate and get to top speed very quickly. Woods maintains that speed and tracks the ball well as a downfield type. He will need more Friday night tape to take the next step as a recruit.
WR Quell Fells - Start. Stop. Rinse and repeat, the short and stocky wide receiver has the lower body control of a mature prospect and it helps him to construct great routes underneath. Good hands and that great quickness make Fells, another Pinson Valley wideout, tough to combat at the line of scrimmage and through short to intermediate route. He's not a burner but can create enough separation to make plays at deeper levels down the line.
WR Antonio Miles - One of the best frames at any position among the competitors belongs to the Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville standout. Miles stands about 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with long arms and some edge to his game. After an admittedly-slow start to the competition portion of the day he began picking up his game and making contested catches against some of the top DBs on hand. Miles has quick feet and enough speed to challenge defenders at all three levels.
WR Trent Davis - Another emerger relative to recruiting reputation entering the weekend, Davis was among the most fun prospects to watch work. The Atalla (Ala.) Etowah wide receiver had perhaps the best package of speed, route construction and hands among the wide receivers competing. Creating separation in multiple ways, Davis looks like he can impact a game while working in the slot, outside or even in the return game.
WR Tre Roberson - A big-bodied state champion wideout, Roberson has solid physicality and strong hands on that possessive frame. The Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout has upped his on-field production each of the last few seasons and he looks poised for his best run as the go-to guy for the Warriors in 2020. Arkansas, Troy, UAB and others have offered.
2024 Presence Felt
SI All-American got an initial look at two of the most talked about rising 9th-graders the state of Alabama has seen of late in Jay Mbakwe (Pinson, Ala./Clay-Chalkville) and Ronnie Royal (Alexandria, Ala.). Each held his own against the other, almost a separate showcase as each played both wide receiver and defensive back at the event.
Mbakwe is a bit smoother at this point in his development, transitioning very well in and out of breaks along with very natural ball skills. Royal is longer and more physically impressive from a body control and strength standpoint, but neither is far off from the other in either regard.
It's never too early to look ahead in this day and age of recruiting and each of these rising 9th-graders bears watching.
Camp MVPs
QB - Zach Pyron
RB - LT Sanders
WR (overall afternoon MVP) - Micah Woods
WR - Quell Fells
WR (dynamic) - Trent Davis
OL (overall) - Almarion Crim
OL (emerger) - Devon Waldrop
DL - Edward White
LB - Josh Smith
DB (overall) - Trequon Fegans
DB (nickel) - Keon Handley, Jr.
DB - BJ Kynard
Young MVP - Jay Mbakwe
Young Star Offense - Ronnie Royal
Young Star Defense - Kelby Collins
Brooks Austin contributed to this report. Read his work at BulldogMaven.com.
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