Syracuse prospects shine at 210ths Tournament

PITTSBURGH — On Saturday, 210ths' 7-v-7 tournament's season concluded with a single-elimination championship day. With a cash prize of $3,000 on the line for the winning school, schools from across Pennsylvania showed up to compete.

The Juice Online caught up with some Syracuse recruiting targets to discuss their recruitments, and also see some potential future targets.

2028 QB Anthony Smith

The Fairmont (WV) High prospect was at Syracuse for a camp at the beginning of June and has already expressed to The Juice Online that he will be returning for a visit this upcoming fall.

Smith has a lot of communication with the staff, and currently talks to offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon the most. As of right now, Smith said he is being recruited the hardest by Syracuse, North Carolina, Purdue, Kentucky, and several MAC schools. Smith will be visiting Purdue next weekend.

Fairmont had a tough day at the tournament as the school was knocked out in the first round, but Smith still showed why Syracuse has them on their radar. Smith's arm strength was showcased on several plays, and his ability to lead receivers with his accuracy was impressive.

2028 QB James Armstrong

The Pittsburgh (PA) Hopewell High signal caller holds an SU offer and recently saw Syracuse QB coach Sean Ryan during a showcase at his school. He has also been in contact with Nixon and several other members of the support staff such as Alex Kelly.

As far as visits are concerned, Armstrong has not locked in anything with Syracuse as of now, but Armstrong commented he is not opposed to visiting once he gets to know the staff more when the recruiting period opens. Right now, Armstrong says the schools recruiting him the hardest are Penn State, Pitt, Florida State and Auburn.

Armstrong had an impressive day in Pittsburgh as he showed his ability to throw deep down the seams, over the middle and across to the sidelines. He seems locked in with all his teammates, and distributed the ball to all positions on the field (WR, TE, RB) in all of games.

Whether he checked down, or threw a fade 30+ yards, Armstrong made everything look easy. Syracuse will have a lot of competition to land Armstrong as he is a consensus top 10 QB in the country for the class of 2028.

2028 ATH Brandon Murphy

The Pittsburgh (PA) Clairton High ATH has the ability to line-up at just about every position on the field, but many schools seem to be recruiting him as a defensive back. Murphy is in constant contact with Syracuse coach Mike Gillespie, and plans to visit Syracuse this upcoming fall.

Murphy described Syracuse as "a cool program" and a program that is "in a good position" when it comes to his recruitment. Right now, Murphy says Penn State, Pitt, Ohio State, Georgia and Louisville are recruiting him the hardest.

Murphy was another player who stood out every time he took the field. He played both QB and safety for Clairton and showed not just talent, but leadership as well. Murphy consistently pointed things out to teammates and kept his teammates engaged through constant communication regarding shifts, formations, and personnel.

Despite Clairton coming up short for the championship, Murphy went home with MVP for the entire season.

Other Notable Players

Daniel Stevens, Propel Academy, class of 2029. Stevens lined up at running back for Pittsburgh (PA) Propel Academy all day and had defenses scrambling every time he took off on wheel routes, slants or even button hooks. Stevens' coach had previously compared him to Noel Devine, a player his coach had previously coached during the 2010s. This is certainly an accurate description, as Stevens is a twitchy all-purpose back that could be an interesting addition to a college teams backfield.

Jaron McKinney, Woodland Hills, class of 2028. McKinney is projected to be the starting QB for Pittsburgh (PA) Woodland Hills High this season and McKinney sure looks to the part. McKinney has plenty of arm strength, but is very precise in how he navigates the field. He also doesn't play hero ball, and already does a great job of reading his progressions and getting the ball to the most open receiver. McKinney may not be as under the radar as some believe, as Nixon already follows him on Twitter.

Brody Rock, Hopewell High School, class of 2028. Rock is considered a RB/LB recruit but on Saturday he played like a player who could line up at TE if he wanted to. Rock was all over the field and was one of the most reliable targets for Armstrong all day. Rock is currently being followed by some Syracuse scouting assistants, and with the staff already visiting to see his quarterback, Rock may turn into an interesting Syracuse target with a strong season.

Gha'Fir Lampkins, Sharon High School, class of 2027. Lampkins shined at defensive back all day and took home Defensive MVP honors for the season. Lampkins was on receivers like glue and had apparently not even seen a target his way for several weeks. Lampkins currently has D2 offers, but he certainly has the ability to potentially become a diamond in the rough for D1 schools by signing day.

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