Camp Notes: Early Observations

In college football, the spring brings talk of spring camp, position battles, incoming players, new coaches, and implementing changes to answer offseason questions. On the recruiting side of things, it means 7 on 7 tournaments, skill camps, Junior Days, new offers, players emerging, and teams setting their boards. We’ve been on the road at several camps in the last few weeks, and we wanted to share some of our observations from these various events. Some of the events that have been kind enough to allow us access have been the Pylon 7 on 7 tournament from Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN, the Rocky Top 7 on 7 Classic from Gatlinburg, TN, the NPA Leverage Lineman Camp in Gatlinburg, TN, and the Music City Showdown 7 on 7 Tournament from Station Camp High School in Nashville, TN.

Walker Merrill is Really, Really Good

There are going to be several takeaways that revolve around a specific 7 on 7 team called the Dream Team Hard Knox. This team is primarily made up of Nashville and Knoxville area players, and the team is full of players with multiple Power Five offers. Many of the players also carry offers from Tennessee, so they have been a priority to watch at the events where they compete. On a squad with the caliber of players the Dream Team has, it is difficult to stand out, but one player in particular has done so, rising senior at Brentwood High, Walker Merrill.

Merrill is a highly rated receiver that holds multiple SEC offers, but has been a frequent visitor to Tennessee and Ole Miss. Merrill is 6’1” and around 185-190 pounds. He has the frame to be a Power Five receiver, but questions have surrounded just how ready he is for the next level. The answers to some of those questions follow. Yes, he is SEC fast. Merrill can break a short dump route into a long touchdown on pure speed alone. He did it against multiple teams, including in a matchup with Fast Houston 7 on 7, another premier team in the nation. Yes, he can take the pounding in the SEC. Merrill is shredded. He has an impressive physique without an ounce of fat to be found. That body and dedication in the weight room has prepared him to withstand the punishment of the SEC. No, his routes aren’t where you think they are, they are better. Merrill is a route running technician. He takes pride in his routes, understands how to use them, and understands how to set up opposing defensive backs. Add in excellent hands and a focused, business-like disposition, and it is easy to see why Merrill has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. He is frequently pointed to by both as a player that forces others to get better and that could make an impact on a college team this fall, his senior season in high school.

Junior Colson will get Serious Consideration for a Fifth Star

Colson is also a member of the Dream Team 7 on 7 squad and has offers from almost every major program in the nation. As a junior in 2019, Colson was already regarded as one of the top players in the state at Ravenwood (Brentwood, TN). Opponents ran away from former teammate, Oklahoma-bound Reggie Grimes, on the vast majority of plays. This meant that Colson knew, game-in and game-out, that he would be responsible for taking on blockers, shedding them, and making the tackle on runners. Colson showed a willingness to be a tough, physical linebacker in pads, attacking the run and proving to be an effective blitzer. His combination of size, strength, and speed has coaches at the next level salivating.

Rather than rest on his outstanding junior film, Colson joined the Dream Team specifically to improve his skills in pass defense. Coulson has added more muscle to his frame, looking bigger now in shorts and a t shirt than he did early last season in pads. That size means he can match up well with big, pass catching tight ends, his speed means he can keep up with running backs as they run routes, and his strength means that he can deliver a massive hit to both if they catch a ball. Colson has worked on his breaks and the fluidity of his hips, and he certainly looks the part of a linebacker that will excel in coverage. Adding into this his excellent character, leadership, and high football IQ, and he is a linebacker that is as complete as there is in America.

There are Some Good Corners Flying Under the Radar in the 2021 Class

Now, players like Kyndrich Breedlove from Pearl Cohn (Nashville, TN) and Kolby Phillips from Hillsboro (Nashville, TN) are good corners that may not have especially high rankings yet, but both have offers from multiple SEC Schools and could see their rankings rise with strong senior campaigns. Both are rangy, long corners that play with an edge. Breedlove is the more physical of the two, more willing to get tough with a receiver, support they run, and is the bigger hitter. Phillips is more of a pure, cover corner. He shows good speed, the ability to jam, confidence when left on an island, fluid hips to turn and run with a receiver, and the ball skills to go up for and break up passes. They are both quality players who should rise this season, but they aren’t as under the radar as two other players.

Gregory Rubin from White Station (Memphis, TN) is a member of the PPA 7 on 7 team, another elite squad that is based out of Memphis. He and another member of the Dream Team, Isiah Cox from Alcoa (Alcoa, TN) have stood out as a pair of big corners that can do it all. Rubin and Cox are both similar players with similar offer lists, some small school offers with SEC schools watching closely, but yet to offer. Both corners are over six feet, both have long arms, both have thick builds that allow them to be physical with receivers on a jam, both have fluid hips that let them turn and run, both are good leapers, and both a tough, willing tacklers. Both Rubin and Cox have the ability to help teams at safety because of their size and willingness to tackle, but they each seem to have a higher ceiling working on the outside at corner. These are two guys that are the type of big corners that are required in modern college football, and they are willing run defenders as well. This is a pair that should come onto radars of larger programs during the fall.

(Edit: Since the time of writing, Rubin has been offered by LSU.)

If Isaiah Brevard Runs a Fade, a Highlight is Coming Up

Isaiah Brevard from perennial powerhouse Southaven (Southaven, MS) is one of the elite wide receivers in the nation in the 2021 cycle. He is also a member of the PPA 7 on 7 team out of Memphis. At 6’4” and 200 pounds, Brevard is a big receiver with good speed. While Brevard is working to develop his routes further with PPA, one facet of his game translates with pads or without. Brevard’s big frame, coupled with his outstanding leaping ability, means that any pass short of the third row of seats is in play. Near the endzone, Brevard is a jaw-dropping highlight waiting to happen. Even when a team brackets him near the endzone, out of respect for the fade, Brevard regularly out jumps the coverage to haul in spectacular touchdown catches. Whoever lands his commitment this fall will be pulling in an exceptional talent.

Names to Know

At these events, there are invariably some players that shine at the event that, for whatever reason, aren’t headliners yet. Here are three players that have impressed and should be getting more looks than they have been.

Iven Dayton Jr. plays for Pearl Cohn on Friday nights, and he is a member of the NPA Ballhawk Green team based out of Nashville in the 7 on 7 leagues. The Firebirds are a team known for their speed, and even on that squad, Dayton has earned the nickname of Dayton 500. Dayton is currently the top athlete under 18 in nation in the 60-meter dash and has run a reported 4.28 forty-yard dash. Dayton is a small back, and his lack of height and weight are the primary concerns for teams. Despite his diminutive size, Dayton is absolutely fearless on the football field. In pads, he plays all over the field for Pearl Cohn, including running back, receiver, and kick returner. Small or not, Dayton will run through much larger defenders. He runs with shocking strength, physicality, and courage for his size, has blistering speed, and outstanding hands. If a college program will look beyond his size at the results he achieves on the field, they could be looking at Dave Meggit or Darren Sproles type player.

Bryce Goodner from McMinn County (Athens, TN) is a big, physical lineman that just wants to lift all the weight and hit all the people. At 6’3” and 300 pounds, Goodner’s future is likely on the inside of the line. He has the immense strength, nasty mentality, and straight-line speed to be a quality player there. Goodner has offers from, “About half of the Ivy League schools,” so his intelligence should make him a fine center candidate as well. Goodner is raw, but a good offensive line coach able to take a little time to teach technique could find a real diamond in the rough in Goodner.

Last but not least is a name that will rise in the next few seasons. Lance Williams is currently a freshman at Alcoa and was one of the key members on an offensive line that won yet another state title. As a freshman, Williams is already 6’3” and 285 pounds. He won the state championship in the heavyweight division in wrestling as a freshman, another shocking achievement. Williams is a prolific athlete and going to be special. He already has the size, strength, quick feet, clean technique, and exceptional balance that make for an elite tackle prospect. As he gets older and matures, those are skills that will only grow and become more refined. If Williams continues to pursue wrestling as well, which seems likely, he stands to be able to continue to develop his balance, leverage, strength, and endurance beyond football. Any doubt about how good Williams could be were put to rest when he squared off for two one-on-one reps against Reggie Grimes, a young man that will factor into the fight to start at defensive end for the Oklahoma Sooners this fall. While Grimes beat the freshman clean on one rep, Williams stone-walled Grimes on another, staying in front of him and winning the rep decisively with good technique and quick feet. It was a glimpse of the talent Williams has, and the kind of competition he can expect to be preparing for in another four years.

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