Love coming to the 412. Been coming here all my life to see family.
Saw lots of talent this weekend so I'll stick to the big name guys for now. I'll break it down by game for you guys:
Steel Valley VS Clairton (SCRIMMAGE)
DB/WR Paris Ford- Pitt commit
-Ford remains 100-percent committed to Pitt. His coach said schools like Alabama, Oklahoma, and a few others are still reaching out but Ford has no interest.
-Coming off a thumb injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the season, Ford didn't skip a beat. He was dominant as a receiver and played well at his safety position.
-Ford looked very lean and is more of a glider as a runner. Ford covers a tremendous amount of ground as a safety and isn't afraid to get involved in the running game despite his slender build.
-As a receiver Ford blew passed the cornerbacks they almost didn't realize he was pulling away.
DB/RB Lamont Wade- Uncommitted
-Really liked his physicality ability to lockup his man.
-Covered for an injured teammate so he played a little out of position as a nickel/outside linebacker
-It was a scrimmage so both sides kept playing calling very vanilla. The Clairton coaches said they would've had Wade shadow Ford all over the field if it was a regular season game.
Northern Allegheny VS Olentangy Liberty (OH)- I went straight from Steel Valley so I missed 1Q
OL Josh Lugg- Notre Dame commit
-At left tackle, Lugg is massive and has exceptional mobility for his size. He did a god job getting off the ball quickly and driving his feet when run blocking. He needs to play lower and improve his overall strength so defensive linemen can't duck under or brush his hands off them.
-There weren't many opportunities for Lugg to show off his pass blocking skills because most of the passing plays were quick throws or rollouts away from his side.
ATH/QB Brendon White- Ohio State commit
-White looked like the big time prospect he is and seems to have a bright future awaiting him at Ohio State.
-At Ohio State White will likely play linebacker but he only played quarterback for his team on Friday. He did a very good job running the read-option and got the job done as a passer.
-It was really impressive to see how White was able to get to the edge and turn the corner using his speed to beat the defense outside.
Central Catholic VS St. John's (DC)
LB/RB David Adams- Notre Dame commit
-While he's not a huge inside linebacker, Adams packs a big time punch. He was very physical throughout the game on Saturday and made the large majority of his plays between the tackles.
-Adams did a decent job of shedding blockers and not getting caught in the wash. I really liked the angles he took to the ball carrier.
-Overall, Adams does his best work when the play is a downhill run because he reacts quickly and takes great angles to the ball. He had some problems getting beaten to the outside so that's something to keep an eye on.
-Adams took some handoffs on offense and his physical running style provided a spark to an otherwise stagnant Central Catholic offense.
DL/OL Kurt Hinish- Notre Dame commit
-Hinish was the Central Catholic player I was most excited to see coming into this game but I came away a little disappointed.
-Central Catholic had Hinish playing both ways but it seemed like they thought they needed him more for offense than defense. I'm assuming that's because the difference between Hinish & the 2nd string OL is greater than Hinish & the 2nd string DL. With that in mind, Hinish pretty much played every other defensive series and it made it hard for him to get in a groove.
-I was expecting Hinish to beat his man a lot and make plays in the backfield but that didn't happen.
-He flowed to the ball well but didn't have the impact on defense that I thought he would.
OL CJ Thorpe- PSU commit
-The Penn State commit was tossing some of the St. John's players around early in the game but that faded quickly as the game progressed.
-He was clearly very winded by the middle to end of the third quarter but was still effective as a blocker.
OL Calvin Ashley- Auburn commit
-Ashley played very well on Saturday considering the defensive end he was facing was a 215-pound sophomore that was starting his first varsity game. As a run blocker, Ashley had no problem setting the edge and was pretty good at getting to the second level to block the linebackers. Pass blocking was pretty easy for him as well. Ashley was so much stronger than his defensive counterpart that all he had to do was get his hands on him. If there was one thing Ashley could have done better it would have been for him finish his blocks with a little more aggressiveness.
DE Tyree Johnson- TAMU commit
-Recorded his first sack of the season and could have had 1 or 2 more.
-Was very fast around the edge but had trouble getting off blocks to make plays against runs between the tackles.
QB Kasim Hill- Maryland commit
-Big time arm, sees the field well, and more mobile than people previously realized.
-Really liked liked his timing with his receivers
-Made one or two poor decisions under pressure and tried to force a couple passes.
DT Cam Spence- Maryland commit
-We've been down on him for a little bit but he had an excellent game. He had two sacks and could easily have had 4.
-Spence was in great shape and was disruptive as a pass rusher and solid against the run.
2019 RBs Joachim Bangda & Keilan Robinson
-Both were phenomenal and have big time futures.
-Bangda was more of the work horse early in the game with more runs between the tackles
-Robinson was more of the all-purpose threat with outside runs and catches in space.
New Castle VS Aliquippa
2018 ATH Marcus Hooker
-Currently ranked as an athlete, Hooker will probably be moved to wide receiver after his performance on Saturday night.
-Has excellent hands, very explosive, and can score from anywhere on the field. Only got the ball a couple of times but that's more on the play calling and the QB than anything else.
-As a safety, Hooker showed a good nose for the ball but wasn't a very sure tackler.
2018 DB Kwantel Raines
-Currently ranked as a safety but also played QB for Aliquippa. Might end up getting moved to OLB in future rankings.
-Raines had an interception towards the end of the game but didn't do much else on defense.
-He can cover a lot of ground because of his size (easily 6-4 now) and not necessarily because of his speed or reaction time.
I also spent a lot of time talking to Donovan Jeter on the sideline. I will have an article coming out either today or tomorrow with him.
Some lesser recruited prospects & underclassmen I liked:
Noah Hamlin- Clairton
DeWayne Murray- Steel Valley
2018 Ed Warriner- Olentangy Liberty
2018 David Green- Central Catholic
2019 Corey Thomas- Central Catholic
2019 Brian Dallas- Central Catholic
2019 Shane Lee- St. John's
Ryan Vessel- St. John's
Darryl McDaniel- St. John's
Solvaughn Moreland- Aliquippa
Saw lots of talent this weekend so I'll stick to the big name guys for now. I'll break it down by game for you guys:
Steel Valley VS Clairton (SCRIMMAGE)
DB/WR Paris Ford- Pitt commit
-Ford remains 100-percent committed to Pitt. His coach said schools like Alabama, Oklahoma, and a few others are still reaching out but Ford has no interest.
-Coming off a thumb injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the season, Ford didn't skip a beat. He was dominant as a receiver and played well at his safety position.
-Ford looked very lean and is more of a glider as a runner. Ford covers a tremendous amount of ground as a safety and isn't afraid to get involved in the running game despite his slender build.
-As a receiver Ford blew passed the cornerbacks they almost didn't realize he was pulling away.
DB/RB Lamont Wade- Uncommitted
-Really liked his physicality ability to lockup his man.
-Covered for an injured teammate so he played a little out of position as a nickel/outside linebacker
-It was a scrimmage so both sides kept playing calling very vanilla. The Clairton coaches said they would've had Wade shadow Ford all over the field if it was a regular season game.
Northern Allegheny VS Olentangy Liberty (OH)- I went straight from Steel Valley so I missed 1Q
OL Josh Lugg- Notre Dame commit
-At left tackle, Lugg is massive and has exceptional mobility for his size. He did a god job getting off the ball quickly and driving his feet when run blocking. He needs to play lower and improve his overall strength so defensive linemen can't duck under or brush his hands off them.
-There weren't many opportunities for Lugg to show off his pass blocking skills because most of the passing plays were quick throws or rollouts away from his side.
ATH/QB Brendon White- Ohio State commit
-White looked like the big time prospect he is and seems to have a bright future awaiting him at Ohio State.
-At Ohio State White will likely play linebacker but he only played quarterback for his team on Friday. He did a very good job running the read-option and got the job done as a passer.
-It was really impressive to see how White was able to get to the edge and turn the corner using his speed to beat the defense outside.
Central Catholic VS St. John's (DC)
LB/RB David Adams- Notre Dame commit
-While he's not a huge inside linebacker, Adams packs a big time punch. He was very physical throughout the game on Saturday and made the large majority of his plays between the tackles.
-Adams did a decent job of shedding blockers and not getting caught in the wash. I really liked the angles he took to the ball carrier.
-Overall, Adams does his best work when the play is a downhill run because he reacts quickly and takes great angles to the ball. He had some problems getting beaten to the outside so that's something to keep an eye on.
-Adams took some handoffs on offense and his physical running style provided a spark to an otherwise stagnant Central Catholic offense.
DL/OL Kurt Hinish- Notre Dame commit
-Hinish was the Central Catholic player I was most excited to see coming into this game but I came away a little disappointed.
-Central Catholic had Hinish playing both ways but it seemed like they thought they needed him more for offense than defense. I'm assuming that's because the difference between Hinish & the 2nd string OL is greater than Hinish & the 2nd string DL. With that in mind, Hinish pretty much played every other defensive series and it made it hard for him to get in a groove.
-I was expecting Hinish to beat his man a lot and make plays in the backfield but that didn't happen.
-He flowed to the ball well but didn't have the impact on defense that I thought he would.
OL CJ Thorpe- PSU commit
-The Penn State commit was tossing some of the St. John's players around early in the game but that faded quickly as the game progressed.
-He was clearly very winded by the middle to end of the third quarter but was still effective as a blocker.
OL Calvin Ashley- Auburn commit
-Ashley played very well on Saturday considering the defensive end he was facing was a 215-pound sophomore that was starting his first varsity game. As a run blocker, Ashley had no problem setting the edge and was pretty good at getting to the second level to block the linebackers. Pass blocking was pretty easy for him as well. Ashley was so much stronger than his defensive counterpart that all he had to do was get his hands on him. If there was one thing Ashley could have done better it would have been for him finish his blocks with a little more aggressiveness.
DE Tyree Johnson- TAMU commit
-Recorded his first sack of the season and could have had 1 or 2 more.
-Was very fast around the edge but had trouble getting off blocks to make plays against runs between the tackles.
QB Kasim Hill- Maryland commit
-Big time arm, sees the field well, and more mobile than people previously realized.
-Really liked liked his timing with his receivers
-Made one or two poor decisions under pressure and tried to force a couple passes.
DT Cam Spence- Maryland commit
-We've been down on him for a little bit but he had an excellent game. He had two sacks and could easily have had 4.
-Spence was in great shape and was disruptive as a pass rusher and solid against the run.
2019 RBs Joachim Bangda & Keilan Robinson
-Both were phenomenal and have big time futures.
-Bangda was more of the work horse early in the game with more runs between the tackles
-Robinson was more of the all-purpose threat with outside runs and catches in space.
New Castle VS Aliquippa
2018 ATH Marcus Hooker
-Currently ranked as an athlete, Hooker will probably be moved to wide receiver after his performance on Saturday night.
-Has excellent hands, very explosive, and can score from anywhere on the field. Only got the ball a couple of times but that's more on the play calling and the QB than anything else.
-As a safety, Hooker showed a good nose for the ball but wasn't a very sure tackler.
2018 DB Kwantel Raines
-Currently ranked as a safety but also played QB for Aliquippa. Might end up getting moved to OLB in future rankings.
-Raines had an interception towards the end of the game but didn't do much else on defense.
-He can cover a lot of ground because of his size (easily 6-4 now) and not necessarily because of his speed or reaction time.
I also spent a lot of time talking to Donovan Jeter on the sideline. I will have an article coming out either today or tomorrow with him.
Some lesser recruited prospects & underclassmen I liked:
Noah Hamlin- Clairton
DeWayne Murray- Steel Valley
2018 Ed Warriner- Olentangy Liberty
2018 David Green- Central Catholic
2019 Corey Thomas- Central Catholic
2019 Brian Dallas- Central Catholic
2019 Shane Lee- St. John's
Ryan Vessel- St. John's
Darryl McDaniel- St. John's
Solvaughn Moreland- Aliquippa
