Alright, before I got started, a little disclaimer. My top performers segment of this piece isn't a list of the best prospects that played at the event, but rather who had the biggest impact during the tournament itself. Guys like Jayvon Thrift and Teradja Mitchell are very, very good players who didn't make my list partially because the 7v7 environment doesn't play to the strength of physical players who like to hit and is better for your shifty skill guys. It was tough to narrow this down as there were literally dozens of future Division I kids on those fields and probably millions of dollars in collective scholarships, but I picked ten kids in no order. Any way, here's the breakdown of top performers and some other recruiting notes below that.
Top Performers
TJ Banks - East Allegheny (Pa.) - Tight end - 2018
As I noted above, these aren't in any order, but if I was forced to pick an MVP, my answer is probably TJ Banks. He's up to 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds now and he really knows how to use his body and size as a weapon. He boxes out on those throws over the middle to prevent the DB from getting a hand on the ball and he can snatch it away if they do. Banks is incredibly strong and quick and he worked just about everybody. Team 412 really rode him and Lipford (below) to the championship and he was beating the country's number one inside linebacker, Teradja Mitchell, at a pretty consistent clip.
Layton Jordan (no profile yet) - McKeesport (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2018
Jordan is a player who's broken out in a major way these last few months and looks like he should be a real player for McKeesport this fall. He's picked up three offers, all from MAC and FCS schools to date, with a fourth coming from Temple soon. He missed day two, but in that first day, he was taking the top off defenses easily and could go up and get the ball. Nice player at about 6-foot-2, should be fun to watch if he camps with Pitt.
Darryl Jones II - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Wide receiver - 2018
Darryl Jones was a known quantity coming into this weekend, but the four-star Rivals250 wide receiver from Virginia Beach lived up to his billing for sure. He had some ridiculous catches throughout the day and his only bad game was really the final one against Team 412 where Tremar Palmer was giving some trouble with jams. Jones is going to be a stud somewhere when he puts on more muscle, very good footwork and hands.
Gordon Lam (No profile yet) - Toronto (Can.) - Athlete - 2017
Nobody at the event had heard of Lam until he showed up, but the Canadian slot receiver changed that at the event. He played both ways for his 7v7 team, MVP, and seemed to be constantly open on offense. He's committed to a Canadian university that he's supposed to be enroll in in September, but he's open to American options and should be playing ball down here.
Kwantel Raines - Aliquippa (Pa.) - Safety - 2018
You guys all know Kwantel Raines of Aliquippa, the Rivals250 safety and Pitt's top local target for 2018. There were times during the weekend where Raines was sitting back on his heels too much and needed to attack more, but he largely put together a very solid performance and was where he needed to be. He's a very cerebral and intelligent player who sees the game so well and seems like a future captain to me at the college level. He closes well on the football and his length helps in that regard.
Sheridan Jones - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Cornerback - 2020
Sheridan Jones is going to be one of the five-stars in the 2020 class if he keeps this up. He's a 6-foot-1, 170-pound freshman cornerback who already has offers from Bama, Georgia, and a bunch of other elite programs. He's going to have every offer in the country if he keeps playing like this. Super long and super fast and he's eligible to make a play on any ball thrown near him. Might grow into a safety, but he's a lockdown corner right now.
Armani Chatman - Bayside (Va.) - Athlete - 2018
Four-star Virginia Beach (Va.) athlete Armani Chatman was a problem on both sides of the football for Mach 1. He played more at defensive back than he did at wide receiver, but I could really see him playing on either side when he gets to college. He's super skinny and needs to add muscle, but his agility and length make him deadly at safety. At receiver, he's comfortable to go up and get anything. Very, very confident player. Pitt was hoping to have him visit this weekend, but I think they offer and get him on campus eventually.
Brandon Lipford - West Allegheny (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2018
West Allegheny's Brandon Lipford was playing in an environment that absolutely fits his strengths. He might be all of 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but he can really fly and create space. Lipford's feet are super quick and even in a situation like tag football, it's hard to stop him when he has room to dance. I don't think I saw Lipford drop a pass all weekend and he pretty much out-run everybody when he had it. If he were this decisive with the ball in his hands when he had pads on, he'd have several MAC offers by now. Hoping for a big senior season for him as he takes the spotlight with Kenny White leaving the team.
Dante Cephas (no profile yet) - Penn Hills (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2019
Dante Cephas was the breakout sophomore of the tournament for me among players I had never seen before. Cephas had a great rapport with his high school quarterback and fellow 2019 standout, Hollis Mathis, and the two linked up for some big plays, including this great one-handed TD on a fly route I've embedded below. Look for Cephas to break out in his upcoming junior year now that some players ahead of him have graduated. He's a definite Division I guy for me.
Tyler DeSue - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Quarterback - 2018
DeSue was by far the most highly-regarded quarterback at the event, and for good reason. A marksman, he could put the ball wherever his team needed it to be. There were a few throws where he would miss high or wide, but he was almost always missing in a spot where his misses couldn't result in an interception. There were a couple eye-popping throws from DeSue, including a bomb of a touchdown where he rolled out to his left and threw a touchdown the length of the field from across his body and off of his back foot. On the whole, it was a very good weekend from the Virginia native.
Honorable Mention (by team)
2018 cornerback Tremar Palmer of Brashear (Pa.) was a lockdown on the outside for Team 412 and he has the goods to play Division I football, as does his teammate and fellow 2018 DB, Rodney Dennard of Woodland Hills (Pa.). These guys should both have Division I offers.
Evolve had lots of promising young guys for whom I believe the future is very bright. 2019 safeties Corey Thomas Jr. and Jayvon Thrift are both going to be double-digit offer Power Five guys and they both did their thing this weekend. 2019 DE Brian Dallas played out of position at LB but he can really run and he's super long. Going to be a problem when he adds weight, definite future offer candidate. 2019 WR Rahmon Hart Jr. is coming off of an injury, but looked good as he knocked off the rust and learns to use that big body. 2019 QB Hollis Mathis made some really beautiful throws and you can see the game slow down for him at times, but he needs to stop forcing the big throw sometimes. Going to be a very good one for Penn Hills. I've seen 2018 DB Kenny White have better days and he needs to mature a little personally and focus less on jawing and more on just playing. Trash talk is fun, but not if it disrupts from your own concentration. 2018 WR Ronnie Stevenson was beating guys deep frequently, he just needs to learn how to haul the ball in through contact. He's a monster on deep balls.
Mach 1 brought up a lot of Division I guys that I didn't list above, including Rivals100 LB Teradja Mitchell in 2018 class, the country's number one inside linebacker. This doesn't play to his strengths, but he'll be a good one. 2018 safety Mondo Walker should be a Power Five guy, even though he's a little bit sawed off. 2018 wide receiver Da'Kendall James had a disgusting one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone where he Mossed some poor Canadian kid. 2019 QB Taylor Eggers and 2020 WR Keontae Jenkins are going to be good ones eventually, just need more of a chance to shine.
The Canadian team, MVP, had a younger kid in addition to Lam named Brayden Harris. He's a 2019 WR who's right around that 6-foot mark and should only get even better with more reps against American competition.
PA Elite had a quarter of guys that I liked, led by 2018 WR Tyler Brennan. Not sure how many schools are going to offer, but he's very quick and sure-handed and can make a lot of plays. 2019 North Allegheny ATH Corey Melzer and 2019 Central Catholic DB Dominic Dodson are undersized, but they can play with the big boys. 2019 LB Jake Stebbins is another guy, like Teradja Mitchell and Jayvon Thrift, who was in an environment that doesn't play to his strengths physically, but he still had a really nice tournament and is a very bright kid who calls the defense for that team. Going to be a good one, very reminiscent of training partner David Adams
Top Performers
TJ Banks - East Allegheny (Pa.) - Tight end - 2018
As I noted above, these aren't in any order, but if I was forced to pick an MVP, my answer is probably TJ Banks. He's up to 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds now and he really knows how to use his body and size as a weapon. He boxes out on those throws over the middle to prevent the DB from getting a hand on the ball and he can snatch it away if they do. Banks is incredibly strong and quick and he worked just about everybody. Team 412 really rode him and Lipford (below) to the championship and he was beating the country's number one inside linebacker, Teradja Mitchell, at a pretty consistent clip.
Layton Jordan (no profile yet) - McKeesport (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2018
Jordan is a player who's broken out in a major way these last few months and looks like he should be a real player for McKeesport this fall. He's picked up three offers, all from MAC and FCS schools to date, with a fourth coming from Temple soon. He missed day two, but in that first day, he was taking the top off defenses easily and could go up and get the ball. Nice player at about 6-foot-2, should be fun to watch if he camps with Pitt.
Darryl Jones II - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Wide receiver - 2018
Darryl Jones was a known quantity coming into this weekend, but the four-star Rivals250 wide receiver from Virginia Beach lived up to his billing for sure. He had some ridiculous catches throughout the day and his only bad game was really the final one against Team 412 where Tremar Palmer was giving some trouble with jams. Jones is going to be a stud somewhere when he puts on more muscle, very good footwork and hands.
Gordon Lam (No profile yet) - Toronto (Can.) - Athlete - 2017
Nobody at the event had heard of Lam until he showed up, but the Canadian slot receiver changed that at the event. He played both ways for his 7v7 team, MVP, and seemed to be constantly open on offense. He's committed to a Canadian university that he's supposed to be enroll in in September, but he's open to American options and should be playing ball down here.
Kwantel Raines - Aliquippa (Pa.) - Safety - 2018
You guys all know Kwantel Raines of Aliquippa, the Rivals250 safety and Pitt's top local target for 2018. There were times during the weekend where Raines was sitting back on his heels too much and needed to attack more, but he largely put together a very solid performance and was where he needed to be. He's a very cerebral and intelligent player who sees the game so well and seems like a future captain to me at the college level. He closes well on the football and his length helps in that regard.
Sheridan Jones - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Cornerback - 2020
Sheridan Jones is going to be one of the five-stars in the 2020 class if he keeps this up. He's a 6-foot-1, 170-pound freshman cornerback who already has offers from Bama, Georgia, and a bunch of other elite programs. He's going to have every offer in the country if he keeps playing like this. Super long and super fast and he's eligible to make a play on any ball thrown near him. Might grow into a safety, but he's a lockdown corner right now.
Armani Chatman - Bayside (Va.) - Athlete - 2018
Four-star Virginia Beach (Va.) athlete Armani Chatman was a problem on both sides of the football for Mach 1. He played more at defensive back than he did at wide receiver, but I could really see him playing on either side when he gets to college. He's super skinny and needs to add muscle, but his agility and length make him deadly at safety. At receiver, he's comfortable to go up and get anything. Very, very confident player. Pitt was hoping to have him visit this weekend, but I think they offer and get him on campus eventually.
Brandon Lipford - West Allegheny (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2018
West Allegheny's Brandon Lipford was playing in an environment that absolutely fits his strengths. He might be all of 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but he can really fly and create space. Lipford's feet are super quick and even in a situation like tag football, it's hard to stop him when he has room to dance. I don't think I saw Lipford drop a pass all weekend and he pretty much out-run everybody when he had it. If he were this decisive with the ball in his hands when he had pads on, he'd have several MAC offers by now. Hoping for a big senior season for him as he takes the spotlight with Kenny White leaving the team.
Dante Cephas (no profile yet) - Penn Hills (Pa.) - Wide receiver - 2019
Dante Cephas was the breakout sophomore of the tournament for me among players I had never seen before. Cephas had a great rapport with his high school quarterback and fellow 2019 standout, Hollis Mathis, and the two linked up for some big plays, including this great one-handed TD on a fly route I've embedded below. Look for Cephas to break out in his upcoming junior year now that some players ahead of him have graduated. He's a definite Division I guy for me.
Tyler DeSue - Virginia Beach (Va.) - Quarterback - 2018
DeSue was by far the most highly-regarded quarterback at the event, and for good reason. A marksman, he could put the ball wherever his team needed it to be. There were a few throws where he would miss high or wide, but he was almost always missing in a spot where his misses couldn't result in an interception. There were a couple eye-popping throws from DeSue, including a bomb of a touchdown where he rolled out to his left and threw a touchdown the length of the field from across his body and off of his back foot. On the whole, it was a very good weekend from the Virginia native.
Honorable Mention (by team)
2018 cornerback Tremar Palmer of Brashear (Pa.) was a lockdown on the outside for Team 412 and he has the goods to play Division I football, as does his teammate and fellow 2018 DB, Rodney Dennard of Woodland Hills (Pa.). These guys should both have Division I offers.
Evolve had lots of promising young guys for whom I believe the future is very bright. 2019 safeties Corey Thomas Jr. and Jayvon Thrift are both going to be double-digit offer Power Five guys and they both did their thing this weekend. 2019 DE Brian Dallas played out of position at LB but he can really run and he's super long. Going to be a problem when he adds weight, definite future offer candidate. 2019 WR Rahmon Hart Jr. is coming off of an injury, but looked good as he knocked off the rust and learns to use that big body. 2019 QB Hollis Mathis made some really beautiful throws and you can see the game slow down for him at times, but he needs to stop forcing the big throw sometimes. Going to be a very good one for Penn Hills. I've seen 2018 DB Kenny White have better days and he needs to mature a little personally and focus less on jawing and more on just playing. Trash talk is fun, but not if it disrupts from your own concentration. 2018 WR Ronnie Stevenson was beating guys deep frequently, he just needs to learn how to haul the ball in through contact. He's a monster on deep balls.
Mach 1 brought up a lot of Division I guys that I didn't list above, including Rivals100 LB Teradja Mitchell in 2018 class, the country's number one inside linebacker. This doesn't play to his strengths, but he'll be a good one. 2018 safety Mondo Walker should be a Power Five guy, even though he's a little bit sawed off. 2018 wide receiver Da'Kendall James had a disgusting one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone where he Mossed some poor Canadian kid. 2019 QB Taylor Eggers and 2020 WR Keontae Jenkins are going to be good ones eventually, just need more of a chance to shine.
The Canadian team, MVP, had a younger kid in addition to Lam named Brayden Harris. He's a 2019 WR who's right around that 6-foot mark and should only get even better with more reps against American competition.
PA Elite had a quarter of guys that I liked, led by 2018 WR Tyler Brennan. Not sure how many schools are going to offer, but he's very quick and sure-handed and can make a lot of plays. 2019 North Allegheny ATH Corey Melzer and 2019 Central Catholic DB Dominic Dodson are undersized, but they can play with the big boys. 2019 LB Jake Stebbins is another guy, like Teradja Mitchell and Jayvon Thrift, who was in an environment that doesn't play to his strengths physically, but he still had a really nice tournament and is a very bright kid who calls the defense for that team. Going to be a good one, very reminiscent of training partner David Adams
