Its been a busy few months for me having finally started moving around and traveling. Hope you are all staying safe. Anyways, going back through my notes I realized I had not gotten to my write ups on Rivals Camps in Atlanta or Los Angeles. I know its a little late but its way overdue and finally done!
First off, the weather was absolutely crazy. It would not stop raining the first day so I only got one day to work. Anyways, let's talk about a few kids that stood out to me in Atlanta.
Defensive End Beau Atkinson
From Leesville Road HS (NC) I want to show defensive end Beau Atkinson some love! This kid was a problem all day. He has a high motor and was destroying offensive lines in one-on-one drills. Passes the eyeball test easy checking in at 6'6 and at the time weighed 238. He is a multi-sport athlete playing lacrosse also. Since the camp he officially committed to his hometown North Carolina Tarheels. I expect that he will get a real opportunity to be a star there sooner than later..
Offensive Linemen Jackson Cannon
Georgia offensive lineman Jackson Cannon has to be one of the best I have seen all off season. I watched him play Center ALL day which is NOT his natural position and he was eating defensive linemen up the whole day! He's normally a tackle, but when I caught up with him he said, "I'm here for the reps so I'll play center or wherever." Jackson's got a real quiet, but nasty side. He really stepped up and showcased some versatility which may help him early on at the next level where he will be at his hometown Mississippi State.
Defensive Back Audavion Collins
I did get to see some athletes workin in Atlanta one of them being Newton HS defensive back Audavion Collins. The cornerback was straps all day during 1v1s, and he got a little flair to him. He was not going to let wide receivers get good reps on him. I know that he is a target for Arizona and Michigan State, but I could see him in the SEC. Has a smooth back pedal, and uses his hands well. If he keep showing out like he did in Atlanta the sky is the limit!
Quarterback Bryce Archie
There was a lot of talented quarterbacks working out there one in particular was McEachern's Bryce Archie who is committed to Coastal Carolina. He throws a nice deep ball, but I got to see him make some intermediate throws that impressed me just cause he was able to build a chemistry with wide receivers that he may not regularly throw competitively with. Also one of my favorite things about Bryce was that he was a great listener when coaches were telling him things they didn't have to tell him twice. You could also see that he was an alpha amongst his peers too. Coastal and their fans should be very excited about this signal caller.
Quarterback AJ Swann
Cherokee HS Signal Caller and Maryland commit AJ Swann stole the show in Atlanta. I personally didn't see him miss a throw. His deep ball looked good and his intermediate, and short stuff was on point. Motion was fluid and he just had a great day! checked in at 6'2, but he'll prolly get close to 6'3. Maryland should be thrilled to get this flamethrower. Once Tagovailoa is out it may be the AJ Swann show for the Terps!
Quarterback Antwaan Hill
Finally the last QB I want to talk about is Antwaan Hill the 2025 young boy from Houston County HS! Man he is going to be fun to watch develop he is already 6'3 and has control. He does not move awkwardly or anything. He also didn't look out of place being the only '25 QB in the group. He actually embraced the atmosphere very well! He has a nice release, good arm strength. and moves VERY athletically. I expect him to be a 30 offer kid!
So after traveling back across the country, making a stop in my home state of Arizona, I found myself at Rivals camp/combine in Los Angeles at beautiful J Serra. The weather was much better in Cali than it was in Georgia! So I actually saw two days of work and not just one. Also saw a lot of my Arizona athletes which was cool. But thats another article. Anyways, let's talk about some of these ballers!
Quarterback Katin Houser
One QB that stood out to me in Cali was Bosco quarterback Katin Houser. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really liked what I saw from him. He was throwing well to all levels. Especially with all the defensive backs out there overly physical he was placing the ball where only his guy could get it. He was probably one of the best Cali QBs I saw out there. I thought he was around 6'1, but he easily clears 6'2 almost 6'3. He is going to be a nice addition for Michigan State
Tight End Matayo Uiagalelei
No surprise was 6'5 262 pound tight end Matayo Uiagalelei. He DEFINITELY lived up to the hype. The Bosco TE does a great job of sealing off defenders creating windows for the QB that defenders cant even get to. Also had ZERO problems with the over handsy over aggressive defenders. He has a HUGE catch radius. I know he also plays DE I would loved to have seen him in 1v1s as a DE. Matayo is ridiculously talented and very fun to watch!
Running Back Jaydn Ott
Definitely one of the best players I seen in the off-season was Bishop Gorman running back Jaydn Ott. He put on a show in Los Angeles on the slick surface where everyone was slipping and sliding he was dealing with the problems and still making the play. He showed ability to match defensive backs physically, and abused linebackers with his speed. He owned the 1v1s that I watched and he seemed to be takin 2 sometimes 3 reps for everybody else's 1. Bishop Gorman comes to Arizona to play Hamilton this might be must see!
Cornerback Jordan Shaw
Cornerback Jordan Shaw from St Pius X did his thing out there silencing receivers. He even had the play of the day with a 1 handed cross body interception that drew oohs and ahs from EVERYBODY. What I liked about Jordan was he wasn't just going through the motions he took every rep as "only one of us eatin, and it wont be you." He's a hell of a competitor. The '23 Corner should attract a lot of attention once he gets back on the field and things return to normal.
Athlete Luke Morrow
On camp day there was an Oklahoma athlete from Norman HS named Luke Morrow who ran a blistering 4.51 40, and had a 35 inch vertical. He plays defensive back. Eyeballing him I could see him being a solid safety at the next level. Just needs some opportunities to be seen. Thanks to todays technology it wont be hard to do that. Ill for sure keep an eye on him.
