Get ready for it. Here comes the purge of names that’s sure to bust a few buttons once you’ve digested their skills and their potential. Throughout the week BCP will be highlighting the players that made impressions on the staff on Sunday in Land O’Lakes. The evaluation process is far from over, but we’ve thrown dozens of names with all position groups included into a hat and randomly selected the first ten for publishing to get things started for you.
RB – Andrew Cunningham, Cambridge Christian (5-11,185) -2018
Hard to find anything not to like about this sophomore that’s already the size of hundreds of his peers at the position who are seniors. Last season for the Lancers, Cunningham posted 1,238 total yards and thirteen touchdowns at the position in nine games averaging 10.5 yards per carry in the process. From his footwork, to his body control and everything in-between it’s safe to say he’ll be on a multitude of college coaches target lists in the not-so-distant future. His pass-cathing skills also translate to him being an all-purpose back at the next level with great hands and high vertical jumping ability.
WR – Jacquez Jones, Clearwater (5-10,153) -2017
Jones is a part of an offensive arsenal on hand for the Tornadoes this season and really flashed signs at camp that with a little more technical and physical development he could be an enormous headache for opposing defenses. Jones possesses good technique off the line of scrimmage with his hands and can use his wiry frame and quick change of direction to create separation with the DB’s. He’s got a little bit of ‘And-1 Mix-tape’ post-catch style post-catch and a junkyard-dawg instinct, the quicker he gets north-south however the more lethal he will become as a pass catcher in the future.
QB – Hayden Lindsey, Hardee (6-1,165) -2017
Although he didn’t pull off the MVP honors on Sunday, that didn’t diminish the performance nor the overall progression he has turned in since showing up to these events. Lindsey continues to makes strides in his footwork and his ball placement on the tough throws that can either make or break the development at the spot over time. He can certainly make the short-to-intermediate routes look routine and has the arm strength to get the ball down the field with ease. Once he puts everything together with consistency the sky’s the limit for him.
LB – Shane Evins, East Bay (5-11,209) -2016
Things are looking up for the Indians on many fronts and perhaps you can add this young man to the list of reasons why when you see the kind of work he put in on Sunday. Evins flashed all the signs looked for at the position that the Xecutives invitees possess such as change of direction, quick feet and good angles of attack on the RB’s in 1-on-1’s. He showed he can put in some work with the pads when he posted 9 tackles versus Bloomingdale as well, so we are most certainly going to keep track of this young man’s progression as the summer continues.
TE – Aaron Zofnas, Durant (6-3,217) -2016
This prospect along with a few others made some serious noise within this position group making the job of choosing an MVP all that more difficult. Zofnas’ size obviously makes him an enticing target of the Cougars on offense and with his solid route-running and soft hands there’s loads of potential for him to do work at the position this fall. Zofnas caught 8 passes for 126 yards last season for Durant in limited action so we think those numbers are due to rise this fall.
DL – Bailey Shepherd, Brandon (6-4,250) -2017
Yet another prospect hailing from District 7A-9, this young man turned quite a few heads on Sunday and created some buzz in the coaches meetings. Shepherd posted 22 tackles, 2 sacks and recovered a fumble last season as a sophomore and was active in the Bears’ 38-0 demolition of Bloomingdale in their spring classic as well. Shepherd’s explosion from his stance is powerful and he was looking to find the shortest route to the QB at all times and with great success during 1-on-1’s at camp. Shepherd’s definitely a name to remember come this fall in our eyes.
RB – Darrell Cook, Zephyrhills Christian Academy (6-1,246) -2016
Cook is built like a dump truck with legit all-purpose skills starting to develop. He plays linebacker for the Warriors as well, but he’s received an invite to the Xecutives as a running back and with good reason. Cook’s quick feet and ability to control that frame of his have been steadily getting better and now compliment his soft hands and north-south running style extremely well.
DL – Garett Waits, Durant (6-1,210) -2016
Waits is the second member of Doo-rant to make this list and was turning the same amount of heads as Shepherd was during drills and 1-on-1’s. Waits’ motor was running on all-cylinders and he was arguably having some of the most fun out of anyone on the field. That motor was present during last season as well when he posted 37 tackles, a sack, plus 2 hurries and caused fumbles each. His strength and explosion from his stance were particularly strong and he also showed great hands speed during his moves.
TE – Matthew Elkins, Anclote (6-4,220) -2017
Talk about an intriguing prospect at the position. Elkins was running very precise routes, showed extremely soft hands during 1-on-1’s and was beating his defenders often using his big frame precisely how he should. Elkins showed great instincts in finding the ball at the highest point and wasn’t afraid to take on the high-end competition lined up across from him. He posted solid numbers for the Sharks last season with 165 yards on 123 receptions and two touchdowns and could blow those numbers out of the water if things progress as well as they did this spring out in Holiday.
QB – Jacob Thomas, Wesley Chapel (6-4,180) -2017
Thomas continues to work on his position with progress being made in several phases. Just like most of the QB’s on Sunday, Thomas’ main opponent was simply himself in terms of staying consistent in the timing and delivering of the ball to the spot on the adjusted routes. Granted some of that was on the WR’s he was throwing to so we do take that into account looking at his film from 1-on-1’s and previous camps. Thomas has an ideal frame with two years left to play and will undoubtedly continue to rise through the ranks if he stays on the learning track he’s currently on.