Just when you thought the initial smoke had cleared from BCP’s E7TC Spring event in Lakeland, think again. We are still in the process of breaking down all of our initial thoughts and observations regarding the 200+ campers that attended, and upon further review, we’ve got fifteen more young men deserving of a little burn. As noted in the preview, there were campers from outside the BCP coverage area in attendance and a few of those young men certainly got noticed and we continue to highlight players that made plays from around our coverage area that weren’t in the specific counties’ coverage from this week so far.
It’s been well-documented that Durant’s contingency had a fantastic showing overall and one of those not mentioned in the initial breakdown–yet certainly needing a mention–is ’17 WR Brandon Myers. The 6-3/195 pass catcher has the frame and his ball skills were were showcased well against stiff competition at the DB spot all day while another WR from Hillsborough County–Wharton’s Justin Brown–also had a very nice afternoon showcasing really nice hands and the willingness to muscle out DB’s for the ball at the point of attack.
A pair of ’18 wide receivers caught our attention as well. Winter Haven’s Terrence Anglin is a speedy slot-type pass catcher that’s got plenty of potential to develop into a weapon for the Blue Devils while Largo’s Calvin Lockett (6-1/170) showed at times why he’s going to be a very nice target for the Packers for the next two years to come. Lockett caught just six passes for 166 yards last season, but you can expect those numbers–and his frame–to both increase drastically before the year is finished.
Land O’Lakes needs someone to fill the void left by seniors Tommy Farmer and Rashawn Kindell–and that man may very well be Quentin Smith, a 2017 RB that was listed at 5-11/180 last season and has increased that size during the offseason. Smith showed very nice feet and burst and also did well in pass protection and looks to increase his workload and then some for the Gators after just 94 yards on 28 carries in 2015. Staying in Pasco County, Wiregrass Ranch’s Jason Winston (2017) looks to be fully recovered from an injury that ended his season prematurely for the Bulls in 2015.
Winston got plenty of quality reps with the linebackers, but before he was injured last season, he was also more-than-adequate as a fullback likening to a padded juggernaut when running in the open field. Now he’s even stronger than his 6-2/200 listed size last season, expect Winston to be a major factor on the defensive side and someone that will have to be paid-attention-to on the offensive side when the Bulls need the tough yards. George Jenkins NG/DT Tony Lapine (2017) may be listed at 5-8/225, but he knows how to throw that weight around and his height is secondary when he gets to use his strength and leverage. Lapine had a few nice moments for certain when working on his 1-on-1’s and should be interesting to watch for the Eagles this season.
Along with Lapine, is another player from Polk County that looks like a monster and has the potential to be just that for his Bolts this fall. Class of ’17 DT Lorenzo Ratliff Jr. is a hoss at 6-2/260 and had some very nice technical moments during his drills with the coaches and responded nicely to the coaching he received to work over some OL during 1-on-1’s as well. Ratliff Jr. obviously has the strength and the skills he showed on Sunday show he is ready to take the next step to becoming a collegiate tackle.
Rounding out the players from our coverage area, there were a pair of Lancers from Cambridge Christian that also had themselves a nice afternoon. Class of 2017 WR J’kobi Reddick was consistent and is working on making himself a dangerous slot WR with his 5-9/170 frame. Along with Reddick was Class of 2018 ATH Ricky Mann that showed a few nice moments and an athleticism that makes easy to see why the Lancers use him on both sides of the ball as either a slotback or cornerback.
As mentioned, we had some special guests from out of town–and we don’t want to forget about them. Hardee QB Hayden Lindsey (Class of 2017) was back at camp after missing Ignite and showed well even though the 6-1/180-pounder is smack-dab in the middle of baseball season for the Wildcats. Somebody has to take control of the reins following the departure of Woody Barrett at West Orange, and ’18 QB Jake Novello was there trying to get a jump on that process. Novello is a southpaw and stands at 5-10/175-pounds. Novello had a few passes that were absolutely perfect in their placement and has pretty good arm strength. As a JV QB for the Warriors last season, he showed on film that when needed, he could get the ball downfield and deeply down the field at that.
Space Coast’s S.I. Washington may be a little “slight” in stature at 5-5/140, but this young man knows what to do with the ball in his hands and he’s lightning-quick with said ball in his hands. Washington is just an ’18 and if he continues to develop the skills he put on tape on Sunday, the Vipers have an exciting option as he was also their kickoff specialist during the season as a sophomore.
Rounding out the out-of-area observations, we look at a pair of ’18 cornerbacks. Jermaine Ziegler from Sarasota Booker was a kickoff specialist for the Tornadoes last season and at 5-8/150 has slot or potential cornerback (if he hits a growth spurt) written on him. Ziegler’s older brother is a member of Booker’s squad as well, but Ziegler was getting some very nice reps working with the cornerbacks and showed some very nice ball skills.
Along with him was Eddie Teague from South Fort Myers. Teague is a transfer from Cypress Lake in Fort Myers and was a member of their squad getting run at the cornerback and running back positions during the season. Teague is listed at 5-7/150, but played with a tenacity like he was about 4 inches and 20 pounds heavier working with the cornerbacks. Perhaps it’s fitting that he is now a member of the Wolfpack since Teague seemed to be one of the hungriest campers on the entire field and was disruptive in coverage several times.