HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PASCO COUNTY PINELLAS COUNTY POLK COUNTY

You Ready? The Summer E7 is here

For some looking for Xecutives invites it’s now or never, while for many others it’s time to peel back the curtain. The 2015 spring season has come and gone and the summer has officially begun. For fringe prospects and on-the-radar alike, it’s the “Third Season” that can quite frankly make or break many of these players momentum. The summer offseason can lead to disappointment in the fall if the camp bodies cannot translate into the pads, or it can positively put players under the microscope leading to the offers rolling in once the regular season starts. Whatever the case may be, the reality is that we know it’s just shirts and shorts. We know that it’s a 50-50 proposition at best when it comes to predicting the future when the pads are off, but like we’ve said many times it’s pretty much all-about the size of the fight in the dog during camp, and hardly ever about the size. We now take a closer look at the final event in terms of numbers, expectations and much more.

Quarterbacks…
Just a couple invites remain for the chance to join a list that includes some pretty high-end company. Quite a bit of intrigue surrounds the participants that have registered for the position. Of the nineteen that are currently signed up, 11 of the prospects are from the classes of 2017, ’18 and ’19. There’s already a guarantee that at least half of the roster for Xecutives will be from the Class of 2017 & 2018 with six young men earning invites to the event later this month. Could there be even more added to that list? Guys from the 2017 list that could compete for the final two spots are Hardee’s Hayden Lindsey and Sunlake’s Justin Hall could certainly grab those spots, but strong performances from either member of the Class of 2016 in Leland Johansen IV from East Lake or Anclote’s Brandon Vinkler could tip the scales back even for the upperclassmen.

Running Backs…
Tough to call just how many spots are left, but things can change. As it stands there’s just one invite open and things just got MUCH more interesting with the likes of the participants that plan on attending. River Ridge’s Chris Schwarz, Pasco’s Eric Wilson, and Wiregrass Ranch’s Chase Oliver are all coming to compete and they’re trying to join a list that’s stacked with dual-threat capabilities. One of the exciting parts about this equation is all three have been witnessed as playmakers in the pads, so getting to witness them up close without all the other distractions should enhance the evaluation. This position is is senior-heavy with nine prospects hailing from the Class of 2016.

Wide Receivers…
Sort of an enigmatic group of players that have picked up invites. Another position that’s chocked full of upperclassmen, they all have shown flashes of brilliance pads on or off while showcasing that there’s still an insane amount of progression to be made by them. Pinellas and Hillsborough currently have the most prospects at the position with invites, but of the 24 that have registered for Sunday’s event 14 of them are sophomores or younger. It is anybody’s guess at this point what the final list will look like, but with six spots available the odds are that we could see some new names emerge from this group. That would give this position group some serious depth if the majority of this invites get snatched up by the young bucks. Keep your eyes peeled for Pasco’s Chris Debyah (2017) and Wiregrass Ranch’s Jordan Miner (2018) to make some noise among the young guys.

Tight Ends…
Four spots remain for the Xecutives at the end of the month in a group that is loaded with 2017 and 2018 talent. Hillsborough County appears to be the main source of the talent at this position as of right now, but there’s some good size and potential stars signed up for the event. Noah Carlson from Tampa Catholic was the MVP of the WR’s at E7, but will figure prominently at TE at the end of the month along with teammate Tre McKitty, shoe was the MVP of Ignite. There’s no representation from Polk or Pasco County at this spot so we will be looking for someone to step up and force us to change those numbers.

Offensive Line…
Some absolute bullies on this list that could get even stronger if some of the names signed up for Sunday get after it like we expect them to. Could this be the event that guys like Sunlake’s Bryce Cooley and Gaither’s Shane McGough get that invite? They would join the likes of Rowdy Driggers, Baveon Johnson and Brandon Walton among others. The guys that compete this Sunday will have their hands full and will want to prove something since Joey Russum and the aforementioned Walton will be returning even though they have their invites in-hand.

Defensive Line…
Two spots remain to join some junkyard dawgs at the end of the month. This position group is loaded with members of the Class of 2016, but a couple of 2017 prospects could up the ante. Guys like Countryside’s Andrew Brown and Mitchell’s Danny Schwindt could force the issue, but a couple of 2016’s from Hernando and Pasco County (Hernando’s Tyson Libengood and Zephyrhills Christian’s J’won Pickett) could steal the show with solid performances. Pickett would give Pasco their only representation if he were to pick up the invite and that would leave just Polk County without a player at this position.

Linebackers…
Eight spots remain for this position group that might be pound-for-pound the deepest collection of talent in all nine positions in the camp. Guys like Decalon Brooks, AJ Deshazor, Kelvin Broome, Steven Ogletree, Deondre Pride and Josh Anderson sit on this list, but Steinbrenner’s Tyler Mirabella has shown some potential and could be a standout to join his teammate Patrick Lukert along with Countryside’s Thomas Rowan. Nearly all of the aforementioned players figured heavily in their spring games, so guys that are gunning to join them this Sunday better be prepared to lay it all on the line. Interesting note here is that there are ZERO guys from Pasco and Pinellas on this list with invites at this time. Do things change this Sunday?

Cornerbacks…
REALLY good group of players already invited at this position that includes some studs like Marchalo Judge, Brandon Frazier and Jayvaughn Myers. Of the nineteen guys signed up, nine of them are sophomores or younger. There’s already a few ballers from the Class of 2017 on the list, but much like the WR group this could be a position that sees some young bucks make it to the big show. Interesting note there are no players from Pinellas County on the list. Does this change?

Safeties…
Just two spots remain in a group that has some ballers locked-and-loaded on it. The reigning MVP’s are East Bay’s KJ Sails and Largo’s Brandon Drayton. Also on that list are CCC’s Rashaad Stewart and Chamberlain’s Deedrick Daniels. The list is compiled mostly of members from the Class of 2016, and with no representation from Pasco County. Things could change if Pasco’s Deshaun White comes to compete along with an intriguing prospect from Polk County that was a QB camper last season. Winter Haven’s Dominique Northern has the size and skills to play what he wants, and if he wants to play safety at the next level, Sunday could be a major step towards building that momentum against some stiff competition.