Akron East is loaded with talent in 2020

When it comes to football, we all know that Northeast Ohio is king in the buckeye state. NE Ohio has always been a hotbed of the best players in the country every single year. As we travel to a small town of Akron, made famous by Lebron James, East high school is sitting pretty with tons of talent. A Boston College commit leads this group by the name of [player_tooltip player_id= "34197" first= "Shawn" last= "Gates"], he is an exciting player in the secondary and looks to continue the upward momentum for the Dragons program. I spoke with Head Coach and Co- Athletic Director Marques Hayes about his 9th upcoming year as the man in charge. Here is what we discovered about the loaded East football program, and we will take a look into the roster. The head ball coach told me, "This team is being built the right way" Hayes was speaking of his veteran units upfront on both sides of the ball. This football team in 2020 is bolstering a lot of size, power, and skill up front. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>Offensive Line: </strong> This unit has excellent size, and they can create lanes for the talented backs at East. <em>Donavan Daniels:</em> <ul> <li>6’4 290 - LT - 2021</li> <li>Tough, Athletic and hearing from colleges</li> </ul> <em>Darion Primus-Blackmon:</em> <ul> <li>6’3 310 - LG - 2022</li> <li>Road grader type run-blocker</li> <li>Size, power and physical</li> </ul> <em>Daekwan Sanders:</em> <ul> <li>5’11 275 - Center - 2021</li> <li>Can bench press over 400lbs</li> <li>Very intelligent and can read fronts</li> </ul> <em>David Banks:</em> <ul> <li>6’0 290 - RG - 2021</li> <li>Returning Starter from 2019</li> <li>Very strong and powerful</li> </ul> <em>Dennis Reynolds: </em> <ul> <li>6’3 250 - RT - 2021</li> <li>One best in the region</li> <li>Physical and athletic</li> <li>Dominant on the Defensive side too</li> </ul> The Dragons will have an edge with this offensive lineman, and we all know you can’t win football games without it. What makes this situation unique is the high caliber backfield that will compliment this team’s strengths on the line. One player who will be "featured" from time to time on the offense is [player_tooltip player_id="34321" first="DeAnthony" last="Becton"]; he is currently committed to Central Michigan to play DB. Becton is no stranger to RB as he was the starter at Ellet his freshman year. [player_tooltip player_id="34294" first="Richtell" last="McCallister"] will lead the way with this group of talented backs. <em>Nakari Virden: </em> <ul> <li>5’10 175 - QB - 2021</li> <li>Transferred to East to play for the same high school as his father</li> <li>Has the experience as a multiple-year starter</li> <li>Ability to run and pass are both equally effective</li> </ul> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="34294" first="Richtell" last="McCallister"]:</em> <ul> <li>5’8 175 - RB - 2021</li> <li>Committed to Eastern Kentucky University</li> <li>Slasher style back</li> <li>Big-time playmaker</li> </ul> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="34326" first="Kobe" last="Campbell"]: </em> <ul> <li>5’10 215 - RB - 2021</li> <li>Physical back that can block</li> <li>Ability to beat you with his deceptive speed</li> <li>Hard to tackle in a one on one situation</li> </ul> With so much talent on offense, you would think there was not enough to go around for the defense. Well, if you thought that, you might want to reconsider that notion. Here are some of the key players on defense. [player_tooltip player_id="27982" first="Vince" last="Carpenter"] <ul> <li>6’3 330 - Nose - 2021</li> <li>Hearing from D1 schools and has D2 offers</li> </ul> <em>Eric Cosey:</em> <ul> <li>6’1 230 - End - 2021</li> <li>Athletic and Improving</li> </ul> <em>Dennis Reynolds: </em> <ul> <li>6’3 250 - DL - 2021</li> <li>Quick</li> <li>Physical</li> <li>Leader</li> </ul> <em>Tim Christian:</em> <ul> <li>5’10 170 - CB - 2021</li> <li>Transfer from Copley</li> <li>Has D2 Offers</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="34321" first="DeAnthony" last="Becton"]: <ul> <li>#19 Ranked DB - Prep Redzone Ranking</li> <li>Central Michigan Commit</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="34197" first="Shawn" last="Gates"]: <ul> <li>#4 Ranked DB - Prep Redzone Rankings</li> <li>Boston College Commit</li> </ul> Cameron Cosey: <ul> <li>6’3 220 - LB - 2022</li> <li>Prospect to watch in 2020</li> </ul> Tristan Thomas: <ul> <li>Talented 2023 Prospect</li> <li>Starting at FS</li> <li>Uber Athletic</li> </ul> &nbsp; Head Coach Notes: Marques Hayes (<span style="font-size: 1rem;">9th Season)</span> <ul> <li>(7-3) 2019 record started 0-3</li> <li>Past four years been to the playoffs twice <ul> <li>Won both 1st round games lost in second both times</li> </ul> </li> <li>Sent nine players to college from the class of 2019</li> </ul> An exciting year is in store for the Akron East Dragons, and we look forward to covering the team and its prospects.