National Preps Combine Preview: Defense

Photo: Carolina Experience

Will Helms May 27, 2021 @ 11:45 AM

The National Preps Showcase in Bermuda Run, North Carolina is one of the more star-studded events of the Spring and Prep Redzone will be there to bring you full coverage. Before we recap the weekend though, we’re here to preview it and give you an idea of some of the players we’re excited to see.

The “Dudes”

Every good prospect camp should have at least a few established recruits competing as having those guys helps to give an idea of the quality of other platers at the camp. This weekend, there are several of these “dudes” scheduled to showcase their skills. We’ve scouted several from afar but are excited to see them in person. Here we’ll look at a few of them.

Clayton edge rusher Donovan Spellman Donovan Spellman 6'4" | 215 lbs | DL Clayton | 2022 State NC has long been near the top of our rankings and after a strong junior campaign the offers have finally started to trickle in. The 6-4, 210-pounder has recently received offers from Group of Five schools like Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Appalachian State, but has also received a Power Five offer from Boston College.

Spellman is the highest-ranked defensive player in attendance in our 2022 class and will be joined by other standout edge rushers like Grimsley’s Tamorye Thompson Tamorye Thompson 6'0" | 225 lbs | DL Grimsley | 2022 State NC , Wake Forest’s Chris Allen Chris Allen 6'5" | 260 lbs | DL Wake Forest | 2022 State NC , Northeastern’s Kaevon Freshwater Kaevon Freshwater 6'5" | 225 lbs | DL Northeastern | 2022 State NC and Pender’s Christopher Spencer Christopher Spencer 6'5" | 245 lbs | DL Pender | 2022 State NC . All four had excellent junior seasons and hold multiple Division 1 offers. I personally like all four and think each would be an excellent addition for an FBS team.

They’ll be joined by standout 2023 defensive linemen KJ Sampson KJ Sampson 6'4" | 285 lbs | DL New Bern | 2023 State NC of New Bern and Isaiah Shirley Isaiah Shirley 6'3" | 235 lbs | DL Watauga | 2023 State NC , from Watauga. Also of note, 2-way star Jamaal Jarrett is competing as a defensive lineman.

These guys will provide a benchmark by which we can measure other players.

The Under-the-Radar Guys

I’m excited to see several guys in action that may not have the accolades of some of the top guys, in terms of top-level offers. Several of these guys will excel, even against other top players.

Schultz is a guy that played really well in a shortened private school season this year, and I’m excited for the opportunity to see him on a level playing field with other edge rushers. Mebane is a 2023 lineman that really impressed me this season, and I think he could be one of the standouts Saturday.

Another private school lineman that could make some noise is Christ School edge rusher Brady Ioannidis Brady Ioannidis 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Christ School | 2022 State NC . Like Schultz, he played in the fall and is nearly five months into his offseason. I think he could have a great camp. He has a couple of Ivy League offers and I don’t think he’s done yet. Parkwood’s Cody Hardy Cody Hardy 6'5" | 235 lbs | LB Parkwood | 2022 State NC was banged up for a lot of his junior season and split time between defensive end and tight end, but assuming he’s healthy, I think he’ll stand out Saturday.

The linebacker group is heavy with underrated talent. Christ School’s Angeni Jacobs Angeni Jacobs 6'2" | 215 lbs | LB Christ School | 2022 State NC sticks out as the type of player that can really play well in these showcase settings. I’m also interested to watch South Mecklenburg’s Panos Burlos Panos Burlos 6'0" | 190 lbs | LB South Mecklenburg | 2022 State NC and Salisbury’s Jaden Gaither Jaden Gaither 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB Salisbury | 2022 State NC in action. 2023 John Balas John Balas 6'1" | 230 lbs | LB Providence | 2022 State NC of Providence had a great season so I’m interested to see how he performs. Lastly, Xavion Coulter Xavion Coulter 5'11" | 225 lbs | LB Newton-Conover | 2022 State NC is one of our top linebackers in the 2022 class. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t pick up a few offers this summer and Saturday could contribute to that.

At defensive back, Mike Geter Mike Geter 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Salisbury | 2024 State NC of Salisbury was one of the best freshmen in the state this year. I’ve never seen him in person and he doesn’t have a lot of film out there, so this weekend will tell me a lot about his potential. Brodrick Gooch Brodrick Gooch 6'1" | 205 lbs | DB Hough | 2022 State NC from Heritage is one of the better 2-way players in the state. He’s transitioning more to the defensive side of the ball (where a lot of colleges are interested in playing him) and I want to see him go through drills on that side of the ball.

Metrolina Christian defensive back Tommy Miller Tommy Miller 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Metrolina Christian | 2022 State NC intrigues me as a high-academic, high-IQ safety. I’ve never seen him in a camp setting and want to see how he performs.