East vs. West All-Star Practice, Recruiting Notes

#PRZTN was on hand for the East vs. West All-Star practice session on Wednesday and we were able to gather plenty of info from both a recruiting and scouting stand point to provide for ya here! Practice Notes East Team - I was only able to partake in the final 30 minutes of the East practice (Tennessee traffic lol) but still gathered plenty of intel and got to see some guys in person I have yet to see yet. One of those guys being Cleveland (TN) receiver and current Memphis commit, [player_tooltip player_id="153072" first="Destun" last="Thomas"]. The Blue Raiders playmaker definitely looks the part as he has the size and arm length coaches like out wide. Thomas was able to haul in a few passes while I was there and looked smooth running his routes. The biggest thing I see in him that must be enhanced is his overall speed. He has the body, physical traits to turn into a solid possession receiver and maybe more with the Memphis Tigers. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-248634" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/20211208_155312-crop-2764x1815-1639072343-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> - Through the small session of West practice that I saw, the defense was owning the offense, especially Baylor linebacker and current Virginia commit, [player_tooltip player_id="102038" first="Trey" last="McDonald"]. He was everywhere and immediately stood out to anybody that was watching. He not only looks the part but plays it too. McDonald has big upside along with coming into his own with confidence, so with the Wahoos in the ACC, the ceiling is quite high for this Chattanooga area defender. - The East team has a big and talented offensive line led by [player_tooltip player_id="102031" first="Ian" last="Poe"], [player_tooltip player_id="102049" first="Gus" last="Hill"] and [player_tooltip player_id="150896" first="Bo" last="Black"] and all three are available, well maybe two of the …More on this below! All three guys are big, massive human beings that play a physical brand of football and all look in good shape currently. Black in particular looks slimmer and more agile. He also provides huge versatility as he showed this season that he can handle the center position, even at 6’5 300 plus pounds. Poe and Hill are people movers in the middle that are vastly underrated. Look for all three of these to have a strong East vs. West game and continue to up their stock. West Team - The beef and overall talent up front may reside best with the East Team but for the West Squad, they have some serious skill, talent and juice that can take over a game. Quarterbacks [player_tooltip player_id="102029" first="Cade" last="Law"] and [player_tooltip player_id="216904" first="Ranen" last="Blackburn"] will not lack receivers to throw to on Thursday night as they have several top level targets to spin it at. Those include [player_tooltip player_id="102153" first="Andrew" last="Paige"], [player_tooltip player_id="102124" first="Jackson" last="Long"], [player_tooltip player_id="102002" first="Kaydin" last="Pope"], [player_tooltip player_id="102112" first="LaMarion" last="Pierce"], [player_tooltip player_id="153043" first="Ellis" last="Ellis, Jr"] and [player_tooltip player_id="102098" first="Ben" last="Coggin"]. That is a strong list of skill players that can be playmakers anytime they step on the field. All six of those guys are college level prospects as well, so the West Squad is certainly not lacking in skill to throw it to. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Here is one of the more underrated talents we have remaining in-state for the '22 class Beech (WR/TE) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewWPaige?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndrewWPaige</a> This guy could be elite in time!! <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneTN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BeechFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BeechFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NCEC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCEC_Recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z32MFaJGUZ">pic.twitter.com/Z32MFaJGUZ</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1468995911942561797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - Marshall Co. (TN) DB [player_tooltip player_id="102112" first="LaMarion" last="Pierce"] was the most athletic player on the field, yet again! This is an NFL level talent that just doesn’t know it yet. If he can mature and continue to develop and go after what he wants, Pierce can become a household name on the college level and beyond. - Besides the skill on offense, the West Team has some good defensive backs as well. Among those that stood out on Wednesday include Ensworth’s (DB) [player_tooltip player_id="102009" first="Charles" last="Ingram V"], [player_tooltip player_id="102097" first="Kaleb" last="Lyons"] from Brentwood Academy and [player_tooltip player_id="153045" first="Kavon" last="Coffee"] from Pearl Cohn. Ingram is being used on the outside at corner where he could stick on the next level. Lyons looks smooth with his feet and has improved with his lower body movements. Coffee is undersized but the dude is a player. He created several tip passes on Wednesday while also picking off one. Ingram is headed to Furman and while both Lyons and Coffee are looking for their future college homes. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-248630" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/20211208_160530-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" />   Recruiting Notes - While watching yesterday’s practice, I was able to talk with several prospects and gather some important info. Multiple prospects in attendance have made up their minds and are ready to announce their commitments soon. Ensworth (TN) O-lineman [player_tooltip player_id="102071" first="Phillip" last="Gray"] is off the market and look for him to announce his commitment to Richmond over the next several days, certainly prior to signing day on the 15th. This is a big get for the Spiders as Gray is a D1 level talent that has fallen into the lap of Richmond and I’m sure they are excited to be getting this Middle Tennessee talent onto their roster. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> O-line getting instructions & working...some big boys!! Those seen here include <a href="https://twitter.com/FisherA_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FisherA_</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/phillipgrayiii?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@phillipgrayiii</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TysonKing77?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TysonKing77</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AidanFrancis_54?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AidanFrancis_54</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRZTN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PRZTN</a> <a href="https://t.co/f4YgHFV5dq">pic.twitter.com/f4YgHFV5dq</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1468698870192521217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - Two more offensive linemen that appear ready to make their college decisions are [player_tooltip player_id="102031" first="Ian" last="Poe"] from Tullahoma and [player_tooltip player_id="102049" first="Gus" last="Hill"] from Fayetteville. Poe has been on the brink of D1 offers for a long time and he could be close to adding a few. UConn and a few others are making contact currently but as of now, Poe is expected to commit to Austin Peay. Poe has mentioned pushing back his commitment too as some bigger schools are beginning to show interest. After picking up a PWO from Tennessee last week, Hill looks like he will be accepting that offer and betting on himself as he tries to compete for a large role on the Volunteers offensive line. Hill is a worker and deceptive athlete that has the will power to make it work in Knoxville and possibly become, if not a starter, a key contributor on their line. - One of the best remaining defensive tackle prospects available is USJ senior [player_tooltip player_id="102057" first="Joshua" last="Jones"]. The Bruins All-State and All-Region performer informed me on Wednesday night that Samford is making a big push for his services. The Bulldogs have been interested with Jones for a while now and currently have the Bruins D-lineman at the top of their high school defensive tackle board. Jones could be a guy that picks up recruiting steam as we get past the 1st signing day and into that final stretch of January - One of the best prospects in attendance up here is Franklin senior Off. Tackle [player_tooltip player_id="101974" first="Fisher" last="Anderson"] and he looks in prime shape for his start and experience at Stanford University. He will be ready for his time on “The Farm” but it won’t start for some time. Anderson informed me that he will not be early enrolling and will begin his college journey next summer. The Admirals senior lineman wants to enjoy his final high school days and not rush anything. Anderson will be more than ready to compete on the college level once he gets there and has the smarts, size and physicality to compete for a starting role immediately. .