AYF National Tournament: PRZNext’s Fastest Players
There isn’t a lot of things that can impact a football game like speed can. Whether it’s a long run that blows by pursuit angles, a deep pass downfield that takes the top off the defense, a lightning quick sack…
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Continue ReadingThere isn’t a lot of things that can impact a football game like speed can. Whether it’s a long run that blows by pursuit angles, a deep pass downfield that takes the top off the defense, a lightning quick sack that kills an offensive drive, or a sudden break on the ball to force an interception, a prospect with noteworthy speed can flip a game on its head and change the course of its results in an instant. Speed is also especially important at the youth football level because unlike size/strength, speed is usually a trait that shows itself early and is somewhat easier to predict as a prospect ages compared to trying to guess how a middle schooler will grow as they mature and get older. During my time in Kissimmee, FL for the AYF National Tournament I was able to find, evaluate, and record some absolute burners on the gridiron whose speed showed up in a variety of ways from a multitude of different positions. Whether from the Southeast, Midwest, or West Coast, these athletes can straight up fly, and below I’ve listed the 12 fastest prospects I saw during my time scouting the AYF National Championships. Before we begin, I just wanted to quickly mention that I was not able to attend the entire week of games in Kissimmee, so these players came from only the teams I was able to see in-person myself. There were definitely some more speedsters who I did not get to see. Either way, congrats to the selectees below! Thanks for reading.
#1: CJ Sadler (Motor City Jaguars) ATH. C/o 2027
The most dominant, talented, memorable, and my favorite player from the AYF Tournament also happened to be the fastest in 313 native CJ Sadler. The 13U Motor City Jaguars QB was a special kind of playmaker who was easily the best youth football player I’ve seen in my time around football. He possessed an extra gear that allowed him to glide by defenders with an ease that contradicted how fast he was running, and his ability to outpace pursuit angles and take advantage of daylight was exceptional. This was already on top of outrageous burst and elusiveness in the open field, so put it all together and you had a special kind of prospect with real deal speed that I am pumped to see translate to the high school fields of Michigan. Keep your eyes out for the name CJ Sadler.
CJ Sadler – Motor City Jaguars
#2: Arieus Finley Jr. (Wichita Cowboys) RB. C/o 2027
The AYF National Tournament hosts teams from talent-rich football areas such as South Florida, So Cal, Dallas/Houston, and Chicago, I can’t say I was expecting to find one of the fastest players from my time in Kissimmee to be from the state of Kansas. However, as I sat watching the Wichita Cowboys 13U contest for my last game of the tourney it wasn’t long before I realized their stud RB had some legitimate, game-changing speed that our subscribers need to be aware of. Arieus Finley Jr. was lighting in a bottle for the Cowboys with homerun speed that took advantage of the smallest cracks of daylight in a defense. If one defender takes a bad angle or has bad leverage on a missed tackle, he’s gone, and I saw this occur many times in the throttling of the much larger Southside Wolfpack. I also appreciated his quickness, balance, and vision, and he also had no problem lowering the shoulder when needed. Going to be keeping tabs on the Sunflower State playmaker.
Arieus Finley Jr. – Wichita Cowboys
#3: Colby Bailey (Eastside Cowboys) RB. 5’8, 150 lbs. C/o 2026
There was definitely speed in the Detroit area to compete with the talent from the South and West Coast at the AYF National Tournament, and amongst the 14U AA bracket I was a big fan of Eastside Cowboys RB Colby Bailey. He came highly recommended from his coaching staff and lived up to the hype with multiple long runs that showed off burst, power, and the ability to pull away from defenders in pursuit. He was a powerfully built 5’8, 150 lbs. with a thicker lower body that will get even stronger in a high school weight room.
Colby Bailey – Eastside Cowboys
#4: Naquan “Budda” Perry (Motor City Jaguars) RB. C/o 2027
Yet another 313 athlete to make my list (I swear I’m not biased) once again comes from the loaded 13U Motor City Jaguars and their explosive RB Naquan Perry. When this kid gets the ball in his hands he explodes upfield and through the LOS before you know it and really catches defenses off guard with how hard he hits the hole. He popped off some big runs basically untouched in the whoopin’ the Jaguars put on the San Diego Bolts, and wowed with his speed that looked like it was on another level compared to his peers. Tons of young talent in Michigan it seems.
Naquan Perry – Motor City Jaguars
#5: Davon Benjamin Jr. (OG Ducks) DB. C/o 2026
There was a ton of speed in the OG Ducks 14U squad, and of the many standouts I came away most impressed with the overall game speed of cornerback/safety Davon Benjamin Jr. The 6’1 ballhawk had one of the best single-game performances I saw from my time at the AYF National Tournament – especially on defense – as he picked off three passes against fellow West Coast heavyweight the Vegas Strong and looked good doing it. With great length, Benjamin Jr. can cover a significant amount of ground from the defensive backfield and has sideline-to-sideline range who can make plays on the ball on a variety of routes all over the field. He is also fast and explosive out of his breaks and has the speed at top end when returning interceptions to find the endzone. He also explodes downhill when he triggers on the ball in the run game and has the potential to be a superstar at the high school level and yet another 4 or even 5 star recruit from the Ducks program.
#6: Kyri Watson (Osceola Kowboys) ATH. C/o 2026
You don’t need to be a recruiting expert to realize that Central Florida is a recruiting hotspot and produces some world class gridiron speed, and that fact is prominent at the youth football ranks as well as the prep level. The Osceola Kowboys – either their high school or middle school squad – is a great embodiment of this truism and was one of the fastest teams at the 14U All-American level at the vaunted AYF National Tournament. Of the speed demons on their team I thought the dynamic ability to impact all three phases of the game with his speed really set 2026 athlete Kyri Watson apart from his teammates and opponents. Whether on offense, defense, or special teams, Watson could create a big gain in the snap of a finger as he cuts, jukes, and gets upfield before defenders can figure out where he’s going. He also has burst and vision, which combines for some exciting runs that features broken ankles and a lot of desperation dives at his legs. Florida speed is different.
Kyri Watson – Osceola Kowboys
#7: O’Kece Battle (Cocoa Tigers) RB/WR/DB. C/o 2026
Coming out of another historically fertile recruiting ground of Cocoa, Florida, Battle had a long, wiry frame that included long legs which almost galloped as he covered yards between the tackles or off the edge. He was easily able to avoid pursing DL and LB thanks to his burst when he planted his foot in the ground to get upfield, and could pull away from DBs in the secondary if given enough room to work. He was also an expert at making people miss in the open field thanks to some natural shiftiness and timing. He was fun to watch and stood out amongst a deep group of offensive playmakers for the Cocoa Tigers.
O’Kece Battle – Cocoa Tigers
#8: Terrance Page (South Philly Sharks) RB/DB. C/o 2026
Despite going head-to-head with 14U big boy Osceola in the quarterfinals of their bracket, Page had himself a heckuva game and put every single ounce of strength, drive, and toughness into every run he had that afternoon. With long, spider-like legs, excellent vision, and a ton of power in his lower body he was able to explode out of his cuts and redirect with effortless ability that could run by or around tackle attempts and defenders better than just about every RB I saw during my time in Kissimmee. Page also could fly downhill and was great at taking a direct path to the ball from his safety spot, and whether he was playing offense or defense he never wasted steps and had the homerun speed that never allowed an opposing defense to relax. His frame is also built to comfortable add weight and mass, so I think it’s safe to say he’s only going to get faster.
#9: Isaiah Lumpkin (Springfield Tigers) RB. 6’1, 180 lbs. C/o 2027
A young buck with height, length, and an extended gait that made him quite hard to contain for 13U opponents, especially in 1-on-1 and even 2-on-1 defensive scenarios, Lumpkin could generate a lot of power out of his cuts and showed impressive burst as well as speed at the top end thanks to how much ground he cover in each step. He was the best athlete on his Springfield Tigers team and also happened to be the fastest, and at 6’1, 180 lbs. as only a 7th grader I think his speed is going to continue to stand out on the gridiron.
#10: Cecil Punter (Osceola Kowboys) WR. C/o 2026
I was familiar with the skill set and strengths of the Central Florida WR coming into the AYF National Tournament and he lived up to what I had seen in practice settings as his speed aided him in his ability to take the top off the defense and stab defenses vertically thanks to his top end speed and ability to stack DBs. With a long, wiry, tough build, he can generate power out of his stance at the LOS and when he gets a full, unimpeded head of steam downhill on vertical routes. Bright future for Mr. Punter!
#11: Brandon Holmes (Eastside Cowboys) QB. C/o 2026
The Cowboys QB1 was taller than a lot of his peers and used his long legs to glide by defenders with fluidity and effectiveness as well as slip through tackles in the open field. When given room he could really accelerate and get to the second and third level of a defense before LBs and DBs could react, and his athleticism was obvious in his confidence with the ball in his hands. His speed was somewhat hidden by how smooth he was as a runner, and I think if he did or does decide to run track he could find some success thanks to his natural gifts and technical stride.
Brandon Holmes – Eastside Cowboys
#12: Alijah Jenkins (Osceola Kowboys) ATH. C/o 2026
The final selection of this PrepRedzoneNEXT Fastest features comes once again out of Central Florida in the versatile and explosive Alijah Jenkins. The standout athlete showed a particular amount of speed as a DB and was a lockdown defender on the outside who was never threatened vertically thanks to how easily he could stay on top of and step by step with any receiver who lined up against him. You know you’re fast when you’re lining up backwards against an opponent and still outrunning them downfield.
Alijah Jenkins – Osceola Kowboys