NCEC Combine Brings Out Stars, Breakout Prospects
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The good Lord provided a beautiful Sunday for football with an opportunity for talent from all across the state to make a name for themselves at the #NCEC Nashville Combine and boy did we have some standouts! Stretching all the…
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Continue ReadingThe good Lord provided a beautiful Sunday for football with an opportunity for talent from all across the state to make a name for themselves at the #NCEC Nashville Combine and boy did we have some standouts!
Stretching all the way from Knoxville to Memphis and most places in between, top level talent embarked on Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where there were multiple 4-star already made prospects along with several under the radar guys who had breakthrough days.
Over on the offensive side of the ball, the talent was strong, especially at the wide receiver position where you had multiple D1 level prospects, including London Humphreys London Humphreys 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR CPA | 2023 State TN , Ben Marshall Ben Marshall 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Blackman | 2023 State TN , 2024 CPA standout Ondre Evans Ondre Evans 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB CPA | 2024 State TN , 2024 FCS receiver Brock Montgomery Brock Montgomery 6'3" | 205 lbs | WR Riverdale | 2024 State TN , Houston (TN) receiver Triston Lurry Triston Lurry 5'10" | 165 lbs | WR Houston | 2023 TN , Bryson Vowell Bryson Vowell 6'4" | 190 lbs | WR Anderson Co. | 2023 State TN from Anderson Co. and a rising star in McGavock wideout Demitrius Bell Demitrius Bell 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR McGavock | 2023 State TN .
Bell is silly explosive and athletic and was the hardest man to cover at camp. Humphreys is a nice looking prospect with good size, length and the ability to take the top off. Montgomery has been stellar so far this offseason whether that’s in camps or 7v7 practices, the dude has been catching everything.
Silly explosive!! …#NCEC
C/o my man @db1_1o & his speed, great separation here at yesterday’s camp
Others are finding out what I’ve known…elite talent!! @NCEC_Recruiting @PrepRedzoneTN @LoyaltyPerform @elitefootballac #CSS pic.twitter.com/omSZVjCZvd
— Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) January 31, 2022
Evans is an impressive young athlete that still has two years of high school ball left, which is scary for opponents but he already holds P5 offers from Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Lurry is a guy that I was able to see for the 1st time in person yesterday and let me tell ya, the guy can fly! The Mustangs wideout is a little undersized but more than makes up for it with his quick get-off and separation speed down the field. Vowell is a big dude that shields defenders well with his body but showed on Sunday his superb route running.
One other athlete to know about that lined up at receiver but can play multiple positions is Davidson Academy (Ath) Courtland Simmons Courtland Simmons 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH Davidson Academy | 2023 State TN . The Bears two way athlete had multiple strong reps both lining up in the slot or coming out of the backfield. Simmons is a well put together prospect that should see his stock increase over the coming months.
The Quarterback position wasn’t as stacked as some camps in the past but there was still some high caliber arms in attendance.
Among some of the top performers for quarterback include Jackson Cassidy Jackson Cassidy 6'3" | 195 lbs | QB McKenzie | 2023 State TN from McKenzie, Connor Swann from Spring Hill, 2024 Lipscomb Acad. (TN) passer Braden Graham Braden Graham 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Riverdale | 2024 State TN , 2024 Beech (QB) Brian Rager Brian Rager 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Liberty Creek | 2024 State TN , 2024 Pearl Cohn (QB) Keshawn Tarleton Keshawn Tarleton 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Pearl Cohn | 2024 State TN and 2025 Alabama native and Austin high school signal caller J.L. Davis.
Graham is the biggest recruit among this group but it was Rager who had the best day with Tarleton and Davis coming in close behind. All three of these passers had strong moments throughout camp and showed why they should and will be college level recruits.
Moving into the trenches, both the offensive and defensive lines were stacked with some beefy talented guys, including a few prospects already on the Power Five radar.
Maryville (TN) center Cal Grubbs Cal Grubbs 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Maryville | 2023 State TN was a beast as always and he looks in better shape compared to when I saw him late last year. Expect more Power Five offers to come his way very soon! One new name on the O-line to know about who had a breakout day is LaVergne (T/G) Derrick Keith Derrick Keith 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Riverdale | 2023 State TN . This Middle Tennessee product has nice size along with long arms and low body fat. The more he becomes comfortable coming off his injury, the better Keith will develop.
Thank you @NCEC_Recruiting for having me out! Great camp and competition! Measured in at: 6’4” 288 lbs with 81” wing span!! Sorry to repost. Forgot to add measurements! @CSmithScout @LeverageLineman @SaintsNashville @NatlPlaymkrsAca 🦍 pic.twitter.com/oXEFdmWqwo
— Cal Grubbs Cal Grubbs 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Maryville | 2023 State TN (@CalGrubbs) February 1, 2022
A few other standout offensive linemen from camp include Wilson Central (T/G)
Aaron Knueven
Aaron
Knueven
6'6" | 295 lbs | OL
Wilson Central | 2023
TN
, Bearden (G/C)
Isaiah Harvey
Isaiah
Harvey
6'0" | 280 lbs | OL
Bearden | 2025
TN
, 2024 (G/C)
Owen Borba
Owen
Borba
6'3" | 280 lbs | OL
Wilson Central | 2024
State
TN
also from Wilson Central, 2024 CPA O-lineman
John Wayne Oliver
John
Wayne Oliver
6'6" | 280 lbs | OL
CPA | 2024
State
TN
and 2024 Maryville (C/G)
Logan McGlamery
Logan
McGlamery
6'0" | 260 lbs | OL
Maryville | 2024
TN
.
Their counterparts on the D-line had some dudes and more depth with talent, so yes it was a long day for the blockers on offense. Two guys who had big time performances and certainly increased their recruiting stocks were 2024 Powell edge rusher Steven Soles, Jr Steven Soles, Jr 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Powell | 2024 State TN and 2024 Wooddale defensive end Kavion Benton Kavion Benton 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL Southwind | 2024 State TN .
Both Soles, Jr and Benton were unblockable on the edge as offensive tackles had a hard time keeping up with their quick get-off and speed around the edge. Benton already holds two D1 offers (Florida & Memphis) but Soles, Jr should be joining him in that category very soon.
C/o the quick get-off & hands shown here by ’24 Powell (TN) edge rusher @6kSteven …#Panthers #NCEC
Future is bright for this #EastTN product! @NCEC_Recruiting @PrepRedzoneTN @elitefootballac #CSS pic.twitter.com/qVaAbfYLQV
— Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) January 31, 2022
Those two weren’t the only ones who had solid days from the D-line. A few others to note include 2024 Upperman edge rusher
Clayton Harris
Clayton
Harris
6'2" | 235 lbs | DL
Upperman | 2024
State
TN
and 2024 Stewarts Creek defensive tackle B.J. Peter.
The linebacker group was headlined by Mt. Juliet stud Ethan Crisp Ethan Crisp 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Mt. Juliet | 2023 State TN who looked excellent during drills but others beside him had strong days that certainly helped put them on the map.
Carter (LB) Jackson Steele Jackson Steele 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Carter | 2023 State TN is an explosive athlete at linebacker that has an agile lower body and a frame to take on more weight. The guy can move and cover in space, which he showed during 1 on 1 competition. 2024 Oakland (LB) Korey Smith Korey Smith 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Oakland | 2024 State TN is physically put together very well and you can see why Eastern Ky and Florida Atlantic have already offered him.
Two more underclassmen who stood out yesterday that you can expect to see on the recruiting scene very soon is 2024 CPA (LB) Crews Law Crews Law 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB CPA | 2024 State TN and 2025 Page linebacker Eric Hazzard Eric Hazzard 6'3" | 255 lbs | DL Page | 2025 State TN . Law already sports an offer from Eastern Ky and will continue adding more as college coaches check out this athletic and physical tackler. Hazzard is still a freshman when it comes to schooling but he already has the size, body and skill set of an upperclassman. This guy is a definite name to keep an eye out for over the coming years.
Besides the receivers on offense, possibly the deepest position group at camp yesterday was the defensive backs. It was a large collection of talented DB’s that showed up on Sunday and several had strong performances.
The top name in attendance was 2024 Lipscomb Acad. (DB) Kaleb Beasley Kaleb Beasley 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB Lipscomb Academy | 2024 State TN and he did just fine but it was his fellow teammates at defensive back that stole the show. Hillsboro (TN) cover corner Syncere Safeeullah Syncere Safeeullah 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB Hillsboro | 2023 FL continued his strong offseason with another stellar performance at camp where he worked both outside and at nickel. This guy is breaking out into a star and any indication from his recent offer from Boston College, Safeeullah will see his recruiting stock continue to rise over the coming weeks.
Syncerly Yours!!! @SyncereSafe30 is seeing his stock soar coming off a huge week of offers. The 6’3 corner is becoming one of the top@prospects in the state! @NatlPlaymkrsAca @CSmithScout @elitefootballac @ballhawku @DreamTeam7v7 pic.twitter.com/73gBFInBXI
— NPA (@NCEC_Recruiting) January 31, 2022
2024 Oakland safety
Stephen Ellison
Stephen
Ellison
5'11" | 180 lbs | DB
Oakland | 2024
State
TN
had his best performance yet of the offseason and was almost dominant in everything he did on the field yesterday. Another rising junior safety who had a strong showing too was Bradley Central defensive back
Tito Williams, Jr
Tito
Williams, Jr
6'2" | 185 lbs | DB
Bradley Central | 2024
State
TN
. This 6’2 long and rangy safety had several strong moments yesterday which justified his offer earlier in the day from North Texas.
Two others to note who stood out yesterday was Independence (S) Brooks Sapone and a good looking youngster in 2026 Knox. Central defensive back Chaston Smith. Watch out for Smith as this guy has all the tools to develop into one of the top cover corners in the country.
Several other prospects had strong moments throughout camp on Sunday and we will be going over some of those this week as we continue to recap yesterday’s action at the #NCEC Nashville Combine.