Scouting Insider: BallHawkU Practice Notes

A drury and slightly rainy Saturday didn’t slow down the action as 7v7 practice took place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee yesterday for BallHawkU and it was the first real practice of the 2022 offseason where I was able to gain a better look at some significant talent. - Starting on the offensive side of the ball, the collection of quarterbacks for BallHawkU this year looks quite strong, led by senior signal caller [player_tooltip player_id="150308" first="Jack" last="Risner"] from Blackman and rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="119096" first="Braden" last="Graham"] from Lipscomb Academy. Risner displayed a powerful right arm and showed why he is a force to watch over the coming offseason and Fall football season. He is a big dude that can deliver the ball anywhere on the field and you can tell he has been working on mobility over the winter months. Graham is someone that could maneuver himself into the Top 20 quarterbacks nationally for his 2024 recruiting class as this guy has all the passing tools to compete on the Power Five level. Look for Graham to pick up tons of college offers over the coming months. - One passer to keep an eye going forward is 2024 Beech quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="258674" first="Brian" last="Rager"]. This 6’3 180 pound junior had an outstanding session on Saturday where he displayed nice arm strength along with accuracy and the ability to place the ball on time for his receivers. Over the winter months, Rager has been working hard on his mechanics and overall knowledge of the position and yesterday at practice, you can see his hard work is paying off. I am expecting a big offseason and junior year for this Middle Tennessee quarterback. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Nice timely pass here from '24 Beech (TN) QB <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianRager?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrianRager</a> ...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BallHawkU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BallHawkU</a> Watch out for this guy over the coming offseason & 2022 Fall football season <a href="https://twitter.com/NCEC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCEC_Recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BeechFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BeechFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BallHawkU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallHawkU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NatlPlaymkrsAca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NatlPlaymkrsAca</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Si9LO6Kfrl">pic.twitter.com/Si9LO6Kfrl</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1482529038908407810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - I have talked about this on Twitter multiple times but college coaches and fellow scouts need to start knowing McGavock wideout [player_tooltip player_id="151256" first="Demitrius" last="Bell"]. This guy is electric and an absolute problem for opposing defenses due to his elite quickness off the line and ability to separate from defensive backs. The great thing about Bell is the fact that he has only been playing receiver full time for a year now, so he is still green enough to develop and grow into a dominating pass catcher. Look for Bell to be a breakout star this offseason, especially as more people view him in person. - Page teammates, [player_tooltip player_id="203835" first="Boyce" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="215066" first="Max" last="Collins"] both had good days at practice and both provide a different skill set to the receiver position that make them both legit college recruits. Smith can be moved all around the field but probably fits best at slot receiver where he uses his quickness off the ball and physical stature to keep defenders behind him. Smith is an excellent route runner as well. Collins is a bigger guy, sitting at 6’2, almost 6’3 but also has a nice frame for added size and long arms to develop into a formidable outside receiver. Saturday was the 1st time I was able to get a good look at Collins and he is an impressive guy that if put on a bigger platform, could turn into a legit college recruit. This Patriots junior wideout can move and shows nice route running along with the ability to shield defenders with his big frame. Page should be excited about the coming season on offense, especially if they find a suitable quarterback replacement for [player_tooltip player_id="150807" first="Jake" last="McNamara"] as they have two big time talents at wideout in both Smith and Collins. - Green Hill (TN) tight end [player_tooltip player_id="150329" first="Braiden" last="Staten"] is a prospect to keep an eye on over the next few months as this guy is vastly improving over these offseason months and could position himself soon as a marked man on the recruiting trail. Staten has the size and skill set that college coaches want but he is now starting to come into his own as he gains more confidence and enhances his overall talents. The Hawks junior tight end has improved his speed and overall quickness, especially in and out of his breaks but is also starting to learn how to use his size to his advantage as Staten is a legit 6’6 220 plus pound guy that can be an imposing figure against the opposition. Staten already holds an offer from Kentucky but I expect many more D1, Power Five offers to come his way soon. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-269712" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/01/20220115_150543-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /> - Moving over to defense, BallHawkU has some guys at linebacker that many coaches and scouts need to start learning about. Two of those guys are rising juniors in Korey Smith from Oakland and Grace’son Beach from Pearl Cohn. These two are both physically imposing backers that can move and showed explosie traits during practice yesterday. Smith already holds an offer from Eastern Ky and many others will follow suit soon but Beach is still waiting on his 1st one and that’s understandable as this Firebirds linebacker sits under the radar at the moment but will hopefully soon breakthrough. Watching these two guys develop over the coming months will be fun to see. - BallHawkU could very well have the best cover corner in the entire country in Lipscomb Academy junior [player_tooltip player_id="149389" first="Kaleb" last="Beasley"]. The more and more I watch Beasley practice and compete, the more he impresses and shows why he could have an NFL future in his cards. The guy is extremely well versed at playing his position and is beyond his years with his football knowledge and understanding of the game. Beasley is also quite athletic along with being tall and long, so you can see why every Power Five program is after this Middle Tennessee product and why they want him in their programs. - A pair of rising seniors to keep an eye over the coming offseason months that are talented, college level prospects are [player_tooltip player_id="102212" first="Byron" last="Davis"] from Cane Ridge and [player_tooltip player_id="205268" first="Nolan" last="Sandefur"] from Lebanon. Davis had a strong showing at practice on Saturday and continued to show me why he is a guy that could bust out on the offer scene soon due to his size, length, athleticism and versatility. He is also a guy that could develop into a cover corner that stays outside on the college level. Sandefur is a fluid, smooth moving safety that is more impressive each time I see him perform. He holds up very well with his athleticism compared to other top talent within the BallHawkU secondary but also plays a smart brand of football that translates well to the next level. This Lebanon defender had a stellar junior season that put him on the map but this coming offseason will be key for him as he works to land those college offers he and others are striving for. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-240452" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/20211128_121543-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" />