Top DB Performers from the Prep Redzone Next Midwest Tour

This past Saturday, I was honored to bear witness to the motherlode of talent the Midwest has to offer for the 2026-2028 class. This year’s Prep Redzone Next Midwest Tour was held in the northern suburbs of Chicago and since I am from the local area, I made sure I would attend this event. Before walking into the doors of the indoor facility holding the camp, I felt that I would have to scout talent differently as most of my previous works were all high school kids as opposed to middle schoolers. Once I glanced at the talent being held at this camp, It made it difficult to believe how all of these kids were still only in middle school and not already playing varsity football. Today, I will be covering the defensive back players at the camp, but since the sample size was small I will also include an analysis of players I believe could play the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">DB position well based on their man coverage drills at the camp.</span> <img class="wp-image-345218 alignright" style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/IMG-0123-crop-2753x1808-1653282014-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="150" /><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="283932" first="Yasir" last="Taylor"] DB </strong>| 5-9, Class of 2026. | Charles Scott Middle School, IN | <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorl1_yasir">Twitter:</a> Yasir has tremendous eye coordination for a defensive back. What was noticeable when watching him in drills was his quick reflexes to turn around to see the path of the ball when on live man coverage. This skill is critically important for all Nickelbacks when on one-to-one man coverage so they can balance their focus on both the ball and the opposing receiver. Because of this, Yasir can produce solid man coverage when on the run. Another observation I made watching Yasir is his drive to get better at his game every time he takes the field. Even in walkthrough drills at camp, he always asked the coaches what he can improve on for that drill and what new elements he can add to his game. Yasir is going to continue improving on his game at a fast pace and I am all for it! <img class="wp-image-345230 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/IMG-0121-e1653284160397-274x300.jpg" alt="" width="201" height="220" /> <strong>Ra’Shaud Holland DB</strong> <em>(DB Camp MVP) |</em> 6-1, Class of 2026. | Pickerington, OH | <a href="https://twitter.com/rHo22and">Twitter: </a> Probably one of the most athletically-gifted players in the entire camp, Ra’shaud is an aggressive and quick DB with absolute lockdown coverage. I wished the event held a vertical jump evaluation so I can know how high this kid can jump because he can jump to the ceiling! Along with that, Ra’shaud has good hands and a long wingspan to help him deflect incoming passes more efficiently. For only being an 8th grader, Ra’shaud has the skills and physique to be easily mistaken for a top high school DB. Ra’shaud also possesses a competitive swagger when stepping onto the field, already having the confidence knowing he is the best player on the field no matter the competition he has to face. Even though he is already an elite player, Holland still looks to further develop his game. I expect Ra’shaud to receive a lot of interest from college coaches soon. The potential is limitless for this young stud. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="310990" first="Da’mon" last="Thomas"] DB </strong>| 5-11, Class of 2026. | Barker Middle School, IN | <a href="https://twitter.com/da_mon1one">Twitter: </a> <img class="alignright wp-image-345236" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/IMG-0127-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="172" height="229" /> Da’mon is a remarkably humble kid who is eager to improve on his game no matter the cost. However, once he steps on the field, he changes the tone and becomes fully locked in on dominating his opponent. Da’mon’s competitiveness is extremely high and he makes it essential to lockdown every receiver that is assigned to him. Not only can Da’mon lockdown every receiver he faced at the camp, but he also has good hands to deflect an incoming pass and makes a quick turnaround adjustment off his foot when running with the receiver. Da’mon’s physicality and fundamentals are elite for a middle school defensive back and his determination to dominate his receiver makes it even more difficult for an opposing receiver to create space off him. A great asset for any secondary but a critical threat for an opposing wideout. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 1rem;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="283926" first="Kai" last="Owens"] WR </strong>| 6-1, Class of 2026. | Dundee Middle School, IL | <a href="https://twitter.com/Kai12owens">Twitter: </a> </span> [caption id="attachment_345238" align="alignright" width="170"]<img class=" wp-image-345238" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/c676ccc540495bf21d47b8245db3ce17-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="227" /> Photo: Prep Redzone Next[/caption] <span style="font-size: 1rem;"> </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">    Although Kai will be covered in another article over his stellar receiving skills, I want to briefly talk about the reps he took at DB during 1v1s. Since there was a shortage of DBs at the camp, the coaches had to fill some non-positional players to take reps at DB. Not only did Kai excel at playing DB for only those few reps, he made it look natural like it was his main position. Since Kai is another freakish athlete, that helped him keep up with the fast footwork a lot of the receivers had at camp. However, what was noticeable about his reps was his eye coordination with the ball. Like [player_tooltip player_id="283932" first="Yasir" last="Taylor"] above, he and Kai both inherit quick reflexes that enable them to react to the placement of the football in a crazy fast time. I hope Kai continues to ball out as a star receiver but keep in mind there is another position he can easily excel at as well if he were to choose to play on both sides of the field. </span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="318570" first="Marcello" last="Vitti"] LB </strong>| 5-10, Class of 2026. | Divine Child Middle School, MI | <a href="https://twitter.com/Marcello_Vitti">Twitter:</a> Marcello was another player that caught my eye when he briefly took reps at the DB position Saturday. Vitti is superbly quick and has great reaction timing when he took reps as a DB. For being an LB, he will be dominant playing 1-on-1 man coverage as he already showed he can play the DB position at camp, locking down all of his opposing receivers. With his speed and athleticism, he will be a versatile threat for any opposing offense since he can effectively play multiple positions well in the secondary.