Mississippi College Mega-Camp Standouts

Pictured: Tayshawn Shepard (Scott Central), Taken by: JaRod Braggs Last week at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS, several prospects from High School and JuCo ranks came from surrounding areas to showcase their talents. Despite the scorching Mississippi heat radiating from the sun to the turf, there was a good turnout for the Choctaws Mega-Camp. Many prospects from all over the magnolia were in attendance, as expected with the bevvy of collegiate programs that were expected to be in attendance to scout the talent on display. Overall, there were several budding student-athletes with compelling moments throughout the day. In this brief camp coverage piece, I will highlight a few key take-aways from standout prospects in the two sessions that took place.   Tayshawn Shepard | OT | 6’2 290 | Scott Central Attendance Center Tayshawn Shepard was in attendance at last weeks Mega-Camp. Shepard is a physical player that I have had the privilege to follow for sometime now. I’ve coached against him several times and he is an impressive technician of an OL. He has good size, measurements, and long arms to go with them. Shepard moved well in the drills and looked fluent doing so. I was shocked to see him fatigued, but with the heat index well above 105 who wouldn’t be a bit gassed. Despite the heat being a factor, Tayshawn fought his way through each drill showing impressive perseverance. His footwork and mobility have both improved this off-season. Tayshawn has added a few pounds and is evolving into a good looking prospect. This off-season interest is a common case for many Junior Colleges within the state. Mr.Shepard has been offered by several schools in the past few weeks or so. His senior season will prove to be a money year for him as his recruitment is beginning to pick up steam going into this fall. <img class="alignnone wp-image-367835" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/IMG-7103-1-118x300.jpg" alt="" width="136" height="346" /> Offered by: Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Northwest Miss. CC, Jones County JC, Southwest Miss. CC, & PRCC.   Matt Adcock | LB/TE | 6’2 235 | Simpson Academy Great looking prospect with a very impressive motor, instincts, and drive. This kid’s determination and sure-will to set himself apart were apparent for the entirety of the camp. It was hard not to pay attention to Matt while I spectated the drills executed by defensive prospects. He was in the front of every drill and finishing each rep with the same intensity. With this kids frame and agility he will likely play either of the LB positions on the next level. His first step quickness and great closing speed when making plays as a defender are something to marvel at. He also bends and moves well when put in open space. Matt’s skill-set and attributes were put on display at MC’s Mega-Camp, and it was evident that this kid just flat out loves to compete. After having a conversation with him after the camp ended, Matt shared with me his maxes in the weight room and goals for this coming season. I was very impressed by our conversation. He is an outstanding student-athlete on and off the field who will be highly sought after come this football season. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-367832" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/IMG-7101-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Offered by: SAGU, Co-Lin CC, Northwest Miss. CC, & Mississippi Gulf Coast CC   [player_tooltip player_id="174861" first="Nicholas" last="Mickey"] | DB | 5’11 170 | Vicksburg Nick Mickey put on an absolute clinic in his outing last week at Mississippi College. He is a DB that plays with impressive instincts that are topped off with good technique and coaching. He has loose hips and can recover quickly when out of phase, though it rarely happened. I was impressed with Mickey’s ability to play the ball in the air while respecting the space of the WR. He has plenty of speed and quickness to run with receivers who can take the top off of the defense. Nick’s instinctual play and long arms allowed him to accumulate several PDs in the session of 1v1’s during the camp. This kids defensive instincts are through the roof, it is almost as if the game is slowed down to him. He shows signs of being a natural defender that has the athletic ability to easily play field or boundary corner. [player_tooltip player_id="174861" first="Nicholas" last="Mickey"] is a smart football player that will be an asset to any defensive secondary. Keep an eye out for him this fall as a part of the lethal Vicksburg HS Defensive Secondary. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-368664" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/IMG-7116-crop-519x341-1656014000-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />   Jeremiah Short | WR | 5’9 160 | Madison-Ridgeland Academy Jeremiah Short is a slot WR that has tremendous upside and several attributes that jump out at you! He is a mid 4.5 40 guy and it translates well for him in the field of play. His releases are intentional and he uses his quick twitch and first step burst to get on top of defenders toes in a hurry. Jeremiah runs routes with purpose, while using his speed to create the necessary space to complete receptions. I was most impressed with his strong hands and catch ability in regards to balls that are not placed ideally for WRs. Mr.Short’s speed allows him to stop and start quickly. He gets in and out of his breaks in a hurry, this skill-set coupled with his reliable hands allowed him to be successful on the majority of his 1v1 match-ups. Jeremiah Short is a slot WR that any coach would love to have and he displayed why with his performance at last weeks camp. He understands spacing on the field and how to use his speed to his advantage. Watch out for this kid this coming season. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-368668" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/IMG-7115-crop-461x303-1656014223-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />   [player_tooltip player_id="340777" first="Kane" last="Edwards"] | OL | 6’2 290 | Poplarville [player_tooltip player_id="340777" first="Kane" last="Edwards"] was a guy that I was glad to lay eyes on for the first time in person. He’s a great looking kid that looks every bit of 6’3 rather than the 6’2 measurement that he is listed as. He bends well and can move even better for a kid with his type of mass. His technique and agility are the stronger part of his performance the day that I was impressed with, but he has power and a nastiness to his approach to the game that was apparent in most of his drill work. Kane took advantage of the opportunity and made sure that he was always finishing the drill with purpose. He took coaching well and is looking to be a name that makes it onto recruiters boards this fall. I would like to see him get stronger due to the fact that he will likely play an interior linemen position. His technique and effort overshadowed this deficiency and made him standout to me as a potential recruit. [player_tooltip player_id="340777" first="Kane" last="Edwards"] will definitely be a name to remember, his overall recruitment will surely pick-up this fall   Offered by: Pearl River CC