Offensive Prospects: Cincinnati Camp 6/5/22
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It was the conclusion of a weekend that had me at different camps on all three days. I was at Toledo on Friday, Bowling Green on Saturday, and the University of Cincinnati on Sunday. There waw a lot of talent…
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Continue ReadingIt was the conclusion of a weekend that had me at different camps on all three days. I was at Toledo on Friday, Bowling Green on Saturday, and the University of Cincinnati on Sunday. There waw a lot of talent at Nippert Stadium. Some of it high school athletes dreaming of the next level and even a player who has realized his dream of playing in the NFL, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner made an appearance on the day. There was so much skill talent, I unfortunately didn’t even make it to the offensive/defensive line sessions located on a practice field outside of the stadium. Here were some of the offensive players who caught my eye on the day.
2023 WR KC Spears (Winton Woods) 5’10 190- They didn’t give out any awards at camp but had they KC would have most certainly won the offensive MVP on the day. Spears (pictured above) was simply undefendable all day long. Spears, a key cog on Winton Woods defending state championship team, had his full bag of skills on display for everyone to see. The wide receiver has a strong release, but it’s really into his route where he uses sudden and explosive cuts to breakdown defenders and create separation. He then closes the door with his 4.45 speed. He has a great feel for tracking the ball and not making catches harder than they need to be. He does, however, have the ability to make the contested catch as needed. It’s easy to see what Purdue saw in Spears when they offered him this offseason. Other than Purdue, Spears interests has come mostly in the way of FCS and D2 schools. I’m not sure how things will continue to play out for Spears, but he’s had the best day of any receiver I’ve seen this camp season and in my mind there’s no doubt he’s a Power 5 caliber wide receiver. Spears is the receiver in the tweet embedded below.
clip from today’s @GoBearcatsFB camp! high angle corner, nice anticipation, dropped right in the bucket🎯 @GinoGuidugli @CoachIzzy1 pic.twitter.com/bVi3tnE5pl
— TJ Nelson TJ Nelson 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH Anderson | 2024 State OH (@tjnelson313) June 6, 2022
2024 QB TJ Nelson TJ Nelson 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH Anderson | 2024 State OH (Walnut Hills) 6’0 190- I saw Nelson at one of last year’s Cincinnati camps and while you could see some of the arm strength, explosiveness, and athleticism he really struggled throwing the ball that day. This year he came in a much more polished and confident passer. He’s definitely made strides as a thrower. The throw in the above tweet is a good example of this. His throwing motion is more compact and creates more velocity, and he’s obviously developed some good touch on his deep ball. While some may still like his upside most as an ATH, I think he’s kept quarterback as an option due to the strides he’s made as a passer and the stress he could put on defenses as a dual threat QB. I think he’s in store for a big junior year and we’ll see what heights that could catapult his recruitment too.
2023 WR Bryson Hammer Bryson Hammer 5'10" | 165 lbs | ATH Fremont Ross | 2023 State OH (Fremont Ross) 5’11 165- Hammer had a really nice day. You could see the minds of the UC coaches turning as they watched him compete in 1V1’s. Hammer probably had the second best day among receivers on the day. He does a great job of getting in and out of cuts. He’s strong and is able to use that strength to play through contact. He has enough speed to make defenders respect his vertical ability and he can break off a route with the best of him. I like him more as a slot, but I think he can play on the outside as needed. I see Bryson as a D1 mid-major caliber player. See some of his 1v1’s below.
Some Clips from today at Cincinnati! Had a great Time Today!! @Im_MikeB @CoachFick pic.twitter.com/DWzoick8kD
— Bryson Hammer Bryson Hammer 5'10" | 165 lbs | ATH Fremont Ross | 2023 State OH (@BrysonHammer4) June 6, 2022
2023 TE Josiah Love Josiah Love 6'4" | 200 lbs | TE Archbishop Moeller | 2023 State OH (Moeller) 6’4 190- Love is a fluid athlete who has a great frame to continue to add weight and strength. The explosiveness is there, I’d just like to see him use it a little more consistently. I think he can get in the habit of leaning on his size and athleticism rather working focusing on clean routes and being consistently explosive in and out of his breaks. Just watching him at his size running as smoothly as he does, he’s a very intriguing prospect. As an example of his high level athleticism is that he made it to Regionals of the OHSAA State Track and Field championships high jumping 6’4. Right now I see him fitting best at the high D2-Low D1 FCS level. If he can really hit the weights and add some muscle/strength, I think he could really excel or dominate at the college level. Below are some of his reps from the U of Indy Mega Camp.
I’m thankful for the chance to compete at the UofIndy Mega camp this morning..I had a great time! @UIndyFB @PrepRedzoneOH @Bryan_Ault @JaredLuginbill pic.twitter.com/VXIKJLcTb6
— Josiah Love Josiah Love 6'4" | 200 lbs | TE Archbishop Moeller | 2023 State OH (@Josiah_Love8) June 11, 2022
2023 WR Javion Bostic (Walnut Hills) 6’0 170- Has good length and showed some explosiveness in his 1v1’s. He also had the highlight catch of the day. On one of his reps he was going stride for stride with the defender and he broke to the sidelines. The QB on the play lead the ball too far outside, but that’s when Bostic fully extended to make the two handed catch while managing to keep his foot in for what would have been a legal play in a game. Bostic has a D2 offer from Tiffin University and I see the D2 level as being a great fit for Javion and one that he can work his way into a starting position at some point.