Vanderbilt Prospect Camp News & Notes

The second major prospect camp for the Vanderbilt Commodores took place on Sunday afternoon with over 300 players in attendance and the action did not disappoint as several guys had standout days as well as put themselves on the map. Energy was high throughout the day from the Dores coaching staff and it was a well run, efficient camp that gave all the prospects an opportunity to impress. Here we go over some of the highlights from Sunday’s camp and what prospects caught our eyes. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/20220612_143121-scaled-crop-1755x1152-1655141773.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-360879" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/20220612_143121-scaled-crop-1755x1152-1655141773-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> - It has been a busy offseason thus far for Independence (TN) running back [player_tooltip player_id="102246" first="Tre" last="Hartwell"] but the work he has put in has been worth it because this Eagles offensive standout is starting to come into his own and beginning to turn himself into a legit D1 recruit. Hartwell was very impressive yesterday at Vanderbilt where he displayed his big body running style along with increased speed and lower body agility. This Middle Tennessee running back is well put together physically, which immediately impresses college coaches but he is a good athlete too that can do a variety of things from the backfield. Just last week, Hartwell added his 1st D1 offer from Toledo and I fully believe many more are coming soon. The Commodores could be included on that interest list for Hartwell as the staff was impressed with him on Sunday and will be watching his progression over the coming months. - Brentwood Academy (TN) tight end [player_tooltip player_id="102208" first="Griffin" last="Cropp"] continued his strong camp week after his performance at Austin Peay on Thursday with another standout showing on Sunday with the Commodores. The Eagles pass catcher is a smooth mover with outstanding route running that took advantage of his time at the Vanderbilt complex yesterday and impressed many in attendance. The recruiting stock for Cropp is steadily rising right now and he could soon break through as a possible D1 recruit. The measurables and athleticism is there, so it’s just about the school’s pulling the trigger on offers and bringing in this upside driven tight end into their program. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/20220612_155249-scaled-crop-1319x866-1655141367.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-360877" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/20220612_155249-scaled-crop-1319x866-1655141367-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> - Out of all the offensive talent at Vanderbilt on Sunday, the offensive line was the most impressive group with several high quality recruits competing and working to impress the Commodore coaches. By far the top guy at camp was 2024 Page O-lineman [player_tooltip player_id="149171" first="Ronan" last="O’Connell"], who walked away Sunday with an official Vanderbilt offer. The Patriots physically imposing lineman was quite impressive at camp where he was the best O-lineman in both the 40 and 5-10-5 then went into 1 on 1 competition and dominated. O’Connell is already considered the top O-lineman in the state by PRZTN for the 2024 class and is quickly working himself into a national recruit with the possibility of being one of the best at his position in the entire country! Two Middle Tennessee highly offered but undervalued D1 recruits that had strong day’s at Vanderbilt on Sunday was Lebanon tackle/guard [player_tooltip player_id="102231" first="Eli" last="Freeman"] and Ensworth tackle [player_tooltip player_id="215063" first="Caleb" last="Dorris"]. Both of these seniors were impressive during testing and drill work but also performed strong during the 1 on 1 stage of camp as well. Freeman is a guy that I see being a D1 recruit before too long because he is just too clean and efficient along with having a nicely formed body that he has worked extra hard on this offseason. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Had a GREAT camp today at Vanderbilt‼️‼️ ⚫️🟡⚓️ <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBlaz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachBlaz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_Lea?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Coach_Lea</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VandyFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VandyFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSmithScout</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BDPFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BDPFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JAngel_Rivals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JAngel_Rivals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GentryC20?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GentryC20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NCEC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCEC_Recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LeverageLineman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeverageLineman</a> <a href="https://t.co/rPfMQJmj7v">pic.twitter.com/rPfMQJmj7v</a> — Samuel “Eli” Freeman #54 🙏🏼 (@freemsam003) <a href="https://twitter.com/freemsam003/status/1536126040556314625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Dorris is a rising prospect due to his upside at playing left or right tackle on the collegiate level. He did nothing to dispute that on Sunday and continued his trajectory towards becoming a possible Power Five recruit before too long. Rockwood (TN) center/guard [player_tooltip player_id="102339" first="Nehemiah" last="Storey"] was also another guy that had a strong camp performance at Vanderbilt and it was a performance that helped his stock a ton as 20 plus collegiate coaches were on hand to see his work. Cumberland was the 1st to offer Storey but they won’t be the last! - The state of Tennessee was represented well at the linebacker position on Sunday where we had multiple in-state prospects perform at a high level and do so in front of college coaches from all across the country. Three guys who stood out the most were [player_tooltip player_id="150368" first="Tristan" last="Bohannon"] from Munford, Carter’s senior backer [player_tooltip player_id="201081" first="Jackson" last="Steele"] and [player_tooltip player_id="222290" first="Javen" last="Edmiston"] out of Summertown. This was the first time for me to see Bohannon in person and he definitely looks the part along with a frame that can take on added weight. He moves well and showed nice instincts during drill work. Look for his recruitment to take off over the coming months. Steele is another impressive looking backer that probably had his best camp performance yet this summer, showing off his ability to cover and take on directions very well. Edmiston is a budding star that has D1 potential written all over him. He is a tremendous athlete at the linebacker position that plays against the run very well but can also drop and cover, which is a strong suit that he showed off at Vanderbilt on Sunday. - The defensive backfield wasn’t deep with in-state talent yesterday but there were a few guys who stepped up and performed very well in front of a large contingent of college coaches. Those prospects would be [player_tooltip player_id="102334" first="Gavin" last="Smith"] from Father Ryan, Mt. Juliet senior [player_tooltip player_id="153474" first="Osize" last="Daniyan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="301346" first="Brooks" last="Sapone"] from Independence. All three of these Middle Tennessee prospects had shining moments throughout camp and pushed their recruiting stocks forward. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Solid broad jump seen here by <a href="https://twitter.com/iamgavinsmith1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamgavinsmith1</a> at today’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vanderbilt?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vanderbilt</a> Prospect Camp ...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnchorDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AnchorDown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneTN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneTN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FRHS_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FRHS_Football</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TNGridironScout?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TNGridironScout</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSS</a> Family ...... <a href="https://t.co/V55sgwf4PJ">pic.twitter.com/V55sgwf4PJ</a> — Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout/status/1536122413137764352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - One under the radar senior prospect to know about is East Robertson (TN) athlete [player_tooltip player_id="201100" first="Zechariah" last="Prince"]. The 6’2 multi talented prospect had an excellent camp at Vanderbilt on Sunday and impressed not just me but also many collegiate coaches in attendance. Prince is considered an athlete at the moment as he could develop at multiple positions on the next level but also a guy who shows high potential and upside, no matter where he ends up playing in college. Watch for this guy to add multiple before too long and bump up in our next updated prospect rankings.