AYF Nationals: 11 Arizona Class of 2027 Prospects That Shined
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It was a great week of football at the AYF Nationals in early December. Teams and athletes from all over the country earned their way to play for an AYF National title in Kissimmee, Florida. Here’s a look at some…
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Continue ReadingIt was a great week of football at the AYF Nationals in early December. Teams and athletes from all over the country earned their way to play for an AYF National title in Kissimmee, Florida. Here’s a look at some 2028 prospects that stood out to me with what I saw on the field.
-Tall and long, has the potential to become a big time prospect as long as he finds the weight room and starts adding some thickness to his frame
-Originally caught my eye as a Free Safety, but after watching him run routes, right now he can play on both sides of the ball at a high level
-If I had to predict, he’s going to develop into a very good Wide Receiver over time. He’s not a project by any means but there is some fine-tuning to do. Can’t teach his length, stride and knack for the big play
-The first lineman that caught my eye off this Phoenix 14U All-Star team, based off the eye-test alone. He’s definitely the type of kid you send off the bus first during away games, to let the competition know what they’re about to deal with
-Not only looks the part of a tough guy, but plays that way on the field. Rarely came off the field and even looked to set the tone early on special teams, as he was running around looking for the big hit to jump start his team
-The biggest kid on the team in terms of overall height and weight at 6-foot-3 and 235-pounds. Right now can play anywhere on the line on either side of the ball, but all signs him pointing him to getting even bigger. Could see him as a 3-4 Defensive End or Offensive Tackle moving forward
-A very similar prospect to his teammate and the aforementioned Aiden Honeywood Aiden Honeywood 6’2″ | 175 lbs | WR Shadow Ridge | 2027 AZ in terms of build, positions played and skill set. Maybe just an inch or so shorter, but still very long and a good fit for the Safety or Wide Receiver position
-Unlike a large majority of prospect I cover on this site, this is just his first year of playing tackle football. Watching him on the field, it’s obvious at times that he grew up playing flag up until this year by the way he moves and eludes people in his way
-Runs very polished routes and gets in and out of breaks quickly–likely because the flag game is played at a very fast pace. Also displayed some dependable hands and sticky fingers on the outside
Highlights
-One of the first kids I noticed out of the dessert during the week down at AYF Nationals because of how thick of a build he possesses at this age. Standing an estimated 5-foot-11 and 230-pounds right now
-I really liked the physical nature he played the Linebacker position with. Read and reacted quickly and came downhill with thunder to stop running plays. Needs to work on pass drops a bit but that comes with more reps and a more advanced game at the high school level
-At this point I don’t see him developing enough speed to be a difference-making Running Back as he progresses through his career, but he was able to pick up tough yards to keep the sticks moving. Could be a viable number 2 option if paired with a speed or scat back
-A tackling machine in the middle of the field for the Phoenix 14U All-Star team. I watched this team warmup twice and play three quarters of live football and Mytinger was a constant hat on the ball
-Built similarly to Bartholomew but not as tall and not as thick. Stands an estimated 5-foot-10 and 185-pounds, which is still above-average size for a prospect at this point
-Very, very active at the position and showed some versatility on the field by also punting and even toting the rock a few times. During the regular season also lined up out wide a few times. But make no bones about it, Linebacker is his future
-Another kid you want to send off the bus first if showing up to play against another team, at an estimated 6-foot-2 and 220-pounds with a strong build
-Did a good job playing Defensive End and setting the edge for his teammates. Without the benefit of stats, he didn’t appear to be in on a ton of tackles but he did an excellent job of keeping his outside shoulder free and forcing plays back inside where his help was
-From what I can tell, looks like he’ll be off to Westwood High School in Mesa next year and should be able to contribute quickly to a varsity team that finished 3-7 this season
Marshawn Coleman
Marshawn Coleman
-Did a little bit of everything for the Phoenix 14U All-Stars team and rarely left the field throughout the week of the AYF National tournament
-On a team full of size along both lines up front, on the outside at Wide Receiver and defensively at Safety, Coleman isn’t the biggest kid on the field at this point but he was certainly one of the quicker. If not the quickest on the team
-Played during the regular season for the Chandler Bears and proved to contribute primarily as a Wide Receiver and Return man
Kade Karriker – A bigger interior lineman that showed his value specifically on defense. Has the ability to play Defensive End or a more athletic tackle, depending on scheme. Specifically liked his rip and swim moves amidst the chaos on the line
Samson Tengei – Another bigger body along the front that I jotted down while watching this team play defense. Good quickness for a Defensive Lineman and like Karriker above, can bump around along the front
J’Vaughn Jenkins – Didn’t have the height and length of Honeywood and Sidney that I mentioned before, but I like the different style of pay to the Safety position. Not necessarily a kid that’ll make you look twice, but did wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in there to make a tackle
Christian Levkulich – I feel like the best way to describe the majority of this team was versatile and Levkulich personified that. In my notes I wrote down “Athlete” because I saw, and coaches confirmed, he does a little bit of everything. A 6-foot-2, 165-pound kid that can play anything from Outside Linebacker to H-Back to Wide Receiver