CFI Winter Showcase: Linebacker MVPs

Matt Morrow January 9, 2023 @ 09:45 PM

The Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) Winter Showcase provides an opportunity for athletes to compete in front of multiple colleges and universities with the chance to earn an offer to play football on the next level. This Winter Showcase featured over 250 athletes in front of over 40 colleges and universities. Many players stood out to the coaches running the showcase - this article will feature the MVPs for the Linebacker position.   [player_tooltip player_id='144715' first='Amare' last='Johnson'] - Salisbury - A 2023 prospect, Amare checks in at 5'11 and 220 pounds. I was very impressed with his overall athleticism going through the agility circuit, which translated well to linebacker drills and finally the one-on-one run game and passing game drills. I'm surprised to see he doesn't have much recruiting attention - hopefully after the portal window closes some schools will look his way to play on the next level because he definitely can.   [player_tooltip player_id='148052' first='Caleb' last='Edstrom'] - Mooresville - Caleb has long impressed me since his freshman year when he won MVP at his linebacker spot. This past season at middle linebacker he tallied 134 tackles and helped lead his school to a #2 overall seed in the State Playoffs. A 2024 prospect, his senior year will be a lot of fun to watch as he stands at 5'11 and 215 pounds.     [player_tooltip player_id='190662' first='Beady' last='Waddell V'] - West Mecklenburg - Another linebacker who has been impressive his entire career, Beady was vocal and consistently aggressive throughout the showcase with great technique. He is an excellent 3-down linebacker who also plays some offense for the Hawks. Coach's son as a 2024 prospect who stands at 6'0 210 at the middle linebacker spot.   Timir Hickman-Collins - Indian Land (SC) - Timir has definitely been under the radar early in his career, but his first year at Indian Land he made a strong impact - he displays excellent pass coverage skills, even picking up 2 Pick 6's in one game from the linebacker spot! A 2024 recruit at 6'0 and 200 pounds, he currently holds offers from Livingstone and Central State.   Camryn Anderson - Shelby - This 2024 prospect at 6'1 and 190 pounds competed in both sessions at linebacker and DB, and he was impressive in both. We liked him the most at linebacker because of his coverage ability, and his frame will allow him to add weight to be a hybrid OLB/SS type I think on the next level. He was also named a first-team All-Conference defender.   Jason Melton II - Kings Mountain - At 6'2 and 180 pounds, Melton II lists himself as an athlete, but competing at linebacker he impressed because of some very good athleticism and fluidity. I liked how he was aggressive and downhill in the 1 on 1 run drill, and he showed that he can hold up well in man-to-man coverage vs. running backs. He will be interesting to follow as he adds weight to his frame - he could be a very athletic 3-down outside linebacker on the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='429230' first='Jay' last='Jackson'] - North Stanly - This kid simply wants to get better each and every day - he was the very first player to sign up for this showcase, and he showed very well in every single linebacker drill. At 6'1 and 210 pounds, he showed good coverage skills and excellent footwork throughout the day. He also can play some H-Back on offense as well.   DJ Eskridge - Shelby - A 2023 prospect standing at 6'0 and 190 pounds, DJ showed well in the coverage portion of the showcase especially. He also has excellent speed for the position, and could possibly project a a hybrid type of player on the next level.

The Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) Winter Showcase provides an opportunity for athletes to compete in front of multiple colleges and universities with the chance to earn an offer to play football on the next level. This Winter Showcase featured over 250 athletes in front of over 40 colleges and universities. Many players stood out to the coaches running the showcase - this article will feature the MVPs for the Linebacker position.