2023 AYF All-Star Practice Notes: East Offensive Standouts
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Kahden Davis NJ #3 QB #1 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 200 POS QB CLASS 2027 View Profile Kahden Davis Instagram Twitter State: New Jersey School: Seton Hall Prep I can’t even count how many times I’ve watched him play life and…
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Continue ReadingI can’t even count how many times I’ve watched him play life and he just keeps getting better and impressing with his ability to throw the ball. Looked really impressive at practice throwing to a new group of Wide Receivers he wasn’t necessarily familiar with ahead of the practices. Took command and leadership right away of the offense. A mature and very likeable prospect. Also showed he could run a little bit if asked to as well. Just this week he announced he’ll be attending Seton Hall Prep for high school. The Pirates have a budding start in the 6-foot, 205-pound signal caller.
Highlights
The other Quarterback on the East team, McLeish is one of the top Quarterbacks coming out of the Philadelphia area in this class. He, like Davis, throws an absolutely beautiful ball downfield and lets his Wide Receivers run under it. On one specific rep that really stood out at practice, he threw a 35-yard dime to the boundary and dropped the ball in a bucket over the Wide Receivers outside shoulder. He told me he’s still undecided about which high school he’ll be playing for next year, at this point. However, whatever school he ends up attending, is going to be getting a talent kid with a live arm.
Carter Smith
Carter Smith
Became a big fan of Carter Smith during AYF Nationals, as he helped lead a tremendous Offensive Line unit for the Jersey Shore All-Stars. A short, stout kid built like a fire hydrant with seldomly matched power and strength. A powerlifter when he’s not on the gridiron, it was iron sharpening iron in practice, as he went rep after rep with the massive interior Defensive Linemen duo of Nyeem Powell and Aaiden Bracey. Smith was lined up at Right Guard during practice and should be tested early and often on game day, as he goes against the big West Defensive Tackles (Lex Mailangi and Chief Togafu-Paleafei). Big Lex and Chief are very comparable in stature to what Smith faced throughout practice.
Like Kahden Davis Kahden Davis 6’0″ | 200 lbs | QB Seton Hall Prep | 2027 State NJ , I’ve seen Lora play live a lot over the last year and he’s always impressive. He’s lightning quick and looked to the best route runner on the East squad during practices. Has some serious froggies to him and I wouldn’t be afraid to throw it up for the 5-foot-9 Wide Receiver, regardless of the size of the Defensive Back tasked with trying to lock him down. Again, like Davis, a mature kid in conversation and a joy to interact with each time I see him. Told me he isn’t sure about what high school he’s going to attend yet. However, the Rhode Island native said he’s aware of the impressive pedigree of athletes that Catholic Memorial in Massachusetts turns out and said he’s certainly considering them. Stay tuned.
Highlights
Jake Clayton
Jake Clayton
Last time I saw Clayton he was playing Quarterback and leading the Jersey Shore AYF All-Stars to a championship at AYF Nationals. This week he was back at home in one of his normal positions at running Back. Clayton is just a flat out gamer who expects greatness out of himself every time he touches the ball. Not the tallest kid in the world, but there’s a lot of muscle packed on him and he runs the ball very hard. Talked with him a bit at practice and he jokingly made it a point to tell me he’s not usually a Quarterback. But he stepped up and played the position when he was asked to. Coaches said he’s the type of kid they don’t even have to yell at because he knows instantly when he messes up and fixes it on his own. He’s another hard hat and lunch pail kid that I’d feed the ball to on any short yardage situation, because he’s going to pick up the necessary yards come hell or high water.
While Clayton appeared to be type of back that wears a defense down by picking up consistent chunks of yards, Bobo is the flashier back that hit a big gainer at any time. After travel issues caused him to miss the first practice the East had, he suited up and on the field for the remaining three practices. Passes the eye test right away and looks the part of player that should become a big-time recruit. Very well put together and an ideal mix of speed and power for a 2027 Running Back. There was an obvious different when Bobo got the ball compared to some of the other backs in the mix. He should rip off more than a few nice runs come the actual game.
Sean Tatum
Sean Tatum
Had heard about Tatum ahead of the All-Star Game and was excited to get him play live. He looks every bit the part of a kid who could go on to play at a high level. Tatum has the exact build you want an Offensive Tackle to have with long legs, long arms and a thick mid-section. Moved his feet like a Power Forward positioning himself to grab a rebound. Finished blocks all practice long and most importantly did an excellent job keeping his Quarterbacks upright and clean. In my opinion, was the best Offensive Lineman the East team had on the field. He’ll be playing Left Tackle and should have some great battles against some of the West’s edge rushers.
Brandon Ross
Brandon Ross
Philadelphia’s Brandon Ross is a 2027 prospect I heard a ton about leading up to the practices—and boy, he did not disappoint. Fundamentally he’s a little raw—no question. For example, catching the ball with his body, rather than his hands. Regardless, he is a big play waiting to happen at any time. He’s a nice combination of the skillset that Thompson and Lora bring to the team. Looked a little bigger than Lora, but not as tall as Thompson. Ran faster in his routes than Thompson dud, not as quick as Lora. He’s a kid that private schools are drooling over and has a chance to get some college attention early with his play.
Sean Thompson
Sean Thompson
Thompson is Wide Receiver from South Florida that I wasn’t familiar with ahead of this event. Had some pretty good size to him and ran pretty polished routes for being just an eighth grader. Without having official measurements, I’d put him in the 5-foot-10 range and likely around 165-pounds. As noted above, the East team has two very good Quarterbacks and Thompson could be set up for a nice state line in the actual All-Star Game.