Illinois Rising Prospect Tour Showcase GameChangers.

Brian exhibited sheer execution in everything I saw him partake in this past weekend in Barrington, as this young man had a skillset and work ethic that did not seem to waver no matter the task he was presented with. As I watched Brian go through his reps in the Indy drills, I was impressed, and when I watched him go through his one-on-one battles, my jaw hit the floor. I was amazed at how this young man attacked every opportunity he faced as if it were his last, and he frequently dominated his opportunities. While not withholding the biggest frame amongst his competitors, he did claim the largest broad jump coming in at 9 feet. Brian’s broad jump numbers were a mere insight into the great explosiveness that this young man has, something that shined in his competition drills as Brian bounced into the sky to retrieve the ball when he was targeted time and time again. Once in the air, Brian showed a stout ability and pulled the ball down into his clutches with excellent strength for such a young man. Brian is a receiver with a bright future playing ball with such a great skillset at a young age, and I am excited to see him flourish as his career progresses.

Jordan was a stout player who came into the camp and immediately caught my eye. As I watched Jordan go through camp, I could feel that he was locked in and was looking to learn as much as he could while some of his peers were simply going through the motions. The focus and willingness to be coached displayed by Jordan are the kind of nontangibles that any coach would love to have from a player on their team, which will take Jordan far into a successful career. However, this young man was a beast on the field and had all of the tangibles to accompany his nontangibles. Jordan was able to go up and get the ball in an almost unfair fashion against those who lined up across from him. To add to his ability to get up high to get the ball, Jordan displayed a set of sticky fingers that would not allow a ball to touch the ground. Simply put, this astonishing athlete was coming down with the ball if it was in his area. Jordan was also great at getting in defensive reps when the ball was thrown to his offensive competitors. Overall, Jordan is a young athlete who will be treasured as his career moves on, an athlete whose name will undoubtedly be known in the years to come.

Jyheir was the monster in Barrington this past weekend that wreaked havoc on anyone daring to go against him, something that was no surprise for me to see as I have witnessed Jyheir dominate previously. Jyheir is the type of player with a dog in him when on the field that strikes fear into his opponents, frequently making his path to the quarterback unscathed. This young man shows excellent explosiveness out of his stance, with a strong punch into his defenders that is too much for them to handle. Once his hands are engaged with the offensive linemen, Jyheir is fantastic at working hand moves to shed the lineman and work toward the ball. Jyheir has a skillset that could be too much for many of his elder peers in high school to handle right now. Jyheir is undoubtedly someone who will continue to wreak havoc in high school and beyond, and I look forward to watching the fantastic showcases he will put on in the future.

AJ first caught my eye running through an Indy drill where he was to roll out of the pocket backward and send the ball downfield to a receiver, and boy, did AJ put some power on a ball while running. From then on, I knew I had to check out what this young man could do. AJ continued to spin the ball accurately and strongly, allowing his receiver to go up and get the ball. AJ’s strength in throwing was not only on display while moving out of the pocket, but AJ could also throw the ball deep and accurately. AJ has a good size on him that allows him to see deep down the field with linemen in front of him, but he showed that he also has good footwork, which allows him to delude defenders. I expect that this young man will do well in the years to come, and I look forward to watching him excel.

Curtis was the cool, calm, collected assassin at the Prospect Showcase this past weekend in Barrington. Curtis would calmly approach the line and then make a mockery of his opponents as the plays commenced. This young man has a bright future ahead of him at the wide receiver position, as he has very clearly shown an astute ability at coming down with the ball when it is in his region. Curtis displayed a pair of strong hands that allowed him to pull the ball away from contested throws on the infrequent occasion that a defensive back was able to jump with him. I say rare occasions when speaking on defensive backs jumping with Curtis because of how high this young man can get into the air when going up for a ball; simply put, this young athlete has hops. Curtis is a baller who should start practicing his touchdown celebrations now because there are plenty of those in his bright future.