Standouts from York Mega Practice
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Last week, I had the chance to attend the York Mega Practice which was a great event. Well over 300 prospects showed up and it had to be nearly 50 college coaches as well. It was a great chance to…
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Continue ReadingLast week, I had the chance to attend the York Mega Practice which was a great event. Well over 300 prospects showed up and it had to be nearly 50 college coaches as well. It was a great chance to see the talent that I haven’t been able to watch closely for the first time in person while also getting to see some talent I was familiar with once again.
Here are my standouts from the York Mega Practice.
The Palmerton quarterback is having himself a really strong offseason. He was super impressive at the York Mega Camp and then went to the Elite 11 Regional up in State College and was one of the more athletic quarterbacks there. He recently picked up an offer from Lehigh and that should be the first of many to come over this summer as he makes his way through the camp circuit.
Here’s what I wrote about Machalik earlier this offseason;
“They run an RPO system at Palmerton that works really well with his skillset. He shows great athleticism and uses his size and speed to his advantage. He shows good arm strength and touch on the ball with the ability to throw for accuracy when on the move as well. Has a nice zip on his ball as well. Definite FCS upside here with Machalik.”
Highlights
Another prospect that myself and fellow scout Patrick Weider actually got to highlight this offseason who really impressed me during the York Mega Camp.
Here’s what Patrick wrote on Hershey;
“Hershey plays defensive end for Spring Grove. In both an even and odd front Hershey holds the edge very well. He uses his hands very well to shed blockers off. Then he has a constant motor that is always attacking and going forward. On several clips I saw him chase down and tackle quarterbacks scrambling. He also has great size to hold the edge. He is listed 6’5 and looks every part of it. With his size and the ability to hold the edge Hershey is a good prospect that should have a chance to continue to impress for his senior year of high school. Hershey’s recruitment is starting to heat up since he has visited with Stony Broco, Dartmouth and Fordam. This number should continue to rise going forward.”rnAfter watching Hershey up close at the camp, I have to fully agree with Patrick’s evaluation. He’s got legitimate size, shows great hand fighting skills, knows how to gain valuable leverage and has an unrelentless motor. He’s firmly a FCS prospect and could be worth a Power Five walk-on look in my opinion as well.
Highlights
Another camp, another great Colby Reph Colby Reph 6’1″ | 295 lbs | OL Northampton Area | 2024 State PA performance. He simply does not miss. He may not be the most physically imposing but he is such a strong, fundamentally sound all-around offensive lineman who is willing to outwork everyone. Someone is going to get a huge steal in Reph.
Highlights
The first time I got to see Hohenshelt up-close and I came away very impressed. Legitimate 6-foot-4 size, has a solid amount of weight on his body as well. While he is a bit of a raw prospect still, there are not many tight ends in the class of 2024 with higher ceilings. His stock has risen greatly this offseason and I expect it will continue to do so throughout the summer.
Highlights
Evan Alcide
Evan Alcide
Alcide is actually a prospect out of Maryland that should be on the radar after this summer. He was very impressive in the camp. He shows fluid hips, legitimate size at 6-foot-0 and 200-pounds as well as pretty solid speed, even finishing first in one of the 100-yard dashes for linebacker. He was very productive for his Fallston team last season as well as a sophomore, leading his team with 113 tackles. Very much projecting currently to being a high-end FCS linebacker.
I didn’t get to watch a ton of Scott but he caught my eye when I was watching the wide receivers. He has his lengthy 6-foot-2 frame and showed quality speed throughout the event as well. He’s a good route runner with strong hands. Will get to finally show his abilities on the field at a consistent rate this upcoming fall as well.
Highlights
Smyser is in for a rankings boost in my opinion especially after what I saw in York this past week. Good size, legitimate speed and shows great hand-eye coordination and a strong catch radius. Was by far one of the better wide receivers present at the camp. May not be physically imposing but is a very good technical wide receiver, there’s no doubt about that.
The state’s leading rusher from last fall made his way to York and I’m glad he did. The small school kid is showing he has some serious talent after strong performances at both the York Mega Camp but also at the All 22 regional in State College this past weekend. Strong frame at 6-foot-1 and 184-pounds. According to his testing results from the Elite 11/All22 showcase, he ran a 4.57 forty-yard dash. Very impressive to say the least. College coaches better get in on Knox soon because he’s about to explode in my opinion on the recruiting trail.
James Abney
James Abney
Very, very intriguing prospect here when it comes to Abney. I’ll be honest prior to last week he was a virtual unknown to me. That is no longer the case. Claims to be about 6-foot-3 / 6-foot-4 and I would say that size is quite accurate, definitely could add more weight to his frame as well but is a well built wide receiver overall. Very good athlete – that projects well to a tight end or defensive end at the next level. Strong hands and fluid hips stand out. Good first quick step to his game on both sides of the ball. Interested to see how he performs this upcoming season.