Standout D-backs from the AVC Mega Football Camp, Part II
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Our event coverage of Fairleigh Dickinson University Head Football Coach Anthony Van Curen‘s AVC Mega Football Camp continues. First we will review offensive and defensive prospects that shined during the combine, athletes who appear physically ready to play college football, and…
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Continue ReadingOur event coverage of Fairleigh Dickinson University Head Football Coach Anthony Van Curen‘s AVC Mega Football Camp continues. First we will review offensive and defensive prospects that shined during the combine, athletes who appear physically ready to play college football, and conclude with positional breakdowns of the talent on-hand. These breakdowns are only from my subjective on-site observations. They do not take into consideration film, highlights, or anything else.
Incase you missed any event coverage, here are the articles currently published related to the AVC Mega Football Camp:
With the amount of talented defensive backs that Union City produces, their approach to the game makes perfect sense to me: control the game on the ground with their Wing-T, get a lead, and have stud defensive backs to protect that lead as their opponent plays catchup. Vargas, a senior, joins an already loaded defensive backfield. I witnessed Vargas stick to out routes like glue, leading to him making many plays on the ball. Similarly, if his matchup got hands on the ball before he did he knows to play their hands and swipe the ball loose.
Pruitt, a standout from Toms River North, is a player that has earned much acclaim heading into his senior season. I happened to get a good look at him during indy drills. What I noted was that he takes each rep with a high level of intensity and plays through the whistle or line. He stumbled briefly, but overcame that hiccup to finish the drill. Pruitt recovered quickly to finish out that rep and did not make the same mistake twice.
The lone New Yorker to make today’s list, Downer did a nice job representing the BX Borough. Listed as a cornerback on his registration form, I mistook him as a safety. My assumption that he played safety is because of his size (5’11” 195lbs). That said, I observed a strong ability to change direction fluidly and with ease from the senior defensive back. Downer flipped his hips well and could open and run with ease.
Highlights
**Update: I stand corrected. Evans was a current 7th grader at the time of the camp and is now entering the 8th grade. He is part of New Jersey’s high school class of 2028. Expect more coverage on him from Prep Redzone Next.rn______________
I absolutely love when I jot a bib number down with a corresponding note, only to later realize they are freshman or 8th graders when I reference event rosters against my notes. Evans put on a memorable performance in my eyes. I noticed the then-8th grader/now freshman effectively execute a one-armed jam on his matchup, thwarting their release. During a later spin, Evans showed his leaping ability, high pointing the ball while jumping higher than his matchup to cause an incomplete pass. Evans is a 2027 prospect we need to monitor.
Highlights
Perhaps there is a youth movement going on in the Garden State right now because the class of 2027 is ripe with talent. Smith, who was one of the event’s top middle school combine performers with an explosive 106″ broad jump, caught my eye when he competed as well. Smith is an absolute warrior. I exchanged a few words with him, and as an 8th grader at the time he took it upon himself to compete on the game field with high school juniors and seniors. In other words, Smith opted to challenge himself against players who have had at least three off seasons of strength & conditioning and a varying number of varsity reps; where as in contrast Smith has not had any of either. In pass coverage he jostled and jockeyed for position all throughout the route’s progression. Smith also did a nice job recovering and playing the ball when it was up for grabs.