West Liberty University TNL Camp Standouts: (Receivers)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a hazy and humid evening at the West Liberty University Thursday Night Lights Camp but that didn't stop over 75 WV and surrounding area athletes from competing. There was plenty of talent on hand and some really impressive athletes and performances. Here were some of the top receiver talent I saw at camp.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Valdez Kankeu - Winton Woods (OH) | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winton Woods brought some serious talent with them to West Liberty's TNL Camp and that continued with 2024 WR Valdez Kankeu. Kankeu won camp MVP for the skill player group and earned himself an offer from the Hilltoppers. I am in total agreement with their choice of MVP and Kankeu was one of my top receiver performers of camp. The rising senior is a really good route runner and has the twitch to create separation when running routes. The 5'10 170 Kankeu was one of the top performers in 1-on-1s and made some nice plays in the 7-on-7 portion of camp. I expect him to pick up more offers this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braden McWreath - Wheeling Central Catholic | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wheeling Central Catholic's Braden McWreath was a name I knew before camp and I am very high on him. He's only a 2025 prospect but has the size at 6'2 185 and the athleticism to be a high ceiling prospect. I like him the most as a wide receiver and that's where he shined at Thursday's camp. McWreath was another receiver that really stood out in 1-on-1s and won several of his reps. He's a low 11-second 100-meter dash type of speed athlete and that was apparent at camp. The rising sophomore played some wing-back in the Knights' offense last season so his pure receiver highlights are limited but he's definitely a name to watch for the next two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elyjah Zaire-Kelley - Marietta (OH) | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marietta's Elyjah Zaire-Kelley is flying under the radar a little bit but he looked good at camp. Marietta had some offensive issues last season and used a few different QB options so he didn't get a ton of opportunities but seeing him in person I think he's worthy of some D2 offers. Ziare-Kelley is on the smaller side for a wideout and might slide inside at the next level but he can stretch the field and has some good hands. He made some really impressive and tough catches in his junior highlight video and will lay his body on the line. The rising senior had some good reps in 1-on-1s and an overall good camp.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cole Thoburn - St. Clairsville (OH) | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Clairsville's Cole Thoburn is really known for his speed and that was on display at Thursday's camp. He's a little slight right now but has decent height and can play inside or outside receiver. Thoburn is an all-around great athlete and also a standout basketball player. I think he's worthy of a D2 offer and I expect he will get some if he already hasn't. He was another standout during 1-on-1s and I also saw him score a touchdown in 7-on-7. Thoburn is also a very good defensive back at corner and could play there in college as well. I like him the most as an offensive playmaker and he can really make some big plays for your team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1147429' first='Mason' last='Marchbank'] - Toronto (OH) | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had heard a lot about Toronto's [player_tooltip player_id='1147429' first='Mason' last='Marchbank'] and was finally able to see him in action on Thursday. The 2025 prospect has yet to play in high school due to injury and other circumstances but is primed to have a big breakout junior season for the Red Knights. Marchbank projects as more of a tight-end prospect but right now he's more of a receiver. He has a good height at 6'3 with still time to grow and he certainly stood out physically among the other tight ends and receivers. I saw him have two winning reps in 1-on-1s and his testing numbers at Wheeling University's camp the day after were not bad. Coming off a serious foot injury, Marchbank is still getting back to full strength and should improve those numbers over the next two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Koen Eagon - Buckeye Trail (OH) | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 WR/DB Koen Eagon of Buckeye Trail (OH) is a really athletic prospect who looked good at receiver at camp. He's not the biggest player but boy can he run and move. I could see him playing running back, receiver, or defensive back at the next level and Eagon is also a very dangerous return man. The first play of his junior highlight tape is one of the most athletic plays I've seen recently for a high school player. There is so much raw athleticism in Eagon's game and definitely worth bringing in and figuring out where his best position is later. He picked up an offer from D2 Merychurst (PA) earlier this year and I wouldn't be surprised to see many others follow suit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->