Event Preview: PSR BIG Camp Series – Skills That I Must-See
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For the second year in a row, I have been invited back to provide media coverage for Coach Nick Pennisi’s PSR BIG Camp Series. Since Nick and I last worked together back circa 2012, he has gone on to build one of…
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Continue ReadingFor the second year in a row, I have been invited back to provide media coverage for Coach Nick Pennisi’s PSR BIG Camp Series. Since Nick and I last worked together back circa 2012, he has gone on to build one of New Jersey’s top private camp/clinics.
For my money, the PSR BIG Camp Series is the single-best private camp in the state. With over 40 different collegiate football programs scheduled to attend, the best price point in the market, ample reps, top-caliber coaching, recruiting opportunities, and elite competition, there is no other event in the state that hails in comparison. This even draws the best talent in New Jersey, both far and wide, out to compete.
Speaking of top talent, here are some of the top talent I am excited to see live and in-person this Saturday.
PSR BIG Camp Series Event Coverage
- Wiry target that has plenty of speed that he is able to manipulate well to get behind defenders when he decides to turn on the jets
- Adept at running vertical and getting behind split safeties on posts
- High points the ball; uses his hands to catch it most of the time
- Willing and able to block; want to see him bend and get lower when doing so
- Need to see more route variety – only see verticals, posts, curls/hitch
Highlights
- Sells double moves with head and route fakes very well; seems to perform them often
- Deceptive route runner because of his fakes, not necessarily their precision or crispness
- Strides when he runs, seems to gain a lot of ground with each step he takes
- Catches with hands, high points the ball
- Sells crack blocks hard, only to release into a pattern
- Want to see him come back to/attack the ball – the ball is in a good place when it is in his hands
- Tight end/defensive end, two-way player
- As an in-line blocker he possesses good form and bend; able to work his matchups upwards; need more consistent leg drive
- Good technique when slanting, explodes upfield in a hurry
- Seems to have a long body that makes it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to get a clean read on options
- Slow plays oncoming pullers in hopes to force a bounce to the outside so he can make a tackle
- Fights across defender’s face well when backside
- Wish to see him commit to wrong-arming/hard-jointing trap blockers; his athleticism will accrue tackles for him with better technique
- Plays in A gap on punt return; highly explosive as he blocks kids and destroyers personal protectors
- Serves as team’s long snapper; hustles and covers well as the midfield gunner; recovered 2 muffed punts
Highlights
- Propensity to make spectacular 1-handed grabs and Moss his opponents – both of which I have witnessed live in-person
- Protects ball by pinning it to his chest as he prepares for inevitable contact; want to see him grab his own wrist with his off-hand
- Hips are shifty to make downfield defenders miss; can subtly shift his hips put bad defenders in a blender
- Can get behind lesser defenders who play with a 10-yard cushion
- Want to see him use his body positioning to shield defenders’ bath to the ball, extend arms for intermediate, crossing patterns
Highlights
- Film is two season’s old, yet very inspiring
- Can stop in a hole and gain full speed again very quickly
- I would describe the way he cuts as gliding
- Disciplined approach, follows his blockers
- Too explosive to allow to gain the edge – teams will pay dearly
- Has balance and tends to fall forward
- No clips of him in pass protection, few as a pass catcher; must get ball to outside arm as he bounces once in the second level
Highlights
- At full speed he can still find yet another gear; gets to full speed in about three steps
- Patient as a runner, waits for hole to clearly open up before accelerating through it; hits hole and runs track, will not deviate from it
- Subtle, smooth cuts are made to change direction; arm tackles simply fall off of him
- Routinely the first man downfield on kick off
- Willing down blocker and iso blocker (Wing-T offense), although not asked much to lead block
- Want to see him all over the formation, not just regulated to Wing
Highlights
- Stretches the field vertically, routinely able to get behind the secondary
- Film is mostly verts, fades, wheels, and flags
- Has good sense of when to break off his routes, able to read defenders who are on their heels
- Uses hands to catch; makes diving grabs and contested 5050 balls
- Moves like a one-cut running back in the open field
- Stalk blocks with authority – they look like crack blocks
- I think he can create well for himself; film would benefit from him being featured in the short-to-intermediate patterns to showcase this