Up-and-Coming Stars Impress at Midweek MACtion

<p>Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Eastern Michigan for their annual Midweek MACtion camp. This time around, there were over 450 attendees representing programs from all over the country. With that many attendees, I really had to pick and choose my battles. For this camp, I focused on watching 2026-2028 receivers, defensive backs, and Quarterbacks. So, without further ado, here are my standouts from this massive camp.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 DB | Jamal Dotson | Capital (WV) | <a href="https://x.com/JamalDotson5">@JamalDotson</a> (122W)</h2>   <p>Jamal was the first of many out-of-state prospects to stand out at the MACtion camp. Right as I arrived at the underclassman 1on1 section, I immediately saw Jamal making plays. For one, he's a long athlete who knows how to use his length to his advantage. He had mostly great fundamentals, great patience, and good discipline. There was a time or two when Jamal would lose a step, but his long stride plus great ball skills allowed him to recover extremely quickly. He locked up several very good receivers. I'd bet he's going to be a great college prospect within the next year!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'28 WR | Turay Rush | Capital (WV) | <a href="https://x.com/rush_turay15197">@rush_turay15197</a> (19S)</h2>   <p>Wow! Turay Rush was impossible to miss on the south end of Crosby Field. Time and time again, no matter who was on the other side of him, Turay won separation and won the vast majority of his reps (I only counted 1 loss). His release and overall route-running are elite for a 2028 prospect. Turay would oftentimes explode off the line of scrimmage before accelerating upfield, tracking the ball extremely well, and coming down with a great catch. He even secured an incredible one-handed catch right at the pylon, further displaying his special skillset. I truly hope Turay keeps his foot on the gas because he could be a Power 5 prospect when his high school career is said and done. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1798436012076700022 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 WR | Brodi Ostrander | Clay (OH) | <a href="https://x.com/brodi_ostrander"></a><a href="https://x.com/brodi_ostrander">@brodi_ostrander</a> (100W)</h2>   <p>Brodi made a few great plays on the day, and it was enough to earn my attention. He's one of the few that I took notice of during the positional drills. Out of 450 attendees, I found myself watching his WR group in the early portion of the camp. There, I liked Brodi's release and hands. During the one-on-one portion, I noted several good short-intermediate routes (out, dig) where he changed direction fast, won separation and turned upfield after the catch. In a place that was extremely hard to stand out, Brodi did well. Since he's a 2026 prospect, he still has a bit of time to hone is skills and develop more. I could easily see him being a Division 2 target in a year's time if he continues to improve. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bryant Snowden | Roseville | <a href="https://x.com/Bsnowden___">@Bsnowden___</a> (152W)</h2>   <p>Brother of Wisconsin Defensive Back Amare Snowden, Bryant was my #1 DB of the day. He was another guy who immediately stood out to me in the initial position drills. There, I was impressed with his fast feet, ball tracking, and overall quickness + fluidity. </p>   <p>Once the one-on-one period began, Bryant showed out. It's rare to see a sophomore DB play with the confidence, patience, and instincts that Bryant displayed. I noted that Bryant had some of the best instincts out there, as he rarely bit on double-moves and seemed to know exactly when to go for an interception versus a pass breakup. Against Turay rush (listed above), he locked him up better than any DB at camp. Moving forward, Bryant has 100% earned himself a ranking, and I'm confident he'll be a high-tier GLIAC or FBS prospect at his floor. His ceiling is B1G 10, and I hope he's able to put in the work in order to reach those heights. </p>   <p class="has-small-font-size">(I know I got his name wrong in the Tweet. His name wasn't on the roster, so I went off what I thought I heard)</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1798433377277956277 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 DB | Josiah Barnett | Toledo Scott (OH) | <a href="https://x.com/JosiahBarnett08">@JosiahBarnett08</a> (106W)</h2>   <p>Josiah is another tall, long defensive back who played extremely well. A lot of taller players, especially taller DBs, tend to have trouble changing direction and being as fast-twitch as someone a few inches shorter. Not Josiah. He's a patient DB with a very long, explosive stride that allows him to accelerate and recover quickly. When the opposing receiver made a cut, Josiah would immediately chop his feet before exploding to where the receiver is going. When the ball is in the air, Josiah did a good job at timing it up and getting a hand in the way of the pass. It doesn't look like Josiah has any offers, but I'm very confident that he'll be a great college prospect in Ohio in a year's time. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 WR | Kheli Boyd | Belleville | <a href="https://x.com/KheliB4">@KheliB4</a> (15B)</h2>   <p>Although he's a smaller receiver, Kheli Boyd had one of the best catch radiuses plus some of the best hands in the entire camp. Early in the camp, Kheli immediately caught my eye during the positional drills. On par with what we're used to with Belleville receivers, Kheli has good change of direction, release, route-running, and overall athleticism. Where he really stood out to be is where he secured a few tough contested catches and climbed the ladder to get one ball that was quite overthrown. I know it's an incredibly crowded WR room over at Belleville, but if Kheli can earn a lot of Varsity playing time, he could quickly rise to the ranks of his teammates. All in all it's too early to make a prediction on Kheli, but my gut says he has a GLIAC floor. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 WR | [player_tooltip player_id='1261413' first='Kamari' last='Westbrook'] | Belleville | <a href="https://x.com/kamariwb_">@kamariwb_</a> (14B)</h2>   <p>Kamari was a great change of pace from the several smaller, slot-type receivers showing off at camp. Standing at 6'1" 180, he's a bit more of an X receiver. Out of his stance, Kamari did a good job of earning separation with good footwork, body control, and an understanding of leverage. On several occasions, Kamari hauled in difficult catches aided by his reliable hands and good concentration. It's apparent that Kamari is a talented prospect who is well-repped as a receiver. With better explosiveness, he could take the top off of Varsity defenses next fall. I'm extremely excited to see how Kamari is able to develop over the next few years and expect him to be ranked come the next update. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 LB | Neziah Barton | Ontario | <a href="https://x.com/NeziahBarton08">@NeziahBarton08</a></h2>   <p>I only saw Neziah a little bit as I walked around the auxiliary fields, but he's definitely worth a shout here. Mainly, I was impressed with his one-on-one performances. In the four rounds where I saw his group, Neziah was consistently the best-looking LB of the bunch. He was consistently quicker than the opposing running back while getting to his 5-yard spot, then attacked the ballcarrier quickly and without overcommitting. On film, he shows good physicality, play speed, and reactivity. You'd ideally love for him to get a bit taller while continuing to gain muscle, and luckily, he could still get taller being a Freshman, and he has plenty of time to go until he needs to make a decision on playing at the next level. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1798437339603317127 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 DB | [player_tooltip player_id='1148738' first='Tanner' last='Mazich'] | Goodrich | <a href="https://x.com/Tanner_Mazich">@Tanner_Mazich</a> (43W)</h2>   <p>Tanner caught my eye more than a few times throughout camp. Early on, I wrote him down as a my very first prospect to keep an eye on, as I was impressed with his DB fundamentals. During the one-on-one period, those fundamentals shined even more. Tanner has phenomenal footwork, great hips, and patience while defending the pass. I watched him break up a few passes on short routes, but he generally didn't have the speed or change of direction to defend the more elite </p>   <p><strong>Other players who impressed me</strong></p>   <p>'27 DB | Derrick Taylor | Belleville | <a href="https://x.com/DerrickTaylor1_">@DerrickTaylor1_</a></p>   <ul> <li>ELITE Speed</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Great press coverage </li> </ul>   <p>'25 DE | [player_tooltip player_id='1217527' first='Nathan' last='Fletcher'] | Manchester | <a href="https://x.com/NJFletcher62">@NJFletcher62</a></p>   <ul> <li>Not afraid to go against the best at camp</li> </ul>   <ul> <li>Showed off power</li> </ul>

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending Eastern Michigan for their annual Midweek MACtion camp. This time around, there were over 450 attendees representing programs from all over the country. With that many attendees, I really had to pick and choose my battles. For this camp, I focused on watching 2026-2028 receivers, defensive backs, and Quarterbacks. So, without further ado, here are my standouts from this massive camp.