WSSU 7 on 7 Tournament: Defensive Standouts

Prep Redzone North Carolina enjoyed attending a 14-team 7-on-7 Tournament held recently at Winston-Salem State University. There were a lot of standout players on both sides of the ball – for this article, we will focus on the defensive standout players. Prep Redzone NC spoke with several coaches to get feedback on specific players featured in this article.   Quavo Hayes - OLB/Nickel - Asheville - The 6'1 175-pound Class of 2025 prospect was named an All-Conference player last season. All over the field, Quavo had 37 tackles, 4 QB hurries, a sack, 2 pass deflections, and an interception last season. Miles Smith - DB - Berry - The 6'3 185-pound Class of 2026 prospect shows excellent range in the back end of the defense at his position. With his size and ball skills, this could be a big breakout year for him as he is still a bit under the radar from a recruiting perspective. Patrick Goodman - DB - Berry - The 5'11 175-pound Class of 2025 prospect lists a 10.8 100-meter dash time on his Twitter profile. From his first year running track, that's impressive. Patrick also plays some offense for the Cardinals and shows good hands to go along with his strong speed.   Dwight Drew DB - 71st - The 5'11 160-pound prospect lists a 3.71 GPA on his Twitter profile, impressive. From the Class of 2026, Dwight has been active on the camp circuit this summer. On the field, Dwight does a good job with his fundamental technique and staying in phase against wide receivers in one-on-one coverage.   Donavan Fredrick LB - 71st - The 6'2 Class of 2025 prospect has been selected for All-State honors the last two years. He also boasts an impressive 3.5 GPA. Donavan has offers from a number of schools, including Charlotte, Air Force, Army, Charleston Southern, Alabama A&M, NC A&T, Richmond, Navy, Wofford, Alabama State, NC Central, and Campbell.   Anthony Bethea SS - 71st - The Class of 2025 prospect had a strong season last year. Standing at 5'11 and 195 pounds, Anthony had 70 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 4 interceptions. Anthony works hard at his craft and shows good overall footwork and agility in space as a defensive back.   Christian Jackson FS/ATH - 71st - The Class of 2025 prospect had an outstanding productive season last year with 141 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss. At 6'0 and 170 pounds, Christian also plays some offense for the Falcons. Watching Christian's highlight film, he literally played all three levels of defense which is very impressive. He can help in a number of ways for a prospective college.   Kalen Lucas DB - 71st - The Class of 2025 prospect had a very good productive season for the Falcons. With 93 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and 2 sacks, Kalen proved to be a valuable part of the Falcons defense. At 5'10 and 160 pounds, Kalen shows excellent athleticism and speed at his position. I also like his ability to change direction with fluidity. Leandre Thomas - DB - Parkland - A 6'0 175-pound prospect, Leandre is coming off of a season where he was an All-Conference Player. He also lists a 4.6 time for his 40-yard dash on his Twitter profile. Leandre is not afraid to come up in run support from his safety position per his highlight film. Leandre shows good speed in the open field and good technique when making tackles in space. Tyson Samuels - LB/DB - Parkland - Tyson stands at 5'7 and 150 pounds, but he is a defensive force for the Mustangs. Tyson excels at lining up on the edge of the defense and coming downhill at the quarterback on blitz schemes in passing situations. Tyson can also disrupt the timing of running plays using that same speed off of the edge. Gabe McLaurin - DB - Concord - The Class of 2026 prospect really stood out to me in live action during the tournament. At 5'11 and 175 pounds, I like how Gabe shows good speed in space and likes to attack the ball in the air with aggressiveness. Per his highlight film, Gabe is not afraid of contact from his safety position and does a good job of filling in run support. Alex Petroff - DB - Concord - The Class of 2025 prospect will be a leader for the Spiders and had a good day of making plays on the ball during the tournament. Alex has excellent overall speed and has been picking up more recruiting attention with offers from Georgetown, Davidson, and Eastern Kentucky on the board. Alex Williams - LB - Concord - The 5'11 245-pound Class of 2026 prospect had a good day, showing that he can cover the middle of the field well at his size. With a 3.4 GPA, Alex is on his way to having a number of good choices from schools to play for at the college level. [player_tooltip player_id='271557' first='Chase' last='McCullough'] - LB - Hickory Ridge - Chase had a good day at the tournament, showing good range in his zone coverage drops and good overall leadership for his team. The Class of 2026 prospect at 6'0 and 220 pounds is a strong presence in the middle of the defense, coming off of a season where he had 52 tackles and 17 tackles for loss. Keyvon Propst - LB - Starmount - The Class of 2027 prospect has a bright future in his program. Keyvon is already a hard worker in the weight room and had a strong season for the Rams on the Junior Varsity team. Per his highlight film, Keyvon excels at stopping the run from his middle linebacker position and can shed blocks against bigger interior offensive linemen well.

Prep Redzone North Carolina enjoyed attending a 14-team 7-on-7 Tournament held recently at Winston-Salem State University. There were a lot of standout players on both sides of the ball – for this article, we will focus on the defensive standout players. Prep Redzone NC spoke with several coaches to get feedback on specific players featured in this article.