Fire vs. Ice Game: Team Fire Linemen Practice Standouts

The first ever Fire vs. Ice All-American Game took place over the weekend of November 9-10th, and it featured a ton of prospects with big high school and college futures. With some athletes already holding scholarship offers on both Team Fire and Ice, many of the Eastern TN studs were out to play. Here's a look at the linemen that stood out at practice on Team Fire.    The tallest lineman on Team Fire, Thornburg was an obvious choice as the (assumed) starter at Left Tackle for the squad. After seeing him for the first time this past June as a member of the Tennessee Future Stars, fast forward five months to this game and he continues to be a 2029 Offensive Lineman to know in Tennessee. He looks to be every bit of the 6-foot-4 and 245-pounds he's listed at, and I'd argue he may be just a little bit heavier than that. The areas of improvement remain the same from the summer in terms of overall strength, flexibility and functional mobility. That said, when he gets set and gets his impressive size working for him, he's one of the top pass blockers in the state on this level. With his long arms, he's able to keep Defensive Ends and Edge rushers at bay. I don't see him as a Left Tackle right away on the high school level, but he has all the physical tools to eventually get there. Be a little patient, but the upside is huge.     Another prospect I saw this past summer as a member of the Tennessee Future Stars, big [player_tooltip player_id='1305188' first='Zaviaus' last='Miller'] again impressed. Miller came late to the first practice of the day, so I missed him while splitting time at both Fire/Ice practices. However, during the second practice, he more than did his thing at both Right Guard on offense and Defensive Tackle on defense. He's a big, thick kid who plays with a tremendous amount of power. He made the move to Briarcrest Christian for this past school year and was one of the main forces for the big day that star Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='1305180' first='Kruise' last='Buntyn Jr.'] had. One of the better run blockers I've seen in Tennessee up to this point for the class of 2029. Obviously needs to improve a little bit in terms of quickness, but he's strong at the point of contact and there aren't many that are pushing him around at this point.     Kirkpatrick was a prospect I was fired up to see for the first time in a live setting. A regular season teammate of [player_tooltip player_id='1305226' first='Haddon' last='Thornburg'] at West, the duo served as book-end Offensive Tackles for Team Fire. Kirkpatrick was the second tallest offensive lineman on the team and did a very commendable job at Right Tackle for the team. He proved to be a well-balanced kid and did a nice job in both run and pass blocking. Without the benefit of replay and getting to rewatch things, my initial take on him is that there's a ton of potential here. I'd like to see him finish blocks with a little bit more of an impact, but he did his job throughout the two practices I saw.     One of the few non-East Tennessee prospects to be selected for the game, Colton Robinson made the trip from Sumner County in Middle Tennessee to participate. I was a big fan of the Shafter Middle School prospect and just how fast he was able to get off the ball as a Defensive End. Closer to your traditional Defensive End than an Edge player, I watched him get the first step on play after play. Following an All-County selection for this play this season, I could see why he warranted the honor. After his speed propelled him forward, he also had enough size and strength to engage with, and beat, the big offensive line. I'm unsure on how high his ceiling is at this point, but he looks to have a decent amount of ability.     Wrapping up the bigs that impressed me on Team Fire was yet a third member of the Tennessee Future Stars team from this past summer, Jayden Payne. In that Future Stars Game I really liked Payne as a blocking Tight End. However, after watching some film of him playing Defensive End this year for Bearden, I can see him playing both ways. He missed the first practice of the day as Bearden was busy winning a MAC Conference Championship, but immediately jumped into (presumed) first-team reps with the defense. He's a good looking 4-3 Defensive End that can play against both the run and the pass. Would love to see some more dynamic pass rushing moves out of him as he develops and heads into high school, but that's just nitpicking a bit. He has a real solid future.

The first ever Fire vs. Ice All-American Game took place over the weekend of November 9-10th, and it featured a ton of prospects with big high school and college futures. With some athletes already holding scholarship offers on both Team Fire and Ice, many of the Eastern TN studs were out to play. Here's a look at the linemen that stood out at practice on Team Fire.