CFI Winter Showcase: Top Linebackers

The Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) Winter Showcase hosted over 150 players – primarily juniors and seniors – on Saturday, December 7th at Rocky River High School. The purpose of the CFI Winter Showcase is to place kids in front of as many college football coaches as possible. Coaches from Johnson C. Smith, Benedict, Allen, Brevard, Carson-Newman, Winston-Salem State, Erskine, & others came to evaluate players in person. Top performers were named at each position for the showcase – this article will focus on the top linebackers named at the event.    Kingston really played well here as a combo linebacker/safety type of player, showing excellent speed and agility in this role, excelling in both the agility circuit and in pass coverage against running backs and tight ends in 1-on-1s. After the showcase, Kingston picked up offers from Missouri Valley and Brevard College. Kingston was also named the Defensive Player Of The Year for his team for this past season.     In taking a look at Joe's film, Joe does an excellent job of simply making tackles from his interior linebacker spot. Joe shows good technique in making solo tackles in the open field. Joe also does a good job of pass coverage over the middle of the field, particularly in zone coverage, getting back to his drop and finding work and the football efficiently. At this showcase, I thought Joe really stood out in the position individuals portion of the showcase - he has been coached well, and Joe did a great job in performing position standards across the board.     Lathan came into this showcase with an offer from Fayetteville State, and with his size/athleticism profile, he will probably see a few more offers in his future. For his size, Lathan moves very fluidly and has excellent speed and footwork. Taking a look at Lathan's film, Lathan shows some excellent movement in tight spaces, often moving to open windows and slamming them shut with quickness and good form tackling on ball carriers in the interior run game. Lathan also has good eye discipline and ties that into diagnosing plays quickly.     Colton was named an All-Conference linebacker for his work this past season, and based on his performance at this showcase, it was a well-deserved accolade. Sporting a 4.25 GPA, Colton did an excellent job of being quick on his feet in all three main phases of the showcase - the agility circuit, individual drills, and 1 on 1's. Looking at Colton's film, Colton plays with excellent physicality, taking on and shedding blockers and making secure tackles in space consistently.     Rylee came into this showcase with offers from McPherson College and Newberry College, and he showed well as a very athletic combo linebacker/strong safety with excellent size at 6'2 and 205 pounds. Rylee moves very well for his size, and he did well in the individual and agility circuits of this particular showcase. Taking a look at Rylee's film, Rylle shows excellent speed to the football and does a great job in keeping outside leverage in the perimeter run game. Rylee also does a good job of tackling well in space.     At 6'3 and 205 pounds, Larry can play some outside linebacker and strong safety types of roles on defense. Larry is an athletic prospect who can do a good job in pass coverage - he shows a nice Pick 6 on his highlight film in man coverage on a slot receiver. Larry excelled in the agility circuit at this showcase, showing nice speed in short spaces and some good changes of direction and footwork.       Jasha is an excellent linebacker overall who was named All-Conference for the second year in a row in the So Meck Conference in Charlotte. Jasha showed excellent straight-line speed during the agility circuit and did a good job in 1-on-1s in the running and passing games. After the showcase, Jasha picked up an offer from Fairmont State University. Jasha is a very good tackler on film, and shows the coverage ability to be a 3-down player at the next level.

The Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) Winter Showcase hosted over 150 players – primarily juniors and seniors – on Saturday, December 7th at Rocky River High School. The purpose of the CFI Winter Showcase is to place kids in front of as many college football coaches as possible. Coaches from Johnson C. Smith, Benedict, Allen, Brevard, Carson-Newman, Winston-Salem State, Erskine, & others came to evaluate players in person. Top performers were named at each position for the showcase – this article will focus on the top linebackers named at the event.