PRZGA 15U Southern Brawl: 2028 Eye-Catchers

With our inaugural 7v7 here in GA wrapped up, it's a perfect time to look back and highlight some of the top playmakers that caught my eye. We roll forward with event coverage by highlighting some 2028s who impressed.    Staton is an athletic youngster with a long frame who played at a high level on both sides of the ball all tournament long. He is listed at 6'0 170 with broad shoulders and long arms. On defense, he was impossible to throw over and used his length to hack at the football at the point of attack. He is a long strider with decent wiggle, closing space between him and the football in just a few steps and possessing enough twitch to match release points. On offense, he has a massive catch radius and made acrobatic catches through traffic all weekend. He has good hands, helping him execute when in possession. Staton has P4 upside on both sides of the ball and is someone I will monitor closely going forward.     [player_tooltip player_id='1626351' first='Nathan' last='Holston'] is a long, lanky DB prospect who impressed with his range and ball skills. He impressed on offense all weekend, using his long strides to get behind safeties and grabbing several TDs over the top all weekend. His ball skills were put on full display, plucking the ball away from his body and off the head of DBs all tourney long.. For a thinner guy, he did a good job battling for position as a receiver. He looks to have natural instincts as a DB, always finding himself around the ball and making crisp breaks downhill. Not to mention his length and ball skills help him crowd the catch point and poke at the football. Holston has a basketball background. He too has P4 upside.     [player_tooltip player_id='970087' first='Cameron' last='Hurst'] passed the eye test at WR and produced as well. He is listed at 6'2 160 with grass-scraping length. He holds his weight well and has plenty of space to add more mass. He was an impressive leaper, consistently beating defenders vertically and making acrobatic catches in the air. He is a smooth strider who eats cushion with a few steps. He is still growing into his frame and should add more twitch as he becomes more comfortable with his frame. Hurst is a prototype jump-ball threat who should generate P4 buzz in the future.     Barnett was the most consistent performer out of any position all weekend long. He might not scare you off the bus, but he spun the ball just as well and if not better than some of the bigger, more traitsy QB prospects at camp. His ball placement at each level of the field was nothing short of elite. His poise in the pocket impressed several coaches all weekend. He was never too high or too low. He dispensed the ball to his elite weapons efficiently all weekend long and would find ways to throw them open when separation wasn't easy. Barnett is already impressive and looks like he has another growth spurt waiting for him.     Big-bodied QB prospect who drew a crowd of people watching him throw as the tournament went on. He is built beyond his years, carrying 6'2 200 on a cut, athletic frame. As far as physical traits are concerned, he was the most projectable QB to the next level. The ball flew out of his hand and ripped across the yard to all areas of the field. For the most part, he surveyed the field well and wasn't afraid to shorten up and take the yards available via the check down. He caught a groove and launched deep ball after deep ball over safeties with precision. He is an emotional guy who feeds off energy and competition, but not to the detriment of his teammates. The ingredients are there for coaches at the FBS level to gamble on.     Cosmo DeMatteo is a vocal QB prospect who took the reigns as de facto coach at times, coaching up his teammates and barking out commands at both QB and LB. He projects long-term as a QB. I couldn't find official measurements, but I estimate he measures in around 6'2 180, maybe taller. He has a long, cut frame with easy arm strength. Touch over the top was beautiful when on, dropping it in the basket of his receivers and floating in right over the arms of DBs. He showed off his athleticism on defense, proving pretty rangy in the middle of the field. DeMatteo is a smart player who makes good decisions and leverages that with impressive athletic traits.     Ashton Taylor claimed an offer from BYU coming into the event, making him one of the more noteworthy prospects at the tournament. He proved some of the hype. He was practically unguardable over the middle of the field, throwing too much shake and twitch at defenders for them to match. He demanded extra attention from defenses, which freed up opportunities for his teammates. He is plenty explosive in his feet, a trait that high-level RBs must have. I can absolutely see the intrigue here. Taylor was nearly impossible to match in space and was the engine that made his offense run.     Israel Benard was a sneaky good performer all weekend and helped will his squad to a deep playoff run. He is listed at 6'0 190. He is more of a heavy-footed passer who will project more as a pocket passer. His arm strength was solid, putting decent zip and spin on the ball when needed. However, his touch was absolutely excellent. He dropped beautiful throws into the holeshot areas. He did a great job occupying the eyes of second-level defenders and layering the ball beneath safeties. Benard operated well and consistently hit his landmarks while keeping his receivers out of harm's way.     Jayson Woods impressed on both sides of the ball. He is listed at 6'0 165 and plays even bigger. His catch radius is massive. He made several plays over the top of defenders, but he also proved capable of going low to pick the ball off the turf. He is really light on his feet and is a long strider, giving him access to the entire field as a route runner while playing with plenty of range as a defender. If he develops nicely and stays the course, he will get plenty of attention at Parkview.     Jayden Evans already holds offers from Pitt and Umass. He came down from Michigan and proved the hype against good competition. He is cut, long, and looks far advanced physically for his age. His range was on full display, always finding himself around the ball. He played with the temperament needed in DBs to come up with PBUs. Several times, he worked hard to wrestle the ball away from defenders and interrupt their route with his physicality. Evans checks out as a clear P4 DB prospect and will continue to steadily generate buzz out of Michigan.     Davis Marschke is a long, fluid WR who caught my eye on day 2. He skates across the field and runs with good pace and tempo in his routes. His spatial awareness is noticeable, settling down in soft spots and offering his QB a big target. He also has enough lean to subtly change direction and beat safeties to a landmark. His hands and body control work together to make impressive grabs in the air while in awkward spots. There is some developmental upside here and Marschke is a breakout candidate this fall in GA.     [player_tooltip player_id='892583' first='AJ' last='Sneed'] came out hot on day 2 and played his best ball in tournament play. He is a thin 6'0 160 who has plenty of room to add more mass. He will probably get taller too. He caught my eye with excellent touch on a wheel route TD and continued to efficiently dispense the ball to each level of the field all game. Sneed is athletic, has some whip in his delivery, and is only going to get better from here.     Kamari Humphrey was a smaller guy on his team, but he impressed on both sides of the ball and was always around the ball when it mattered most. After the catch, he had some shimmy and was able to shake loose and create his own yards. He did a good job staying patient and in phase at DB, giving himself at least a boxer's chance to make a play on the football. His ball skills were impressive and remained consistent all event long.     [player_tooltip player_id='1136075' first='Luqman' last='Baig'] played with confidence and consistently made good decisions all weekend. He is listed at 6'0 170 and carries his weight on a built frame. He put some real horsepower on the ball and wasn't hesitant to rocket it into tight windows. He paired that with solid touch and timing over the top when needed. He has a good feel for the position, plays with confidence, and is level-headed. Further nuance and development as an athlete is the next step in his development.     Lawarren Mays caught my eye early on in the weekend and played consistently all weekend long. He is a smaller guy, but played with good wiggle after the catch and proved hard to shake with. He showed good deception and spatial awareness in his routes, as well as the focus to reel in the ball in a crowd. He has some bounce for a smaller guy, allowing him to go up top and make plays against bigger receivers when he lined up at DB. Mays also plays basketball. I will track him closely as he bulks up and adds more mass to his wiry frame.

With our inaugural 7v7 here in GA wrapped up, it's a perfect time to look back and highlight some of the top playmakers that caught my eye. We roll forward with event coverage by highlighting some 2028s who impressed.