You Are Athlete Birmingham- More Prospects Who Caught My Eye

Last Saturday I had the awesome opportunity to take a road trip up to Birmingham for the regional You Are Athlete camp.   While out there, I got to meet and watch some of our state's top prospects up close- and man did they impress.   These prospects killed it Saturday and are set up for massive seasons this fall, be sure to take a look at the film in the meantime, you won't want to miss out on these guys!    [player_tooltip player_id='1610207' first='Elijah' last='Brown'] was extremely impressive all day Saturday, dominating every drill and showcasing his elite talent in all sorts of ways. Brown was unreal in every matchup, consistently putting OL on their heels and driving them back several yards. I seriously can't wait to watch him play this fall- it was unreal seeing how explosive and strong he was in person.   Brown is coming off a huge sophomore season, he was a force in the trenches all year long for Prattville and is only just getting started. Against the run, Brown completely controls the line of scrimmage with his size and strength, frequently collapsing rushing lanes and coming up with huge stops at and behind the line of scrimmage. It's extremely impressive watching Brown go to work in the trenches- he is outstanding at fighting through blocks to pursue and bring down the ball carrier. It doesn't matter who lines up across from him, he can win in several different ways- he has an extremely impressive bull rush, plays with elite leverage and rips really well, and is just a constant force at the line of scrimmage. With how well he's played, Brown has rightfully become a big name in the recruiting world- listing offers from Ole Miss, Arkansas, Georgia, and plenty of other top-tier programs. I can't wait to watch him play this fall- he's one of the top talents in our 2027 Rankings for a reason.      Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to meet [player_tooltip player_id='1625598' first='Monroe' last='Partin'] last Saturday, but man am I excited to watch him play this fall. He was a standout prospect at camp, competing at a high level in every drill and making a ton of impact plays all throughout the day.   Partin is an incredibly talented LB out of Bayside Academy who was one of the most impressive run defenders in the state last season. Partin is excellent at reading and reacting to plays- he flies around the field, fights off blocks with ease, and completely shuts down rushing lanes at the line of scrimmage, coming up with huge run stops all season long. Partin is just as productive on passing downs- he makes a ton of plays blitzing off-ball, using several different kinds of moves to work his way around OL and pressure/take down the quarterback. It's seriously impressive watching how easy it is for Partin to shed off blocks- he is so good at getting around blockers and attacking the ball- it was easy to see all last fall. Partin had a massive season, ending his dominant junior year with 208 total tackles (114 solo, 6 for loss), 2 sacks, 3 hurries, and one interception. Since Saturday, Partin has picked up an offer from USF- and is sure to have more on the way. He's been blowing up this offseason and is set up for a huge fall- I can't wait to watch.      [player_tooltip player_id='1420769' first='Bralen' last='Coleman'] is one of our rising freshman WRs who really caught my eye this past weekend, he already has elite size and hands with plenty of time and room to develop. Coleman was already competing and winning reps against upperclassmen, it was incredibly surprising for me to learn he was only in the 8th grade.   At 6'0 175, Coleman has incredible size at his age, and makes sure to use it out wide. Coleman wears down opposing DBs with his physicality- he is terrific at high-pointing and making plays over the tops of defenders, frequently fighting through contact/coverage to secure passes. Coleman is also incredible after the catch- it's seriously hard for defenses to bring him down. He has great contact balance, sheds off tacklers, and has a mean stiff arm he uses to embarrass defenders and make the most out of every catch. Fair warning to all DBs- do not try pressing up on Coleman at the LOS- he is extremely strong and completely derails DBs out of his release- it's seriously impressive watching him out wide. After watching his tape (see below), I can't wait to see what Coleman does this fall- he's going to be a weapon for Thompson over the next four years.      I hadn't watched [player_tooltip player_id='1629686' first='Brandon' last='Marinho'] before this past Saturday, but he definitely caught my attention at camp. Marinho did really well in the one-on-one period, competing well and winning reps against a wide variety of different OL- after watching him and his tape over this weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing what he does this fall.   Marinho is a talented DE capable of making huge plays against the run and pass. Against the run, Marinho does an excellent job holding his own in the trenches- consistently fighting off blocks and clogging up rushing lanes at the LOS, making life a lot harder on opposing RBs. It's also impressive watching him rush the passer, he has a couple of really good moves and can generate great pressure as well as dish out some big hits on the QB. Marinho had a really productive sophomore season last fall, ending the year with 56 total tackles (19 solo, 13 for loss), 4.5 sacks, 8 hurries, and one fumble recovery. We are going to have to keep an eye on Marinho going into this fall- I saw a lot of promising things in his tape below and think he could have a real breakout season- be sure to give him a watch!

Last Saturday I had the awesome opportunity to take a road trip up to Birmingham for the regional You Are Athlete camp.