"You Are Athlete" Middle School Showcase: Offensive Standouts

The "You Are Athlete" football camp in Kansas City, Missouri not only hosted some of the best high school football players in the nation, but they also had some of the most impressive middle school athletes I have ever seen.   These six young men traveled and woke up early for a 7 o'clock camp went through interviews and put on a wonderful display of athleticism all morning long So, I believe they deserve some recognition for their efforts at this camp.    [player_tooltip player_id='1545283' first='Dominic' last='Santiago'] is a "UNIT" on the offensive line.   Standing at 5'10 230 pounds [player_tooltip player_id='1545283' first='Dominic' last='Santiago'] approached me right after checking in and wanted to know what the next step was in the process of camp. When he walked up and politely asked me where he should go next, I legitimately thought the eighth grader was a part of the adult camera crew. This young man is a big and very well-built football player, and all camp long he stone walled defensive lineman. He is as strong as an ox and if he's able to get his hands into your frame you might as well just wait until the next rep or play because he beat you. He also moves incredibly well at his tackle spot his feet never stop moving on his pass sets and makes it incredibly difficult for defensive lineman.   This is just the beginning for this young man he has a bright future ahead of him.       This young man is a "Polished" route runner.   Sometimes when you try to evaluate younger players you start to notice that there is going to be certain aspects to the players game that will have to develop later on in his playing career. When I watched young Kingston Cooper, I did not see any of those qualities in his game he is as technical as you can get at wide-out. He moved through every positional drill with ease showcasing extremely quick feet. Then when it came to the 1-on-1 period and 7-on-7 he really shined he caught a beautifully thrown post route from Logan Hart (who we will get to later) where he beat the defensive back right off the line got to the top of his route used a great rocker step and the separation from the route was astounding it was poetry in motion.   You can tell that Cooper is a hard-working athlete and it's paying off in dividends he is a D1 football player in the making.     Gabe is a great player and an even better young man.   Griffin-Badoy is only in the 6th grade and stands 5'3 125 pounds which is crazy to me because he is sporting the perfect physique for a running back at his young age, and he is still growing into his body. Again, he is in the 6th grade and all day long he just made plays against older football players. Every drill he participated in he had everyone turning their heads and watching what he was going to do next. When it was his turn up people were quiet and paid attention to what he was doing next at only 6th grade when you can almost command a room like that you know he is going to be a star.   Gabe won running back MVP at the You Are Athlete camp so I wondered if I could watch any clips of him in full pads. I was able to find some and clips and wow the kid was a man among boys out there he was completely unstoppable. Griffin-Badoy is going to play on Saturdays.     Logan Hart has already surpassed his peers in his class of quarterbacks.   Hart is the number one rated football player in the class of 2029 and when you watch him throw the football you can tell that's a proper rating. The football explodes off of Hart's hand when he throws passes. Anywhere he wants to put the ball he can put it there. Amongst his other quarterback counterparts at the camp, he was lightyears ahead of the competition and was the clear winner of the day in Kansas City. You can tell that he loves the game of football, and he puts a lot of work into his craft. Hart is also extremely mobile, and you can tell when you turn on the tape, he is just an athletic specimen, and the offense all runs through him.   Earning You Are Athlete's camp MVP, Hart is going to set high school football on fire next year.     Colin Garrelts is a "baller" and deserves your attention   I love how Garrelts goes about his business on the football field, he just loves the game and all he wants to do is get better. He will give you 100% effort every time he steps on the football field and every coach loves that quality in a player. He was an absolute handful for anyone to try to cover in the 7-on-7 and 1-on-1 periods in camp he has the speed to catch you off guard and it gets defenders on their heels. He would just plain out work you every rep and you just love players that will give you all of his work and dedication to the game of football.   I had to go back home and turn on the tape on Garrelts usually playing quarterback for his team he ran circles around the defense displaying a crazy amount of power and speed. He also has great vison as a ball carrier and knows when to let his block develop and hit the open holes. High school football is going to come so natural to him.     Pugh was a nightmare for defensive backs in Kansas City.   Some receivers just have a knack for getting open and Copper Pugh is one of those guys. All camp long he just ended up with the ball in his hands rather it was during positional drills or 1-on-1 sessions Pugh had the ball in his hands. He keeps the corners guessing by always having a plan on how to run his routes, he plays with an extreme amount of confidence he is so relaxed on the football field. Pugh also comes equipped with a great pair of hands whilst standing 5'11 that he uses to high point passes on a regular ocassion.   Pugh is a wide receivers coach's dream because he comes well-polished and coachable. I'm going to keep a close eye on Pugh and everyone else should also because he puts on a show every time, he's on the field.

The "You Are Athlete" football camp in Kansas City, Missouri not only hosted some of the best high school football players in the nation, but they also had some of the most impressive middle school athletes I have ever seen.