CCC Invite Only: Breaking Down the Data

Two months of full-participation events led directly to Sunday's Carolina Coaches Combine Invite Only at River Bluff.   After watching the event live and then cranking through the data packs associated with the Catapult Sports Cat 1 vests every player was wearing, we now know just how impressive this group was as a whole.   There was pure speed.   Maximum effort.   Top-level burst.   This data will not only help a lot of players' chances of making the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas or the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl (both staffs were in attendance evaluating), it should be a major boost for many of those players' recruitment.   Let's highight the best of the best of the best in three vital categories drawn from the Cat 1.   MPH ELITE EIGHT   The format of the Invite Only was different from the first four South Carolina events, in that laser-timed 40s weren't part of the equation.   In lieu of that and some other combine standards that normally allow players to hit their top speeds, Sunday's session including a single pure sprint. The different positional groups started on the goal line, raced to the 5, returned to the goal line and then ran to the opposite 40-yard line.   Seventy yards was it. And while that alone seems like a lot, players quickly realized how much they needed to take advantage of the opportunity.    Of of the 131 players, eight hit 22+ miles per hour.    [player_tooltip player_id='1580947' first='Jayden' last='Boyd'] WR, Fairfield Central - 22.95   [player_tooltip player_id='473009' first='Jeremiah' last='Favorite'] DB, Boiling Springs - 22.83   Caiden Cole WR, Carolina Forest - 22.54   [player_tooltip player_id='473016' first='AJ' last='Grate'] ATH, Waccamaw - 22.47   Asher Littlejohn DB, Broome - 22.45   [player_tooltip player_id='1196428' first='Jalen' last='McGraw'] LB, Bamberg-Ehrhardt - 22.23   [player_tooltip player_id='1592540' first='Christian' last='Foster'] LB, Emerald - 22.08   [player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] QB, Stratford - 22.08   PUSHING THE LIMITS   Sprint distance percentages - and more, importantly, why they matter - have been documented throughout this year's combines. But the players who participated Sunday proved exactly why they are among the very best across South Carolina.   More often than not, they didn't hit their personal off switches until the Cat 1's were switched to the off position. The effort showed in their individual data packs.    Sprint distance is measured any time a player surpasses approximately 12.5 miles per house. Typically, a combine or game session that breaches 10 percent in sprint distance compared to overall distance is considered pretty good.    [player_tooltip player_id='1327713' first='Matthew' last='Hillstock'] WR, Easley - 15.8%   [player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] RB, Goose Creek - 14.7%   [player_tooltip player_id='473013' first='Carter' last='Coleman'] WR, Blythewood - 14.1%   Nehemias Fernandez RB, Laurens - 17.4%   [player_tooltip player_id='1148537' first='Jaryn' last='Fox'] RB, Carolina Forest - 16.4%   [player_tooltip player_id='1656666' first='Lathon' last='Smalls'] WR, River Bluff (pictured) - 14.5%   [player_tooltip player_id='1303770' first='Jamijae' last='Karim'] RB, Liberty - 15.1%   [player_tooltip player_id='1395098' first='AJ' last='Lee'] RB, Andrews - 14.3%   Mike Doe RB, North Augusta - 15.9%   [player_tooltip player_id='1580947' first='Jayden' last='Boyd'] WR, Fairfield Central - 14.1%   ACCELERATION RATES   The Cat 1 data is compiled in various charts to help streamline how it is digested, and when it comes to acceleration rate, a 1-10 scale is utilized. Accleration is how quickly a player goes from a stopped position to an upper-level speed, and it essentially shows how much of a burst a player has.   A figure north of a 7 on the 1-10 scale is considered strong, and 17 players hit that mark Sunday. Nearly half of that list hit 7.5 or better.    [player_tooltip player_id='1734538' first='Isaiah' last='Smith'] WR, North Augusta - 7.95   [player_tooltip player_id='1656666' first='Lathon' last='Smalls'] WR, River Bluff - 7.87   Wesley Gorsage WR, Lexington - 7.80   [player_tooltip player_id='1580947' first='Jayden' last='Boyd'] WR, Fairfield Central - 7.79   Deonte Phillps ATH, Strom Thurmond - 7.61   [player_tooltip player_id='1395098' first='AJ' last='Lee'] RB, Andrews - 7.60   [player_tooltip player_id='1371931' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins'] WR, Conway - 7.56    [player_tooltip player_id='1165512' first='Chris' last='Boyd'] DB, Clinton - 7.56

Two months of full-participation events led directly to Sunday's Carolina Coaches Combine Invite Only at River Bluff.