Standout Defensive Players From Gardner Webb Mega Camp

There were a number of standout players defensively at the very well-attended Gardner Webb Mega Camp held this past weekend in Boiling Springs, NC. We are going to take a look at some of the players who stood out for various reasons in this article. Most of my time was spent watching skill positions; however, I was able to speak with some college coaches in attendance and will share some of those observations as well throughout the article.   Defensive Linemen   For whatever reason, the defensive line group, despite the numbers, was not as deep overall as the offensive line is one of the observations I received and observed from the camp. We highlighted a couple of standout defensive linemen previously; however, we'll mention a couple of other names here.   [player_tooltip player_id='1076281' first='Cameron' last='Melvin'] from Cleveland HS in North Carolina seems to impress no matter where he goes to camp so far this offseason. Cameron used a good get off at the snap and continuous hand movements to shed blocks and do well at both defensive tackle and defensive end during the 1 on 1 period against offensive linemen.   [player_tooltip player_id='1671991' first='Omaryon' last='Hayes'] from East Forsyth HS in North Carolina is a powerful interior defensive lineman who can keep linebackers clean in the running game and push the pocket from the interior in the passing game. Omaryon had a good camp performance, and the next day he received his first overall offer from Charleston University, a well-deserved chance to play college football.   Marcellus Young Casario of Rabun Gap School in Georgia measured in at an impressive 6'6 and 255 pounds. That physical frame, combined with a best 40-yard dash time of 4.89 seconds, had some coaches excited. He has picked up offers from Miami (Ohio) and Virginia Tech in the last month.   [player_tooltip player_id='861458' first='Aiden' last='Black'] from JM Robinson HS in North Carolina had another good offseason camp performance. Aiden is a quick interior defensive lineman who can shoot gaps and cause havoc in the backfield for four quarters. I had a chance to speak with Aiden after his camp performance.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1931384865389150577 </div></figure>   Linebackers   I thought there were a lot of good-looking athletic players in this group. [player_tooltip player_id='904263' first='Chris' last='Wurster'] from Stuart Cramer was literally the first player that stood out to me when I got on the field last Saturday. He looks quicker and more athletic than on film last year, and he was already a pretty good player as it is. I'm expecting a big senior season from him at Stuart Cramer HS in North Carolina.   [player_tooltip player_id='1616142' first='Lej'end' last='Lockwood'] is a 2028 prospect from Butler HS in North Carolina, and he looked athletic and fast, like every time I see him. As a weakside linebacker, he's a sideline to sideline player, and he showed nice explosion going through drills and the reaction circuit at the camp.   Jordan Hood of Woodruff HS in South Carolina really moved well throughout the reaction circuit linebackers were going through to start their individual period. I liked how he exploded out of changing directions, and he did well during the 1 on 1 run period against running backs.   [player_tooltip player_id='1600436' first='Michael' last='McGill'] (Mikey) of North Mecklenburg HS in North Carolina really did well in the 1 on 1 portions against running backs. He had multiple pass breakups in an offensive-friendly drill, and he showed good speed and acceleration in the run-based 1-on-1s as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1153173' first='Jaylen' last='Starks'] of Hillside HS in North Carolina showed why he is a 3-time All-Conference player. Everything he did was smooth, and he moved well athletically. Jaylen looked confident in everything he was asked to do and looked like he belonged easily. Jaylen came into the camp with a couple of offers, and I could see more in his future.   Jakyri Anderson of Belton Honea Path HS in South Carolina really looked smooth and fast going through drills. He came into the showcase with two offers from smaller schools, but I'm sure he jumped on the radar of several colleges to watch as a Class of 2026 prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='1321028' first='Amario' last='Spence'] of West Iredell HS in North Carolina is a player I've been high on, on both sides of the ball. As a linebacker, Amario really moved well in space and excelled in the run game 1-on-1s. Amario came into this camp with an offer from Toledo, and I think he's got more in his future as a Class of 2027 prospect. I spoke with Amario after his camp performance.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1931493800255357128 </div></figure>   Defensive Backs   This was a good-looking group as well, and we have highlighted several players already who did well and earned offers from colleges. Still, there are some players who deserve some more love and attention here.   [player_tooltip player_id='1678640' first='Xyaire' last='Brown'] of North Mecklenburg HS in North Carolina was athletic and fast all day long. Xyaire had an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.47, one of the fastest overall times of the camp. Xyaire has continued to perform well after a strong performance at the CFI Carolinas Mega Showcase back in May. He is a Class of 2027 prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='1687751' first='Ty' last='Covington'] of Richmond County HS in North Carolina was another fast and quick-twitch player as a cornerback in the Class of 2028. Ty is an impressive runner on the track and posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.5, really impressive for such a young prospect. His future is very bright in a historically successful program.   [player_tooltip player_id='1691273' first='Ayven' last='Ingram'] of Kings Mountain HS in North Carolina has excellent size and speed for a safety prospect. At 6'2 and 180 pounds, he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash time. On film, he looks to have a good reaction to the ball and looks fluid in both man and zone coverages. As a Class of 2027 prospect, he will be one to watch going forward.   [player_tooltip player_id='1718578' first='Maddox' last='McDowell'] of Garner HS in North Carolina is a smooth-looking 6'3 Safety prospect who shows versatility as a slot coverage defensive back that can hold up while being a strong run force player. Maddox came into the camp with offers from Duke, Troy, and Gardner-Webb, and I think he only helped his stock going forward with his performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1671837' first='Bobby' last='Bah'] of Northern Guilford HS in North Carolina is another player who has continued to show well in offseason camps. Measuring at 6'2, Bobby ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and played impressive man coverage throughout the 1 on 1 period. He received an offer from Gardner-Webb in May before the camp, as his first Division 1 offer.   Mchenry Fortilien of Dr. Phillips HS in Florida was smooth and fast all day long from his corner position. Measuring in at 6'2 and 180 pounds, he was locked in and played excellent press man coverage on a variety of receivers during the 1 on 1 period. He came into the camp with several Division 1 offers, and he should have more coming his way in the near future.   Damian Moore of Edgewater HS in Florida was a very impressive Safety prospect who showed excellent coverage skills in the slot on multiple reps. He ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, and several coaches were raving about seeing him live. He came into the camp with 10 offers, and left with two more as both Gardner-Webb and North Carolina Central offered him after his strong camp performance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1060044' first='Kingston' last='Curry'] reclassified recently to the Class of 2028 and switched schools over to Charlotte Country Day. One of the better athlete prospects in the state, Kingston elected to compete as a safety and showed his agility and speed consistently well throughout the camp. I spoke with him after his camp performance.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1931847021562089496 </div></figure>

There were a number of standout players defensively at the very well-attended Gardner Webb Mega Camp held this past weekend in Boiling Springs, NC. We are going to take a look at some of the players who stood out for various reasons in this article. Most of my time was spent watching skill positions; however, I was able to speak with some college coaches in attendance and will share some of those observations as well throughout the article.