AVC Football Mega Camp: Noteworthy Running Backs, Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Tuesday, June 3, 2025 I was personally invited back for the third consecutive year by Fairleigh Dickinson University Head Football<strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CoachAVC_FDU">Coach Anthony Van Curen</a></strong>&nbsp;to cover his Football Mega Camp. With many other universities now following suit with mega camps of their own, Van Curen's is the O.G. in the area and, quite frankly, everyone is just biting off his style. However, at this point the term “mega” is probably an understatement to describe his event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In what I would consider more of a celebration of the game, between the 560+ prospects registered, 100+ college coaches watching, clinicians, parents, and high school staffs there were&nbsp;<em>literally&nbsp;</em>around 1000 people coming out to compete, make connections, and enjoy an evening sample taste of football. As has become the norm for Van Curen's baby, the event was organized, structured, ran well, and was highly competitive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to eyeing prospects up, measuring their combine performances (40-yard dash, Pro Agility, Broad Jump), I was fortunate enough to receive unimpeded access to the grounds to evaluate and scout the talent on hand. In this article, I share my notes for the position group mentioned in its title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ"><strong>Twitter</strong></a>&nbsp;for the latest updates in New Jersey high school football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I unfortunately got an <em>extremely </em>limited look at running backs at this event. Regretfully, I was a bit overwhelmed with the sheer size of the event and numbers at each position. Without further adieu, here are the running backs I managed to record notes on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was not a terribly far trip from Blair Academy for [player_tooltip player_id='1305451' first='Andrew' last='Pearce']. Pearce looked his best during run simulation drills, where he showed exactly how quick and sudden he can be. When taking the hand off he seems to lean a bit preemptively in the direction he is headed. From what I saw, Pearce looked like he catches the ball with his body. Lastly, when running routes out of the backfield he this 2026 ball carrier would benefit from sinking his hips and adding more upper body fakes to his route-running repertoire. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1523197' first='Jonel' last='Lince'] might be the workhorse player for Trenton Central this fall. As Lince prepares for an increased workload due to the departure via graduation of Keyshawn Warthen, the rising senior is best served to be mindful of ball security. When toting the rock, I saw him hit a 7on7-esque move, the ball-arm swim, over a defender. Something tells me that a helmet could poke that thing loose!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My eyes are consistent with what the combine scores told us: [player_tooltip player_id='277164' first='Gianni' last='Pasqualone'] was one one of, if not <em>the</em>, most athletic back in attendance. Taking the short trip over the Goethal's on 78-Westbound out of Staten Island, the Monsignor Farrell product ran <em>extremely </em>well. In fact, Pasqualone was moving so fast that on this wind-free night, his shirt was blowing as if he was running head-on into the wind. Knowing his speed and quickness are his best assets, Pasqualone often slow played and lollygagged defenders to sleep before turning it up to 10 and dusting them; on one route he ran, he absolutely broke a linebacker in half doing exactly this. Lastly, I only witnessed Pasqualone catch the ball with his hands, too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">AVC Football Mega Camp Coverage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-offensive-prospect-eye-test">Eye Test: Defensive Prospects</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-offensive-prospect-eye-test-2">Eye Test: Offensive Prospects</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-top-combine-performers-offense">Top Combine Scores: Offense</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-top-combine-performers-defense-specials">Top Combine Scores: Defense + Specialists</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-cornerbacks">Noteworthy Cornerbacks</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-defensive-ends-part-i">Noteworthy Defensive Ends</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-linebackers-part-i">Noteworthy Linebackers</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-guards-centers-part-i">Noteworthy Offensive Guards &amp; Centers</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-offensive-tackles-part-i">Noteworthy Offensive Tackles</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-quarterbacks-part-i">Noteworthy Quarterbacks</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-running-backs-part-i">Noteworthy Running Backs</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-safeties-part-i">Noteworthy Safeties</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/avc-football-mega-camp-noteworthy-wide-receivers-part-i">Noteworthy Wide Receivers</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->