Standouts from UYFL VA State Championships

I had an opportunity to cover the UYFL VA state championships held at Norfolk State. I watched the 12U, 13U, and 14U championships. Some talented teams were involved to include the Virginia Beach Mustangs, 757 Colts, Tidewater Dawgs, Peninsula Panthers, and Virginia Panthers. Some of the players I was familiar with and had already covered, some were new names who I will continue to track. That being said I saw elite playmakers on all of the teams, before they moved on to play for national championships.    Elite level ball skills, hands, and feet. Kid runs like a deer, super smooth and controlled, can be a great route runner. Body control and catch radius are very impressive, makes acrobatic catches, while turning in air. He plays bigger than 5'6 frame. Shows elite attributes for a young player. Reminds me of Christian Kearney of Oscar Smith Middle. No wasted body motion in routes, runs on the balls of his feet, and makes plays. He thrives on short, intermediate, and deep passes. He does a great job of catching in traffic, holds on to ball after contact. On defense, he has the footwork and athleticism to play corner. He also comes down and fills the alley at safety. Makes violent tackles, great knock back on tackles. Needs to break down on tackles, but likes contact. Athletic genes, father is 6'10, play basketball at VCU. Can be an FBS skill guy. Already very intriguing, but can be electric with a growth spurt.     Extremely quick get off and straight line speed. Gets up field in a hurry. Disruptive, makes tackles, uses his hands extremely well when tackling. Creates separation and sheds blocks. Has discipline to stay in gap and make tackles, not always surging upfield. Has college level quickness already. Great length and fits the part as a DT. Shows LB pursuit skills, shows range. Plays slightly high at times, and sometimes lunges. Shows very good aggression for a kid his age. His uncles are 6'2, 6'3, hopefully he keeps growing. Can be a D1 DT. Well worth tracking. Proportional, looks athletic, fits the part.     Smooth QB with good footwork and and pocket presence. Looks like he will grow a few more inches. Smooth/fluid runner, does a great job following his blocks. Nice burst as a runner, just needs to protect himself more in HS. He was very effective running between the tackles in RPO system, may be his greatest strength. Has to learn to slide so he doesn't take those hits in HS. Truly an RPO dual threat, all the way. Was in complete control of this game, and was a big reason for winning 13U state championship. His team dominated time of possession because of him. He is still developing as a passer, would want to see a little more AT. Also, throws somewhat sidearm, but still good mechanics. Ball rarely flutters, smooth delivery, throws spirals. Needs to improve on accuracy and consistency. Lots of incompletions in this game, but still got the win. Statistics were 10 TD/2 int as 8th grade starter JV. Can grow into an efficient QB. He is a good decision maker with football. Needs reps and development, but has QB makeup, intelligence, and command. Needs to improve arm strength, but has natural feel for the position.     Elite level Safety. Flys around, ball hawk, fantastic range. Kid is an absolute factor in the back end. Have to be mindful of him, because he can make game changing interceptions. Generous reference, but he reminds me of Sean Taylor in terms of his range and ability to bat down passes. Always flying around and disrupting in the back end. Makes multiple diving plays, nicknamed "Batman". Most highlights are batted passes, Ints, and jumping routes. Would want to see more tackling highlights, but think this is in him. Super impressive in the back end. Great combination of range, effort, and ball skills. Believe this is a D1 FS who will start getting offers after 9th grade camps. Athleticism and instincts set him apart.      Electric playmaker with the ball in his hands. Low center of gravity, changes directions well, good burst and speed. Runs on the balls of his feet, runs around kids and makes them look silly. Likely will become a slot, could also see him as a punt returner. Houdini effect is the only way to describe his running style, very Russell Wilsonish in terms of running highlights and COD. Want to see more and see how tall he gets, but his elusiveness is special. Cat like quick and great agility. Definitely worth tracking into HS.

I had an opportunity to cover the UYFL VA state championships held at Norfolk State. I watched the 12U, 13U, and 14U championships. Some talented teams were involved to include the Virginia Beach Mustangs, 757 Colts, Tidewater Dawgs, Peninsula Panthers, and Virginia Panthers. Some of the players I was familiar with and had already covered, some were new names who I will continue to track. That being said I saw elite playmakers on all of the teams, before they moved on to play for national championships.