7v7 Spotlight: TN Brigade 14U Team

<p>The Music City Mayhem 7v7 tournament offered the opportunity for a large number of top young prospects inside the state of Tennessee to compete against each other, including a TN Brigade 14U team that was loaded to the brim with rising standouts.</p>   <p>Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='2112089' first='Marshall' last='Manning'] went viral for his accuracy and anticipation during the event under the guidance of his father, Peyton Manning, but the team is so, so much more than that. This is a group of talented young playmakers from southeast Tennessee that will be impact players for their high schools for the next three-to-four seasons.</p>   <p>The TN Brigade 14U team is loaded with talent and we take a look at the standouts that are playing for the team this offseason after having the opportunity to witness them perform live in-person.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baylor 2030 QB [player_tooltip player_id='2112089' first='Marshall' last='Manning']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2112089' first='Marshall' last='Manning'] has taken another step forward in his development, which is great news for a Baylor program that looks to build around him as the future leader of the offense. He has added more strength to his frame which has helped his entire game and take it to a new level.</p>   <p>His improved velocity has allowed him to display other attributes that he thrives in such as accuracy, anticipation and reading defenses. He did all three things at a high level in the event and moved the offense down the field like a machine.</p>   <p>In terms of mechanics, he had a strong day overall, showing clean footwork and stepping up into the hypothetical pocket to transfer his power into his concise throwing motion. When trying to fit the ball in tighter windows on big throws, he did lift his back leg a good bit, but that should mellow out as he gets older and bigger. Peyton Manning tended to do the same thing even when he reached the NFL level and I would tend to say it worked out for him, so if that is the biggest negative takeaway, it might be a nitpick.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2032858955316130057?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baylor 2030 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1305217' first='David' last='Knowles']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1305217' first='David' last='Knowles'] is a prospect that I am really excited to see at the next level and while a 7v7 tournament does not truly demonstrate his talent, he did show some encouraging things as a receiver in the underneath game.</p>   <p>First off, he is built like a tank and already has the frame of a top high school tailback, making it easy to see why he got some high school linebacker reps as an eighth grader. Despite being a bigger player, he showed the ability to work open underneath at times, using his natural violence to disengage at the point of attack and provide a quick option for his quarterback in an event that moves fast.</p>   <p>While David Gabriel Georges will lead the rushing attack as a senior this season, it won't be long before Knowles takes over and keeps the tailback position rolling for the long-term.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bradley Central 2030 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1596142' first='Hezekiah' last='Thomas']</h2>   <p>Speaking of tanks, [player_tooltip player_id='1596142' first='Hezekiah' last='Thomas'] is huge and moves excellent for his size, offering an immediate rock-solid skillset that should find some ways to impact the Bradley Central offense from the jump.</p>   <p>While he is a very big running back for his class, he moves well and provided another reliable quick-hitting option for the quarterback during the weekend. He will be a tailback to keep tabs on as he enters the high school level as he offers an intriguing skillset of a strong frame with plus athleticism.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tyner 2029 ATH Titan Turner</h2>   <p>Titan Turner could be a budding star at Tyner High School and it was nice to see him compete for the first time at the 7v7 tournament. His best overall potential might be at receiver, but his best production for the loaded event was at the safety position.</p>   <p>As a receiver, he offers a strong six-foot frame for his quarterback to target and was very effective at getting open over the middle of the field. He was used in a variety of ways on the freshman team at Tyner and I am hoping they can scheme up ways to get him the ball at the varsity level this season as they might have a budding playmaker on their hands. When targeted in the red zone, he showed very impressive body control that made him an absolute weapon in the end zone.</p>   <p>He was excellent as a safety, utilizing his natural size, athleticism and ball skills for the entire event. He is excellent at breaking down on the ball when it is in the air and his imposing size and playmaking ability made it impossible for anyone to work through the middle of the field in his vicinity.</p>   <p>Tyner is a program that could be on the cusp on making some very loud noise for a long time with the young talent in their program and Titan Turner should be a large part of that future at a program looking to build off a state semifinal appearance.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TitanTurner2029/status/2033991598296449311?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baylor 2030 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='2001414' first='Cole' last='Fritz']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2001414' first='Cole' last='Fritz'] might have been the overall biggest prospect on a very big team, offering a strong frame with great length that is a tough matchup on either side of the football.</p>   <p>As a receiver, he was the top target in some games, working open over the middle of the field effortlessly and showing the strong frame includes his hands, that have shown in padded football and 7v7 that he can come down with any catch. He is an exciting playmaker that is excellent at attacking the ball and with it in his hands, which should make him a featured part of the Baylor offense for a long time.</p>   <p>On defense, his combination of size, physicality and fluid athleticism made it hard for any receiving threat to work open against him throughout the entire event. He even covered a budding tight end with excellent size and athleticism and did an overall good job of limiting him to very few yards underneath for their playoff game.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2030 TE [player_tooltip player_id='2112087' first='Hudson' last='Robbins']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2112087' first='Hudson' last='Robbins'] is a new name at tight end out of the Cleveland area that will be someone to keep an eye on in the long-term. He has good size at the position for his age and moves well, working open over the middle of the field and underneath consistently over the two-day period.</p>   <p>He flashed his potential as a reliable receiver consistently in an event that can be hard for young tight ends to truly impress. He could carve out an early role as an H-back receiver type as he continues to get bigger, stronger and more explosive but offers some intriguing upside already.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tyner 2030 CB [player_tooltip player_id='2091895' first='Juice' last='Sims']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2091895' first='Juice' last='Sims'] is an exciting cornerback prospect that comes with a lot of promise due to his natural ability to be sticky in coverage.</p>   <p>He might be a tad undersized right now, but do not let that fool you as he was the best person in coverage all day of a 6'2+ tight end that dominated every other team that he played. He is a physical corner that pushed receivers off the line, even taking some completely out the play.</p>   <p>When he has to work downfield, he can flip his hips and was very effective in the half-turn when challenged, which impressed me the most. His ability in those instances at such a young age was ultra-impressive and should equate to a bright future at the position for the young star. As he gets bigger, he should be a well-rounded cornerback prospect that can line up across from anyone.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PrepRedzone/status/2032992285034688736?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baylor 2029 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1618732' first='Timlan' last='Williams']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1618732' first='Timlan' last='Williams'] is another new name to the radar after he showed well during both days of the event, possessing good size, athleticism, versatility and ball skills.</p>   <p>He was a versatile playmaker in the secondary but primarily played safety opposite Turner and the tandem completely took away the middle of the field. He has good size and can break on the ball which put him in plus positions to make plays on the ball. He was also utilized on offense as a reliable target that could fill in at any spot in the formation.</p>   <p>He is another exciting young player with a strong amount of potential that is developing at Baylor and will be a name to know over the next couple of seasons.</p>

The Music City Mayhem 7v7 tournament offered the opportunity for a large number of top young prospects inside the state of Tennessee to compete against each other, including a TN Brigade 14U team that was loaded to the brim with rising standouts.