Buckeye State Blitz 7v7: Day 1’s Top 2-Way Athletes

There were a ton of great athletes on site for day 1 of our Buckeye State Blitz event, but a few cut through the noise with their play on both sides of the ball. Below are some of those guys that stood out and played both ways all day long.    This is the 2nd time I have seen Seth work recently, but today was the best performance I have seen from him. Football IQ for days, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He was able to take calculated risks thanks to his instincts and concept recognition.   Offensively, he runs detailed routes and is able to earn separation at the top of his routes, providing a nice safety valve for his QB as the 4-second clock winds down. Seth has made me a big believer in his ability, and I am looking forward to his performance on Championship Sunday!     BJ had an extremely productive day. His strong build and sweet feet allowed him to be a destructive 2-way player, especially defensively where he was able to terrorize quarterbacks that dared throw his way.   Great change of direction, great hip fluidity and superb overall instincts makes BJ a true dual threat. BJ and his squad Gridiron Gang had a strong showing with a lot to like, and will be a tough out on Sunday!     Strong showing out of the X3 Impact group, but Ward was particularly impressive. He was equally impressive both offensively and defensively.   Ward is well built, which allowed him to be very physical. Whether it was fighting for the ball when it was thrown his direction, or pressing receivers off the line, Ward was able to impact the game on every down. His balance, change of direction and overall athleticism caused the defensive to hold and grab him, otherwise he was getting loose in the secondary constantly. Ward will be an X-factor for his squad during bracket play.     Simms is a well built WR/DB that posed a big time problem. At 6'3 200, Simms was one of the more physically imposing players on the property, and it translated to a really impressive performance.   On the offensive side of the ball, DBs struggled to knock him off his route. Heck, they had a hard time even getting their hands on him. He created separation with detailed routes, and was able to high point the ball once it came his way. Defensively, he used his hands well, and was able to reroute smaller and weaker receivers. His size and skill gives him a sky-high ceiling going forward, and will pose a big challenge for teams in bracket play on Sunday.     Antwan was in our early pool, and he set a very high bar. He's a twitchy athlete with elite change of direction that allows him to impact the offensive and defensive side of the ball. His traits and high upside has already drawn interest from programs at the next level.   Defensively, he flips his hips quickly and stays balanced, and never gets crossed up. Offensively, he fires off the line with a nice release, and creates separation with his elite speed and great physicality. He's young, but has all the makings of an elite player before long.

There were a ton of great athletes on site for day 1 of our Buckeye State Blitz event, but a few cut through the noise with their play on both sides of the ball. Below are some of those guys that stood out and played both ways all day long.