Newberry Prospect Camp Defensive Standouts

NEWBERRY | This week, Newberry College's football program welcomed in hundreds of players to its family for a day of prospect camps - with the potential for that bond to strengthen.   The Wolves hosted back-to-back days of camps, bringing in talent from all across the state and from several others throughout the southeast for the opportunity to compete, get better and prove why they belonged on the field with opportunities to play at the next level potentially hanging in the balance.   Wednesday's action focused on the linemen, while Thursday was a free-for-all across all positions, starting with combine-style measurements and drills before breaking down into 1-on-1 activity spread across three seperate fields.   Needless to say, we left Setzler Field with a full notebook. This particular installment will focus on the defensive stars from the day, with breakdowns of the offensive talent and a shout-out to the small/private school standouts to follow.   [player_tooltip player_id='1596856' first='Jayden' last='Alston'] 2027 DB, Carolina Forest   Speed, speed and more speed were on display from Alston, who turned in a couple of good times in the 40-yard dash and proved it's not just straight-line speed by wowing during the pro shuttle.   [player_tooltip player_id='2199688' first='Melvin' last='Ancrum'] 2027 DL, Colleton County   Ancrum put himself on the short list of players to watch during his work in the 1-on-1s. The 6-foot-1, 285-pounder exploded up the middle just as easily as he threw a big-man spin move at the opposing OL to motor right past to the tackling dummy. When it came time to match the five best linemen on both sides of the ball, Ancrum scored the lone win for the defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1640595' first='Da'von' last='Bowman'] 2027 DB, Wilson   Blink, and you'll miss him. Bowman blazed through the 40-yard dash with ease, then proved himself in 1-on-1s by latching on to opposing receivers to take them out of the drill altogether.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818577' first='Aiden' last='Brown'] 2027 DB, Dorman (pictured)   Brown is a speedster who showed the ability to lock down the man across from him regardless of the route, breaking on the quick-hitters and beating the receiver to the ball when it was thrown deep.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821858' first='Bradley' last='Crowell'] 2027 K/P, Woodmont   Crowell is a true specialist who can knock through field goals and extra points, then follow it up with a big kickoff to negate a potential return - but we're putting him with the defensive standouts from Thursday because we loved the hang time he put on his punts.   [player_tooltip player_id='1816792' first='Brad' last='Flippins'] 2027 LB, Nation Ford   Flippins is the kind of player that makes you double-check the roster. Built like a safety, moves like a smaller running back, holds his own at the linebacker position. He's fast for his size, and he's a fluid athlete.   [player_tooltip player_id='2131765' first='Artavious' last='Gwynn'] 2027 DB, Gaffney   During individual drill work, Gwynn impressed most with quick, clinical cuts that enabled him to change direction on a dime. Needless to say, we weren't surprised when he was a fast closer on the ball during 1-on-1s.   [player_tooltip player_id='1817551' first='Anthriest' last='Hill'] 2027 DB, Sumter   Hill has the build to comfortably play anywhere in the secondary. He showed the strength to jam the receiver near the line of scrimmage, the quickness and agility to beat him to his breaks, plus the ability to read the route and the quarterback to put himself in position to win every rep.   [player_tooltip player_id='1054957' first='Gray' last='Kitchings'] 2027 LB, Aiken   Kitchings shows his strength in every rep, whether that's during individual drills or 1-on-1s and regardless of position. His gains in the speed department, though, since the spring are noticeable, which will be key in his new hybrid LB/DB assignment.   [player_tooltip player_id='1821167' first='Ty' last='McGill'] 2027 LB, Gaffney   The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder has steadily continued to impress more and more in these kinds of settings, and he proved to be a handful once again during 1-on-1s. He looks like a run-stopper - and has the film to prove it - yet can also run stride-for-stride with the running backs in wide-open passing situations.   [player_tooltip player_id='1791506' first='Emez' last='Nance'] 2027 DB, T.L. Hanna   Nance was another burner who turned heads during the 40-yard dash and agility drills, which has to be terrifying for opposing offenses considering he's 6-foot-2 and diagnoses routes well enough to, at worst, crush opposing receivers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1819409' first='Bryce' last='Raysor'] 2028 DB, Catawba Ridge   Raysor took all of the fun out of 1-on-1s for opposing receivers, cloaking them for long enough that the quarterbacks, without facing a pass rush, still couldn't buy enough time for them to get open.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818141' first='Jeremiah' last='Roseburgh'] 2027 DL, Dorman   Roseburgh was one of the standouts during the OL vs. DL drills, using a quick burst of straight-line speed to dart past the right tackle when he was lined up at left defensive end.   [player_tooltip player_id='1577696' first='Connor' last='Ross'] 2027 LB, Carolina Forest   Ross turned in a strong showing during individual drills, running fast for his size, then put his speed, agility and vision to good use by hanging tight with the running backs during 1-on-1s.   [player_tooltip player_id='1822105' first='Akeam' last='Williams'] 2027 DB, North Augusta   Williams is not the type of defensive back to sit back and let the play to come to him, and that was on full display during 1-on-1s. He quickly diagnosed routes and jumped in front of them to keep the opposing receivers from even having a chance at the catch.

NEWBERRY | This week, Newberry College's football program welcomed in hundreds of players to its family for a day of prospect camps - with the potential for that bond to strengthen.