South Middle School Showcase – Emptying The Notebook

Michael Knight January 10, 2024 @ 05:25 PM

Around 100 middle schoolers made their way to Fort Worth on Sunday and we got a good look at what the future of Texas football (and beyond) holds at the South Middle School Showcase. In this post, I'm doing exactly what the title says, it's time to empty the notebook. Throughout the week, I've been putting the spotlight on the top testing athletes, the MVP winners for each position and now it's time to just talk ball. Who impressed the most and I haven't covered already? These three all stood out from start to finish.   [player_tooltip player_id='476598' first='Christopher' last='Phillips II']   We kick off this breakdown with 2029 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='476598' first='Christopher' last='Phillips II'] and in my opinion, Phillips was the best wide receiver that I personally watched on Sunday. Phillips was right there in the discussion for MVP at the wide receiver position. You hear the term "50-50 ball" with wide receivers and defensive backs but with Phillips on Sunday, a typical 50-50 ball was more like a 70-30 ball or even higher. Phillips rarely didn't come down with the ball when it was between him and the opposing DB. The only time we saw the ball hit the turf when watching Phillips was when it was under thrown. If Phillips could get his hands on it, he was going to come down with it.   Jim Gonzalez II   2029 wide receiver Jim Gonzalez II got his day started by impressing our coaches during some of the testing drills. Specifically, the shuttle and L-Drill, where Gonzalez could showcase his agility, speed and ability to change direction on a dime. Gonzalez then went into the competition portion of the camp and had a really nice day. Out of the three prospects on this breakdown, Gonzalez lost out in the size department but that did not slow him down when he was competing against bigger defensive backs the majority of the time. And because of that agility, change of direction and speed, Gonzalez was able to create plenty of separation from opponents.   Tristan Shelton   The only 2028 prospect on this breakdown is another wide receiver. Tristan Shelton has already been featured this week as one of the top testers at the camp. Shelton had one of the top five shuttle times and then he took his game to another level during the competition session. Shelton showcased an ability to run a variety of routes and always be in the right place at the right time. He had some of the best hands that we watched and Shelton ended up being in the same conversation as Phillips. It seemed like Shelton was always finding a way to make the catch while being contested. The ball rarely hit the turf when it was going to the standout wideout.

Around 100 middle schoolers made their way to Fort Worth on Sunday and we got a good look at what the future of Texas football (and beyond) holds at the South Middle School Showcase. In this post, I'm doing exactly what the title says, it's time to empty the notebook. Throughout the week, I've been putting the spotlight on the top testing athletes, the MVP winners for each position and now it's time to just talk ball. Who impressed the most and I haven't covered already? These three all stood out from start to finish.