National Preps Combine Preview: Defense

June 1 marks the end of the longest dead period in NCAA history, and along with it, marks the return of college visits and prospect camps. But with one weekend left before the big date, we have a huge third party camp to cover. The National Preps Showcase in Bermuda Run, North Carolina is one of the more star-studded events of the Spring and Prep Redzone will be there to bring you full coverage. Before we recap the weekend though, we’re here to preview it and give you an idea of some of the players we’re excited to see. The "Dudes" Every good prospect camp should have at least a few established recruits competing as having those guys helps to give an idea of the quality of other platers at the camp. This weekend, there are several of these "dudes" scheduled to showcase their skills. We’ve scouted several from afar but are excited to see them in person. Here we’ll look at a few of them. Clayton edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="28661" first="Donovan" last="Spellman"] has long been near the top of our rankings and after a strong junior campaign the offers have finally started to trickle in. The 6-4, 210-pounder has recently received offers from Group of Five schools like Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Appalachian State, but has also received a Power Five offer from Boston College. Spellman is the highest-ranked defensive player in attendance in our 2022 class and will be joined by other standout edge rushers like Grimsley’s [player_tooltip player_id="141374" first="Tamorye" last="Thompson"], Wake Forest’s [player_tooltip player_id="107401" first="Chris" last="Allen"], Northeastern’s [player_tooltip player_id="28644" first="Kaevon" last="Freshwater"] and Pender’s [player_tooltip player_id="28680" first="Christopher" last="Spencer"]. All four had excellent junior seasons and hold multiple Division 1 offers. I personally like all four and think each would be an excellent addition for an FBS team. A strong defensive tackle group is led by Richmond’s [player_tooltip player_id="107402" first="JD" last="Lampley"], West Craven’s [player_tooltip player_id="97534" first="CJ" last="Mims"] and Hough’s [player_tooltip player_id="131842" first="Da’Shawn" last="Davis"], among others. They’ll be joined by standout 2023 defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id="44971" first="KJ" last="Sampson"] of New Bern and [player_tooltip player_id="144722" first="Isaiah" last="Shirley"], from Watauga. Also of note, 2-way star [player_tooltip player_id="44990" first="Jamaal" last="Jarrett"] is competing as a defensive lineman. At the linebacker position, Glenn’s [player_tooltip player_id="28678" first="Albert" last="Redd"] and Whiteville’s [player_tooltip player_id="149126" first="Daejuan" last="Thompson"] lead a small, but talented group. In the secondary, a trio of Hough defenders highlight a strong group. [player_tooltip player_id="149210" first="Isaiah" last="Brown-Murray"], [player_tooltip player_id="145323" first="Gavin" last="Gibson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="149211" first="Ethan" last="Johnson"] all hold multiple offers, while Myers Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="28649" first="Omari" last="Philyaw"] and Providence Day’s [player_tooltip player_id="104090" first="Chris" last="Peal"] hold our top corner spots in their respective classes. These guys will provide a benchmark by which we can measure other players. The Under-the-Radar Guys I’m excited to see several guys in action that may not have the accolades of some of the top guys, in terms of top-level offers. Several of these guys will excel, even against other top players. Along the defensive line, I’m intrigued by guys like Cabarrus Warriors edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="144723" first="Jack" last="Schultz"] and Southern Durham lineman [player_tooltip player_id="144699" first="Anthony" last="Mebane"]. Schultz is a guy that played really well in a shortened private school season this year, and I’m excited for the opportunity to see him on a level playing field with other edge rushers. Mebane is a 2023 lineman that really impressed me this season, and I think he could be one of the standouts Saturday. Another private school lineman that could make some noise is Christ School edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id="106730" first="Brady" last="Ioannidis"]. Like Schultz, he played in the fall and is nearly five months into his offseason. I think he could have a great camp. He has a couple of Ivy League offers and I don’t think he’s done yet. Parkwood’s [player_tooltip player_id="28672" first="Cody" last="Hardy"] was banged up for a lot of his junior season and split time between defensive end and tight end, but assuming he’s healthy, I think he’ll stand out Saturday. The linebacker group is heavy with underrated talent. Christ School’s [player_tooltip player_id="98108" first="Angeni" last="Jacobs"] sticks out as the type of player that can really play well in these showcase settings. I’m also interested to watch South Mecklenburg’s [player_tooltip player_id="119502" first="Panos" last="Burlos"] and Salisbury’s [player_tooltip player_id="141359" first="Jaden" last="Gaither"] in action. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="122674" first="John" last="Balas"] of Providence had a great season so I’m interested to see how he performs. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id="107034" first="Xavion" last="Coulter"] is one of our top linebackers in the 2022 class. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t pick up a few offers this summer and Saturday could contribute to that. At defensive back, [player_tooltip player_id="148016" first="Mike" last="Geter"] of Salisbury was one of the best freshmen in the state this year. I’ve never seen him in person and he doesn’t have a lot of film out there, so this weekend will tell me a lot about his potential. [player_tooltip player_id="98198" first="Brodrick" last="Gooch"] from Heritage is one of the better 2-way players in the state. He’s transitioning more to the defensive side of the ball (where a lot of colleges are interested in playing him) and I want to see him go through drills on that side of the ball. Metrolina Christian defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="28681" first="Tommy" last="Miller"] intrigues me as a high-academic, high-IQ safety. I’ve never seen him in a camp setting and want to see how he performs. We’ll be there to recap it all, so stay locked into Prep Redzone for camp insights.