WV Combine Series: Evaluating the LBs & DBs

Code PRZWV30 for a discount on your subscription at checkout!   The 2025 West Virginia Combine Series camp took place at the beautiful indoor Highlands Sports Complex in Triadelphia, WV, on Saturday, with over 75 WV prospects competing and learning from college coaches across the state and region. Here is our evaluation of every linebacker and defensive back in attendance at the camp!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">LINEBACKER MVP</h2>    2027 Jefferson LB [player_tooltip player_id='895942' first='Kyree' last='Brooks'] did what we expected from the #1 ranked linebacker in his class and earned our LB MVP award at Saturday's Combine Series camp. Brooks had a tremendous breakout season for Washington in 2024 after showing impressive flashes as a freshman, which propelled him into the Top 5 of our 2027 rankings. He's a very athletic middle linebacker with a ton of pass coverage production, which translates well in a camp setting. It's always difficult to defend receivers and running backs 1-on-1 at camps, but Brooks proved he has the ability and athleticism to do so in multiple reps. Brooks' ceiling as a prospect is extremely high, with high D1 potential if he continues to develop over the next two years.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🏆 2025 Combine Series LB MVP 🏆 2027 Jefferson LB <a href="https://twitter.com/kyreebrooks12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kyreebrooks12</a> Holds the #1 LB ranking in WV for the 2027 class! HUDL 🔗: <a href="https://t.co/FxS8NH2EGO">https://t.co/FxS8NH2EGO</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wvprepfb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wvprepfb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRZCombineSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PRZCombineSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/XHDVg9eF19">pic.twitter.com/XHDVg9eF19</a>— Prep Redzone West Virginia (@PrepRedzoneWV) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWV/status/1918775370188218526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></blockquote>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEFENSIVE BACK MVP</h2>    Nitro 2027 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1316655' first='David' last='Hill'] proved why he's considered an early Top 10 defensive back in the 2027 class, earning our DB MVP award at the Combine Series this past weekend. He still has a slight build but is fearless in man coverage. He does a nice job of pressing and staying in front of receivers with good positioning. Hill faced some talented and older receivers throughout the camp and won his fair share of reps during 1-on-1s. Once he adds more weight to his frame, Hill's game will level up further as his technique and athleticism are already there for him to build on.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🏆 2025 Combine Series DB MVP 🏆 2027 Nitro DB <a href="https://twitter.com/Davidhill171312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Davidhill171312</a> Ranks as a Top 10 DB in the 2027 class! HUDL 🔗: <a href="https://t.co/Amj1ZX1DWl">https://t.co/Amj1ZX1DWl</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wvprepfb?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wvprepfb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PRZCombineSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PRZCombineSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/KXZiJj0yOy">pic.twitter.com/KXZiJj0yOy</a>— Prep Redzone West Virginia (@PrepRedzoneWV) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWV/status/1918776457473523947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></blockquote>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TOP PERFORMERS</h2>    Wheeling Park's [player_tooltip player_id='894628' first='Isaac' last='Sands'] was one of the best defensive backs in attendance at the Combine Series camp. He had a productive junior season for the Patriots on the football field as a safety with 52 tackles and 3 interceptions. Sands is picking up serious looks from D1 programs for wrestling and has a physical build that you expect from that type of athlete. He performed well in 1-on-1s for being a safety prospect and did a nice job of executing coverage, not typical of players at his position. While he may wrestle in college, Sands has the ability to play DB at the next level as a scholarship-level player as well, if he wants to continue playing football.     If you lined up Parkersburg South's [player_tooltip player_id='894769' first='Derek' last='Sandy'] and Wheeling Park's [player_tooltip player_id='894628' first='Isaac' last='Sands'] next to each other, you'd believe they were nearly identical copies of each other. Sandy is also a very physically put-together safety with a wrestling background and similar stocky stature. He also did very well in coverage during the camp for a safety playing man coverage, which he isn't used to doing every down. As a junior last season, Sandy totaled 136 tackles and 6 PBU's as a run-stopping safety with athleticism to have success in pass coverage as well.     Tug Valley ATH [player_tooltip player_id='894624' first='Bryson' last='Elia'] was a Top Performer at last year's Combine Series and stood out again at this year's event. Elia was a Top 5 DB at the camp in our eyes, presenting excellent man coverage skills during 1-on-1s. He has the raw athleticism to play all over the field on Friday nights as a Top 15 ATH in our rankings, but DB may just be where he settles in at in college. Elia has the speed and fluidity to play corner and is very good at sticking to receivers. Even when he finds himself out of position at times, Elia has the ability to quickly flip his hips and redirect his path with the closing and reaction speed to make a play on the ball.     2028 University prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1624359' first='Elijah' last='Morris'] signed up as a running back for the Combine Series but showcased a lot of potential and upside as a defensive back throughout the day. His build is better suited for DB early on in his career, and you can envision his body developing into a high-level corner type with time spent in the weight room. Morris' long arms and wingspan will serve him well moving forward on defense once he continue to learn the technique and fundamentals of the position.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">UNDER-THE-RADAR NAMES TO KNOW</h2>    There are likely a lot of schools on Tyler Consolidated's schedule who are tired of seeing the name Winfrey on the opposite sideline, but that's not stopping anytime soon with 2027 DB [player_tooltip player_id='897581' first='Gideon' last='Winfrey'] being the next up in his family. He has some filling out to do but is only a sophomore and should have a breakout junior year for the Knights this fall. Winfrey is a quick athlete who will likely see his fair share of carries on offense this season but worked out as primarily a defensive back at Saturday's camp and showed flashes of potential. He's a name to tuck away for later as his body further develops and matures over the next two years, but he has the family pedigree to become a very good small school player in time.     [player_tooltip player_id='1554742' first='Elijah' last='Woods'] is a very raw 2026 defensive back out of South Charleston that has potential to make strides this season under new/former hea coach Donnie Mays who's back on the Black Eagles' sideline. Woods has a slight build but has the length to grow into his body more over the off-season. You can tell he has a track background with his running style and has the athleticism to build on as a football prospect this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1653301' first='Landon' last='Cook'] is a promising 2028 prospect from Morgantown who has a bright future for the Mohigans as his body matures and develops. Cook was a member of the Motown Mafia 7-on-7 squad that earned a ticket to our National Championship in Canton, OH. He has good instincts for a young corner with a move to safety likely being in his future with his skill set. Cook has back-end patrolling potential as a deep safety who can play the ball over the middle of the field and cover ground quickly.     2026 Keyser DB Camden Owens has size and athleticism that you can't teach, which gives him a higher ceiling than some of the other defensive backs in attendance at the Combine Series. With a 6'1 frame, Owens has excellent length for a safety prospect and can add significant mass to it in a college strength program. He can cover ground quickly on the back end of a defense and is better suited in that aspect than man coverage. Owens' length creates matchup problems for most receivers and is a tall defender to lay the ball over. He reads the field well playing a center fielder role with physicality to come downhill in run support and middle field coverage as well.     Tyler Consolidated's [player_tooltip player_id='1583876' first='Garrett' last='Bordenkircher'] is a 2026 LB prospect whose game best translates in pads as a downhill middle linebacker. Playing in 1-on-1 man coverage for a linebacker in a camp setting is very difficult, even for the best of the best players at his position, but Bordenkircher hung in there and competed throughout Saturday's camp. He was a First Team All-State offensive lineman this past season as well but has the frame to be a small college middle linebacker at the next level. Physical contact between the tackles is the best part of his game as a football player, and Bordenkircher looks like a vastly different player on Friday nights in a more comfortable setting.     A young 2028 linebacker to keep tabs on over the next three years is Woodrow Wilson's [player_tooltip player_id='1660557' first='Cooper' last='Phillips']. He had a very difficult task of playing likely the toughest position in a camp setting and hung in there for a freshman linebacker, wrapping up his first year of high school. Phillips has a good early frame to add to as he gets older and spends more time in the weight room, which will pay dividends in his ability as a player. Not getting caught flat-footed in coverage will be a key improvement to focus on as he develops in pass coverage for a young linebacker. It was a great learning experience for Phillips as he faced some very good and older athletes at the running back position during the camp, as he prepares for his sophomore season.

Code PRZWV30 for a discount on your subscription at checkout!