Top Gun Chicago 7v7 Championship: Nxt Level Spotlight

Nxt Level Athletics entered a pair of squads into the 11th Annual Top Gun Chicago 7v7 Championship tournament. Team Grey represented the future of the program. Team Blue was arguably the favorite heading into the weekend after a strong performance in 2025. The 2026 version of the Blue group strung together a series of impressive wins during pool play, and held off strong challenges in the knockout stage. Ultimately, Blue took home the title 30-28 over M2 Prime, and several prospects performed at a high level over the course of the weekend.    Garner earned Offensive MVP honors over a weekend that required big plays to be made by QB1 with all the talent on the field. Garner consistently delivered a good ball downfield and dropped dimes with precision and decent velocity. He put good arc on the deep ball. He made big plays in clutch situations. As he adds size and strength, his ball will become increasingly clinical.     Benbow was a two way playmaker for Nxt Level over the weekend, but really shined on the defensive side of the ball where he was a magnet in coverage, and earned Defensive MVP honors. He made several plays on the ball during pool play and came up big in high leverage situations during the knockout stage. Benbow scored multiple times on both sides of the ball and consistently stayed in the hip pocket of every coverage assignment, displaying ball skills and recovery ability.     Dean flashed at this tournament in 2025, and this year he was an absolute difference maker throughout the weekend on both sides of the ball. Dean showed good hands, made tough catches, performed at a high level in clutch situations in the knockout stage of the tournament. Offensively, he kept games alive and chains moving. In the championship game, brought in a deep ball to get Nxt Level on the board after falling behind early. His pick 6 was the turning point that gave his team the lead they didn't relinquish. Opposing QBs spoke on his ability to bait them into mistakes.     Liggins contributed dynamic playmaking ability. A catch in the short game got turned into an explosion play. A route over the middle turned into a score with his ability to catch at full speed and accelerate upfield. In the deep game, he blew past coverage with his 4.3 verified speed. Liggins sold out to make difficult catches. His score on a post corner late in the second half of the championship game ended up being the clinching points. He was tough to cover, and Division I programs are finally beginning to figure that out based on his recent collection of offers. He will play for Peddie School (NJ) this fall and be a part of the Class of 2027.     Young showed out in this tournament in 2025 and did so again on day one. Even though Young wasn't available to participate during the knockout stage, his presence was felt on the way to acquiring the number one overall seed in the tournament. Young is quick and shifty, and able to make plays in tight spaces. His speed on the perimeter left defenders in trail technique. He was able to twist up the coverage and leave them behind.     Courtland has a long body type and looks to be fitting in on the defensive side of the ball. He played outside backer throughout the weekend and showed good sideline to sideline and vertical range. During the championship matchup, Courtland scored on a key pick 6 as Nxt Level was defending their goalline, which stretched the lead to 20-10. Courtland plays WR/DB for his high school program and is still a very under the radar prospect with good athletic ability that translates to the next level.     Henderson was given out by his coach as a running back to look out for, but showed all around ability as a football player after flying around in coverage making plays in key moments. Throughout the knockout stage on Sunday, Henderson was consistently in position, highly competitive, and sticky in one on one situations defending the pass.     Mullins is a two-sport athlete with a hoops background, and looking to have a productive offseason to put himself on the radar for programs at the next level. Over the weekend, he played corner and subbed in at receiver. In coverage, Mullins was competitive and productive. He is lanky, quick and reactive. His PBU in the semifinal, down with minutes left on the clock, helped keep the championship run alive.     All of his film is at running back, but Brown showed well from middle backer over the weekend. On the hoof, Brown is well built physically with considerable bulk and muscle mass. Brown and run and cover and did a great job overall protecting the middle of the field and defending the pass against bigger or quicker tight end types by being a physical presence, efficient in his movements, and reading the offense. The physical aspect of an off ball linebacker certainly shows up on his tape.     Davis wasn't available on day one for pool play, but definitely had a presence on day two in the knockout rounds. Davis has incredible length and provided a deep game and goalline threat. His physical traits made him a tough cover, where the ball can be simply put in his zip code and his incredible reach was able to do the work, or where he was able to use his frame to effectively box out defenders. Davis transferred into Morgan Park before last fall where he played his senior season.      “We have a Loaded mix of athletes from all over the state“ -Nxt Level and Bulls College Prep Coach Mike Willis

Nxt Level Athletics entered a pair of squads into the 11th Annual Top Gun Chicago 7v7 Championship tournament. Team Grey represented the future of the program. Team Blue was arguably the favorite heading into the weekend after a strong performance in 2025. The 2026 version of the Blue group strung together a series of impressive wins during pool play, and held off strong challenges in the knockout stage. Ultimately, Blue took home the title 30-28 over M2 Prime, and several prospects performed at a high level over the course of the weekend.