Early Offers From CFI Carolinas MEGA Showcase

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) hosted over 230 players at their MEGA Showcase at Ballantyne Ridge High School on Saturday, May 16th. There was a TON of talent at every position, and we will detail what we saw over the next week or so. Over 20 colleges were in attendance, and several offers from the showcase were given out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we will share the early offers received from players in attendance at the showcase, and share players who received a lot of interest based on their performance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two players received multiple offers from the showcase on the same day. <strong>Da'Mourion Thomas-Wright</strong>, from Butler High School, who has been on a recruiting tear lately, received offers from both Johnson C. Smith University and North Carolina Central University. Thomas-Wright was named Running Back MVP for the showcase, and as more schools have been seeing him in person, the offers have continued to roll in. Johnson C. Smith Head Coach Maurice Flowers was in attendance, so that is certainly an offer to be taken seriously. North Carolina Central had its running backs coach in attendance as well, so both of these should carry some real weight. <br><br>The second player to receive multiple offers is probably a player you don't know, but defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429542' first='Kevin' last='Powell'] III</strong> from Independence High School really made a strong impression on both the coaching staff and the college football coaches in attendance. He lists himself at 6'5 and 200 pounds on his Twitter/X profile, and he is definitely a long defensive back who is athletic and has some quick twitch ability - he was really impressive in the agility circuit and individual drills. We'll get more into him in the defensive back article, but Johnson C. Smith and Campbell offered Kevin at the showcase. Kevin received his offer from Concord earlier in May. He did not play much last season due to injury, but he is starting to look like a late bloomer on the recruiting trail. It will be interesting to see how he does this summer at on-campus camps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Concord University (WV) continues to be aggressive in offering talented players who have been productive for their respective high school programs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607884' first='Paxton' last='Dobbins']</strong>, a defensive lineman at Crest, received his first offer from the showcase, and he was a big piece of the Chargers winning the state championship last season. Also receiving their first offer was linebacker <strong>Ethan Cuadra</strong> from Stuart Cramer, who formerly attended Mountain Island last season. Ethan led the team in tackles with over 100 last year and should be an important piece for the Storm this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Concord also offered two offensive linemen who had good days yesterday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1614066' first='Jaydin' last='Phillips']</strong> of Ashbrook High School was selected as a top offensive lineman at the showcase and is a Center prospect. This was Jaydin's first offer overall, and he formerly played at Forestview High School last season. Secondly, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104467' first='Matthew' last='Worley']</strong> of Community School of Davidson received his first offer. Matthew is a 6'4<strong>,</strong> 285-pound tackle prospect who had good moments throughout the showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, Concord offered a talented wide receiver from Indian Land (SC) High School in <strong>Isaiah Thomas</strong>. Another player from the very talented receiver group - Thomas wasn't named a top performer, but he showed some excellent skills throughout the showcase. At 6'3 and 185 pounds, Thomas runs a 4.49 40-yard dash per his Twitter/X profile, and comes from a strong program in the upstate of South Carolina. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To finish out the early offers from the showcase was Campbell University, which has become a little more aggressive in this early summer period in offering talented players. Two younger players received offers, the first being 2029 Wide Receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1870841' first='Zion' last='Caesar']</strong> of the host school Ballantyne Ridge. I've raved about Zion ever since seeing him in the preseason of his freshman year last year, and I think this is just the start of his recruiting journey. This was Zion's first-ever offer. It was a deep receiving group at this showcase, so much so that Zion wasn't even named a top performer, but still stood out with his natural ability. <strong>Jace Connolly</strong>, a 2030 defensive line prospect from Kings Mountain High School, received his 2nd total offer from Campbell as well. Jace has some excellent size already at 6'3 and 205 pounds, and flashed some good things despite not even playing in a high school game or practice yet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And then, Campbell offered 2028 ATH <strong>Daniel Carter</strong> of Harding High School. Daniel starred on both sides of the ball at this showcase, and his length and catch radius were advantages on defense and offense, respectively. Daniel has started to see his recruiting get going, with this being his 2nd overall offer. His previous offer was from Fayetteville State University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Players To Watch Recruiting Wise From This Showcase</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some players who put themselves on the map here at this event, and we'll go through a couple of them here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Charlotte Defensive Back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2210048' first='JT' last='Heath']</strong> - The 2029 prospect was named Defensive Back MVP, and a lot of people raved about how well he looked and took coaching at such a young age. Similar performances over the summer, I think, will put him on recruiting boards quickly and possibly end with some early offers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kings Mountain Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605503' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins']</strong> - The 2030 prospect came in and backed up everything people have said about him. His fundamentals, anticipation, and arm strength are all way past those of his peers in his current class. He's already got early offers from both Syracuse and Johnson C. Smith University. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Norman Wide Receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1657753' first='Doc' last='Caldwell']</strong> - The 2028 prospect has grown exponentially this season, and as my colleague Will Helms has said, it's surprising he doesn't have an offer at this point. He's got some camps he's been invited to over the summer, so my not-so-bold prediction is that Doc will have an offer before his junior year gets started on the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Point Offensive Lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1815332' first='Landon' last='Suttle']</strong> - Landon came into this showcase with offers from Lenoir-Rhyne, UNC Pembroke, and East Tennessee State. With Lenoir-Rhyne and Pembroke in attendance, Landon didn't pick another offer (yet), which was a mild surprise to me, but he is ascending quickly as one of North Carolina's top 2028 offensive linemen. I think more offers are going to be coming his way in June and July!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->