Gardner Webb Mega Camp: Defensive Players To Know

Gardner-Webb University will be hosting its annual Mega Camp this weekend, on June 6th and June 7th, on their campus near Shelby, NC. We have some players on the defensive side of the ball to watch, and we will give you some reasons why in this article, previewing the Mega Camp!    The long and athletic corner has started to get the recruiting interest and offers I've felt were long overdue in coming his way. Mackenzee has picked up offers from Fayetteville State, UNC Pembroke, and Carson-Newman over the last month. What has intrigued college football programs about Mackenzee is the physical ability - he's a very long cornerback with an 81-inch wingspan, and he's a very good track athlete on top of that. This camp could be a big one for Mackenzee if he performs well, which I think he will.     Khali is a player that I have liked for a long time, and he's a fast-rising prospect going into his senior year, where he should be an anchor on a very good Chargers defense. Khali has picked up offers from Concord University and North Carolina A&T in a short period of time, and I think at the very least, he's going to get some more interest to come his way after this weekend. Khali is physical and tackles well in the open field, and he moves well for his size overall.     Markalen has been one of my favorites at the linebacker spot because of the athleticism, speed, and instincts he shows at the position. Plus, he makes plays that change the game - I saw that live last season in a big conference game. Markalen has had some legitimate recruiting interest from a couple of schools, and I'd love to see it translate to offers sooner than later - I think he's deserving from what I've seen.     Emmanuel has the size you look for in an EDGE prospect for sure, and that starts the conversation typically for a lot of college football programs. Emmanuel was recently offered by Hampden-Sydney, and he's had some interest from other college football programs throughout this past season. Going into his senior year, Emmanuel has a good chance here to get on the radar before showing what he's improved on this offseason.     What I just said about size, you can say again about Tyler, as he's big and strong, and has had a lot of interest from college football programs. The adage about you can't teach size rings true here, but Tyler brings some talent with him, too. I like how well he can set the edge in the running game, and he's got some burst to get to the quarterback with a nice combination of strength and speed in his pass rush.     Jaiden is a big, strong, and athletic interior defensive lineman who I think excels right now as a run-stopper in the middle of a defensive line, but he's got some real potential to grow into an interior disruptor who can push the pocket and get to the quarterback as well. Jaiden doesn't quit on plays and shows a good motor overall - that's something that is a talent in young defensive linemen in my opinion.     Amari became known to us as a defensive lineman who can be disruptive in gaps and give you some pass rush from the interior of the defensive line. But, after seeing his film as an offensive lineman, I am not sure where his best position is on the line of scrimmage! He looks very good as an offensive lineman, pulling into space and laying defenders out as a run blocker. Either way, Amari is a talented player and should make some good impressions this weekend. His recent offers have come from Hampden-Sydney and Concord University.     I sat down and watched some highlights of RJ to get an idea of where he may participate in this camp, and he's a true athlete on both sides of the ball. I like his instincts on defense, and that's where he had more film, but he does some good things with the ball in his hands on offense, too. He's also highly productive, with 7 interceptions last season, which will definitely get some attention from football programs. He's one I'm going to watch going forward.     When I watch Deion's highlight film, the first word that comes to my mind is that he's fearless. Deion's not the biggest player, but he's always making the right reads and getting to the football with bad intentions. I like his tackling in the open field, and he shows an ability to play off of blocks by offensive linemen and make tackles as well. One thing these camps always give is the opportunity to cover in space - if he's able to do that well, I can see some interest from schools start to come his way.     I like Mason's physical makeup to play the linebacker position, first and foremost. Mason has some good instincts in what he reads when diagnosing plays, and when he gets to the ball carrier, he does a good job of tackling and getting them on the ground. Like most young linebackers, I'm sure he's worked on trusting what he sees and getting that half-second faster into a run read or drop in pass coverage. If he's developed that this offseason, he's going to be an All-Conference level type of player this upcoming year.

Gardner-Webb University will be hosting its annual Mega Camp this weekend, on June 6th and June 7th, on their campus near Shelby, NC. We have some players on the defensive side of the ball to watch, and we will give you some reasons why in this article, previewing the Mega Camp!