JT is an ultra-talented ballhawking defensive back who is playing some of his best football of the season right now. Going up against a Hoke County team that likes to take some shots down the field, discipline will be very important for him this week. Hoke will play from some tight formations that show heavy run looks, but will try to surprise with passes downfield out of them. JT does a great job of coming up in run support, but he and the Lions’ defense will have to play pass first in the back end to avoid giving up some big plays in space. In his last game, JT had 8 tackles, 7 solo, and an interception.

Heath recently impressed my colleague, Matt Morrow, at his CFI Showcase, winning a top DB award. That simply added to the impressive offseason Heath has had. He has excellent instincts and the athleticism to make quarterbacks pay for bad decisions. This year, he’ll play for a versatile West Charlotte defense, and we think he could have a huge sophomore season.

As we talked about in our MVP article, JT has gotten off to a great start this offseason, playing tight coverage on a variety of good receivers throughout this showcase and showing that physically he’s in an impressive place right now. The key for JT will be to keep learning all the different techniques that come with being a top defensive back coverage wise. He has the tools to be one of the best in his class at the position, that is clear to me. He’s not afraid to be physical, and I’ve been told by several people that he’s already showing some strong leadership qualities on an overall young West Charlotte football team. The offers and recruiting interest are going to come sooner than later for him, and it will all be well deserved.

This was a tough choice because the coaching staff was split on who the top performer was, so I went to some coaches in attendance and asked their thoughts. The consensus was that JT was the most impressive overall, so he is our MVP here. His head coach, DJ McFadden, shouted him on Twitter/X already as a rising sophomore, and that spoke volumes to me as well. JT’s burst in man-to-man coverage is impressive, and he showed excellent speed and agility in the open field. West Charlotte had a number of players transfer, but as JT showed at this showcase, they still have a lot of talent.