Adidas Showcase: Five Things to Watch
The annual Adidas Showcase has a new home but is again expected to host a strong crop of talent at the March 24 event.
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After spending its first few years on the East side of Michigan, the Adidas Showcase has moved to Grand Valley State University's Kelly Family Center in West Michigan for the 2013 event, and more than 40 prospects with Division-I scholarship offers are expected to be in attendance. Here is a look at five storylines to watch going into Sunday's camp.
1. Webb headlines
Detroit Cass Tech four-star cornerback Damon Webb got off to a strong start when we saw him last weekend at the New Level Athletics 7-on-7 Midwest regional in Youngstown, Ohio, but then the Ohio State commit suffered an injury that kept him out of tournament play. Webb was playing both ways for his Maximum Exposure 7-on-7 team, showing he still has the goods at the wide receiver position.
Webb is expected to be 100 percent for Sunday's Adidas Showcase, but we expect to see him play almost exclusively at cornerback considering the format. We have seen enough of the 6-foot, 175-pound Webb to know what to expect from him in a camp setting, but seeing as he is the nation's No. 32 ranked prospect, you can bet there will be plenty of wide receivers looking to make their name going head-to-head with the Rivals100 prospect.
2. Southern stars head north
Several prospects from the states of Georgia and North Carolina are making their way north for Sunday's Adidas Showcase, including Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter cornerback Christopher Murphy. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Murphy is well into double-digit offer territory, with early tenders from the likes of Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Vanderbilt.
Murphy has attended events in the Midwest before because he has a strong desire to play in the Big Ten and wants to up his profile in the region. Also making the trip from Georgia will be Alpharetta Chattahoochee wide receiver Colin Lisa, who also attended camps in the Midwest last off-season. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Lisa is a slot wide receiver type with offers from Toledo and UAB.
3. Minnesota brings its best
The state of Minnesota's top two players in the class of 2014, and a strong early candidate for the top player in the class of 2015, are all expected at Sunday's Adidas Showcase. Rivals250 running back Jeff Jones (6-foot, 190) of Minneapolis Washurn is the state's top-ranked prospect in 2014 and has already committed to his home-state Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Victoria Chanhassen offensive tackle Frank Ragnow (6-foot-6, 285) starts off as the state's No. 2 ranked prospect in 2014. He holds offers from Minnesota and Florida State and will also be at Sunday's event. Joining that pair on the trip will be Saint Paul Cretin-Derham Hall 2015 defensive end Jashon Cornell (6-foot-4, 227), who already boasts offers from Minnesota, Iowa and Rutgers.
4. Strong 2015 representation
The class of 2015 in Michigan has five prospects listing early BCS offers: Detroit Cass Tech prospects Jayru Campbell, Joshua Alabi and Mike Weber along with Saginaw Heritage athlete Brian Cole and St. Clair Shores South Lake offensive lineman Kyonta Stallworth; all five are expected to be at Sunday's showcase.
Other 2015 prospects who are building strong, early buzz and expected on Sunday include the aforementioned Cornell, Detroit Northwestern defensive end Jacob Miller, Troy (Mich.) Athens quarterback Alex Mussat, Dewitt, Mich., quarterback Jake Johnson, East Grand Rapids, Mich., LB Carter Masek and Oak Park, Mich., defensive back John Kelly.
5. Opportunity to raise their stock
Last year's Adidas Showcase was a jumping off point in the recruitments of 2013 prospects such as Fort Wayne (Ind.) cornerback Tyvel Jemison, Akron, Ohio linebacker Jerome Lane and Chandler Park, Mich., wide receiver CSont'e York, each of whom went on to grab BCS offers. It also was our first chance to see class of 2014 prospects such as Detroit Loyola offensive tackle Ka'John Armstrong, Columbus (Ohio) Hamilton Township tight end Micky Crum and Detroit Country Day quarterback Tyler Wiegers.
Some under-the-radar types in the 2014 class who have a chance to raise their stock with Sunday's camp include Detroit King athlete Avonte Maddox, Fort Wayne (Ind.) Carroll safety Drue Tranquill and St. Clair Shores (Mich.) South Lake linebacker Jalen Dingle. This will also be our first chance to see Springfield, Mo., running back Alec Murphy (6-foot-1, 205) and St. Clair Shores (Mich.) South Lake offensive lineman Kyonta Stallworth in a camp setting. Both are 2015 prospects with strong early buzz about their potential.
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