Battle of the Best: Top Performers
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Recruiting wrap: Just a sophomore, Jeudy already holds a number of scholarship offers. He showed up to Saturday's event in an Alabama hat, but advised people not to read too much into his fashion statement.
Performance: Jeudy won the event's MVP award and for good reason. He's as gifted a 2017 receiver as there is in the state and managed to make a number of plays despite being the young guy on a squad filled with experience at his position. He has a nice build that comes equipped with impressively long arms and a strong upper body. Jamming Jeudy at the line isn't really an option and covering him on deep routes is quite a chore.
3
WR
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) Deerfield Beach
Recruiting wrap: Ridley's older brother, Calvin, signed with Alabama this year. That said, the four-star wide receiver insists that he won't blindly follow should a Bama offer arrive. Florida, Florida State and LSU are also heavily involved in his recruitment.
Performance: Ridley has been great on the offseason circuit and he continued his hot streak on Saturday. He rarely took plays off and ran open even when he was the second or third option. Ridley made the catch of the day when he hauled in a one-handed touchdown grab in traffic. His acceleration is notable and his hands are sure.
4
QB
Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan
Recruiting wrap: Nelson's sole offer is from Temple, but there are plenty of other schools sniffing around his recruitment.
Performance: Nelson was, for the most part, fantastic on Saturday. He underthrew a couple of passes but made very few poor decisions as he led his team to the tournament championship. He had the help of a strong group of receivers, but they didn't throw the ball to themselves. Nelson has a strong arm and is incredibly accurate downfield. He can show touch when need be. His footwork needs polishing but he can make all the throws.
5
QB
Miami Gardens (Fla.) Carol City
Recruiting wrap: Calvert's lone offer is from USF, but that could change this spring.
Performance: No quarterback in the region is having a better summer circuit than Calvert. On Saturday, he once again led his team to the finals of a major event and looked great doing it. Calvert has a compact delivery and a quick release. His arm strength, while not totally overwhelming, is certainly good enough, and he seems to go through his progressions particularly well. It's obvious that he is becoming more polished as the offseason pushes forward.
6
DB
Coconut Creek, Fla.
Recruiting wrap: The No. 4 cornerback in America, Mullen has nearly every offer in the book. Miami, Tennessee, Clemson, Alabama and Florida seem to be the most involved with Mullen for the time being.
Performance: Mullen's length is one thing. The fact that he's able to carry that frame while moving like a much smaller prospect is quite another. His height-agility combination is rare and it allows him to recover if he concedes a step or two down field. Beating Mullen is tough, and keeping him from closing once you do so in even tougher. He took away an entire side of the field during most of his team's games on Saturday and allowed only a few completions of note.
7
WR
Kemore Gamble (2017)
Miami, (Fla.) Southridge
Recruiting wrap: Just a sophomore, Gamble already holds seven scholarship offers. He says that Florida is the solid leader in his recruitment.
Performance: Gamble was clearly the most dangerous offensive weapon on his team and made multiple long catches in seemingly every game. So while his Florida Fire South squad was eliminated in the first round of bracket play, he made enough of a mark during the round robin potion of the event to land on this list. Gamble has an impressive build for an underclassman and is smooth out of his breaks. He has the chance to be one of the top receivers in the state by the time he's a senior.
8
WR
Plantation (Fla.) South Plantation
Recruiting wrap: Huntley names no official favorites but seems most interested in TCU, Louisville and Tennessee.
Performance: Huntley is sometimes overlooked because his 7-on-7 team has some serious star power at the wide receiver position. He made his presence felt on Saturday, though. His diving catch in one of the morning's first games set the pace that he followed for the majority of the day. There's plenty to like about Huntley, who runs crisp routes and gets open over the middle with sharp cuts.
9
DB
Stanford Samuels (2017)
Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan
Recruiting wrap: Samuels is the son of a Florida State great, so the prevailing thought is that he will follow his father's footsteps. That said, he has plenty of other options and insists that Georgia is a major player in his recruitment.
Performance: Samuels covers extremely well for a prospect of his age and knows how to use his hands at the line of scrimmage as well. He could stand to add significant strength but his technique is there is spades. He's smooth in his backpedal and has solid instincts.
10
DB
Miami (Fla.) Columbus
Recruiting wrap: Tennessee leads Bandy's recruitment.
Performance: Bandy is a defensive back that can fit in a number of places. He's an ideal nickel for a number of schools but can also cover most wide receivers. On Saturday, he showed himself to be instinctual and athletic, as he made a number of diving pass breakups. Bandy is strong enough to jam a target at the line but smooth enough to turn and run when need be. He isn't exactly a burner but his speed isn't a total liability.
11
WR
Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard
Recruiting wrap: Menchan's situation is interesting, to say the least. He has never played a down of high school football but will suit up for Vanguard High School in Ocala this fall. He was last in pads as an eighth grader.
Performance: Menchan is obviously raw but he is also obviously hyper-athletic. A successful high school high-jumper, Menchan made his living on deep passes during Saturday's tournament. And while he has made his name as a track athlete, he certainly has a chance to grab some attention as a wide receiver this fall. He has solid speed and a vertical that can match up with that of any high school wideout in America. He was a standout at an event loaded with seasoned football stars.
12
QB
Todd Centeio (2017)
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer
Recruiting wrap: Just a sophomore, Centeio is committed to Miami but will take other visits and keep his options somewhat open.
Performance: Centeio's team struggled early but that wasn't really a reflection of his performance. He was the victim of some dropped passes and defensive lapses but still managed to look sharp. The Miami commit crammed passes through a handful of tight windows and made the ball jump out of his hand for most of the afternoon. He made a mistake or two and doesn't have a polished feet just yet, but the physical tools are all there. Centeio is having a solid offseason and should see his stock rise further this spring.
13
WR
Dominick Watt (2018)
Hollywood (Fla.) McArthur
Recruiting wrap: Just a freshman, Watt is awaiting his first scholarship offer.
Performance: There's a ton to like about Watt. The fact that he has the build of a high-level high school senior is one of them. Despite his youth, he was one of the focal points of his team's offense. He was a nightmare over the middle on intermediate routes, where he used his strength and agility to make a number of important catches. Watt isn't likely to be without scholarship offers for long.
14
DB
Miramar (Fla.) Miramar
Recruiting wrap: Smith is hearing from Miami and West Virginia but is awaiting his first offer.
Performance: Smith isn't the biggest corner in the region by any stretch but he's not tiny and he's certainly not passive. Smith is as physical as defensive backs his size come and also has a knack for covering downfield. He transitions out of his backpedal extremely well and breaks on the ball with impressive speed. He made a handful of outstanding plays on Saturday and could certainly help any number of college teams in the future.
15
DB
Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
Recruiting wrap: Brown is still awaiting his first offer.
Performance: Brown came up with interceptions on back-to-back drives during a pool-play game. And while his got off to a bit of a slow start, his individual talent had time to rise to the surface. Brown has fantastic instincts and a surprisingly impressive vertical. He's also gifted when it comes to taking measured risks on jumping intermediate routes.
16
ATH
Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan
Recruiting wrap: Thomas' lone offer is from Temple.
Performance: Thomas played both ways on Saturday and made a mark on both sides of the ball. That said, he was probably a bit better in his reps on defense. Thomas made some key defensive plays in the elimination stages of the tournament. Then, he also contributed with a touchdown grab or two. Depending on the system Thomas could find a niche on either side at the college level.
17
DB
Hialeah (Fla.) American
Recruiting wrap: Webster is committed to Florida Atlantic but is set to visit West Virginia, which has offered, for the Mountaineers' spring game.
Performance: Webster was a key defensive cog for his team, which finished second on Saturday. He played safety for a portion of the day and broke on the ball extremely well. He covered well when he was asked to match up with a target but made his living by erasing the mistakes of others. Webster could play inside or outside on the college level but needs to prove his coverage skills by shutting down top-level receivers on the outside.
18
LB
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Fort Lauderdale
Recruiting wrap: Jeanty holds 11 scholarship offers, including one from Oregon State. If in-state Miami makes things official with an offer, he's likely to commit.
Performance: Jeanty has a tremendous linebacker's build and has added some good weight this offseason. He will play inside on the college level but showed the ability to cover at Saturday's event, during which he took some reps outside. He's physical enough and while he isn't the speediest linebacker there is, his length helps him make up for that. Jeanty didn't have a perfect Saturday by any stretch, but he made his share of plays on the ball.
Rob Cassidy
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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