Five-Star Academy hits three more states
The Rivals.com Five-Star Academy makes a second stop through Virginia this weekend. This time in Richmond at Highland Springs High School with new head coach Loren Johnson leading the discussion about the recruiting process. It will be one of three stops for the Academies this weekend with events also being held in Salt Lake City and Phoenix.
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Plenty of talent will be in attendance in Richmond, including three of the top ten players in the state, athlete Logan Thomas, offensive tackle Morgan Moses and running back De'Antwan Williams.
Thomas, a member of the Rivals250 is already raking in offers. With his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame, Thomas could play any number of positions in college including quarterback, wide receiver, tight end or defensive back. He already holds a number of offers including Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wake Forest. Thomas is on the verge of exploding as interest from the West Coast including Southern Cal is beginning.
Thomas will be joined on the visit by cousin and 2010 teammate Zack McCray. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end already claims a verbal offer from Virginia.
Back to 2009, massive 6-foot-7, 332-pound offensive tackle Morgan Moses will also make the short trip. The fellow Rivals250 prospect already claims a number of offers from Clemson, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Four-star stud running back De'Antwan Williams out of Woodbridge (Va.) Woodbridge Senior plans to make his way down. The 5-foot-7, 207-pounder rolled for 2,247-yards last season on the ground and already claims over a half dozen scholarships.
Williams plans to bring one of his teammates with him, defensive tackle Jay Weatherington. The 6-foot-4, 280-pounder just recently picked up his first offer from Boston College.
Plenty of other Richmond prospects with offers will be in attendance including Hermitage with defensive end Duan Perez-Means and athlete Theron Norman, Deep Run with defensive end Jake Snyder and athlete Antone Exum as well as Highland Springs rival Varina and defensive tackle DeAntre Rhodes.
A few other Commonwealth players with offers expected to make the trip down include safety Corey Lillard, linebacker Clinton Simpkins and Virginia running back commitment Alex Owah,
It won't just be Virginia players in attendance though as a few prospects from Maryland and D.C. are expected too including cornerback Xavier Hughes out of Seneca Valley Maryland as well as D.C. Ballou quarterback Emmanuel Yeager and the duo from H.D. Woodson, Joelil Thrash and Jerrard Hunter.
Johnson's new school features at least one prospect to watch in the coming years, 2010 defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins.
Five-Star heads West
Rivals.com will also be out West this weekend for Five-Star Academy stops in Salt Lake City and Phoenix. The first stop is Saturday at Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City and then Sunday Rivals.com will be at Chandler Hamilton High School in the Phoenix area.
Both are expected to draw plenty of talent, but the Arizona event is shaping up to one of the best of the year.
Five-star defensive end Devon Kennard of Phoenix Desert Vista will be the main headliner. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder already ranks as the No. 8 player in the nation, and it'll be great to see how he measures up in person.
With a list of who's who of college football, Kennard is one of the most exciting players in the nation, and he's looking forward to learning more about the recruiting process this weekend at the Five-Star Academy.
"Any time you can do something that will help you better understand the process, that's great," he said. "I have so many questions about what I'm going through, and the Five-Star Academy hopefully will help me get better prepared."
Right behind him in Arizona and also expected to be there is defensive tackle Corey Adams of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro. The 6-foot-4, 272-pounder is already ranked in the top 100 nationally at No. 46. He also impressed at last year's NIKE Training Camp in Los Angeles, so it'll be impressive to see how much he's grown since then.
Other high profile recruits from in-state expected there include Adam Hall from Tucson (Ariz.) Palo Verde Magnet and Drew Terrell of Hamilton. Both are receiver prospects that have already drawn plenty of national and Pac 10 attention.
But the top talent in Arizona doesn't stop there. Outside the top five in the state, at least 15 of the top 20 players from Arizona are expected to be there.
The Utah event will also draw plenty of headliners.
Players that already have offers that should be there include top recruits like Spanish Fork, Utah, tight end Richard Wilson, Sandy (Utah) Jordan offensive lineman Vyncent Jones, South Jordan (Utah) Bingham linebacker LT Filiaga and his teammate Talai Livai. Keenyn Walker from Judge Memorial is another high profile prospect expected there.
And Timpview teammates Craig Bills and Tui Crichton should be there. Both are already committed to BYU and rank among the best in the state. Bills is a four-star safety that is 6 feet 2 and 205 pounds.
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