Garcia Awards: OT7 Finals

TAMPA, Fla. - The OT7 Finals are in the books, with South Florida Express edging Coastline Stars for the tournament crown on Sunday evening. Rivals has plenty of coverage to look back on, with many prospects deserving some shine.

MORE FROM THE OT7 FINALS: Sunday's top performers | Saturday's top performers | Rumor Mill III | Friday's top plays | Friday's top performers | Friday recap | Rumor Mill II | Top prospects descend on Tampa | Graceson Littleton interview | Cortez Mills interview

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Sanchez showcased right away he was a game-changer for the eventual champs. He leapt for an interception in his own end zone to kick off his tournament and added several more before all was said and done, including one he returned for a score.

The Ohio State commitment wasn’t challenged very much, but when he was, the results were tilted heavily his way well more than not.

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As soon as the event ended, I got a text message from a colleague stating, ‘He just wins, man.’ In the era of quarterbacks shouldering the praise or blame for a win or loss, Jones has made the former seem routine this offseason. Under his guidance, South Florida Express has won four tournaments this year, including the biggest of them all.

The Florida State commitment was steady in his decision-making and accuracy for most of the event, even bouncing back from the few moments when he would turn the ball over or let a throw get away from him.

Jones made every throw asked of him in shootouts, as SFE set the scoring record for OT7 in the quarterfinal, or in some of the grittier games where a play was needed alike.

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This award goes to the quarterback who made some of the best throws of the event and the Notre Dame commitment deserves it. Not only did Knight become the first quarterback to defeat Lo-Pro in an elimination setting over two seasons, but he did it with big-time throws over the middle through traffic, down the field and in between.

The event didn’t start out perfect for the big lefty, but he got better each day and showcased that big-time arm all the way to the title game itself. When Knight is on, few passers nationally can compete with the high-end throws he can make.

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This award goes to the player who plays like a grown man, but he won’t let you know about it until it’s too late. Fahey gets more impressive with every showing this offseason and he sprayed the ball over the field about as well as any QB at the event without turning it over as much as others.

The rising-junior layered the ball better than most others, almost like a great jump shooter with great touch. Fahey could push it down the field as needed, too, but his short to intermediate game almost looked easy at times.

The prospect with the biggest target on his back was the 6-foot-5 Ohio State commitment and it didn’t matter. He opened the event with gaudy plays, even a long catch and run for a score against Miami Raw, and he continued to dominate along the sidelines and especially in the end zone.

Henry won down the field with his stride, underneath with strong routes and at the catch point despite some defenders in position. His display of strong hands and physicality was especially impressive in a setting filled with big, strong wideouts.

The recent Clemson commitment just made the jump to four stars in the latest update, but it may not have been a big enough bump. Littleton made the case as not only the top cover corner of the event, especially on championship Sunday, but also the most impactful as a timely playmaker overall.

When he wasn’t making plays at the catch point, including an interception in his own end zone to help seal a playoff win, Littleton was working his blitz timing and showing off that verified 4.4 speed in disrupting passers from depth, coming up with sacks, tips and errant throws that resulted in incompletions and/or more turnovers. The savvy of the Floridian was on display, it wasn’t just a reliance on the impressive top-end speed.

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One of the smallest prospects on any roster, it may have created some attention before a given play. But Scott commanded attention after the ball was snapped, working both inside and out with the type of torque that made for big plays time and time again for Level 82.

The Arizona State commitment would get his hands on the rock near the line of scrimmage and take off to open spaces with ease or he could get behind the defense and finish with strong hands despite his listed 5-foot-9 frame. Whether as a gadget player or true slot, Scott can go.

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Not many worked as many positions on both sides of the ball as the new Houston commitment. Even playing in some of the weaker games of the event, Henderson’s length, ball skills and playmaking ability were on full display.

He took the top off of the defense on one occasion and came back with an interception return for a long score on the next. Quarterback is his preferred position, but he could just as easily develop into an impactful wide receiver or defensive back in college.

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The best hands award could have gone in many directions over the weekend, with wide receiver probably the deepest position on display in Tampa, but Olugbode had the full repertoire on display when it came to plucking the ball away from his frame.

He would snag one underneath without wasted motion on the run. He would go up with two hands over the shoulder. He would hit the apex and beat a defender to the ball. And at one point he would just stick one hand up there and bring down a score.

Olugbode also showcased some run after the catch ability he isn’t often associated with in another strong tournament weekend. No matter the type of ball or angle he had to it, he may have had the stickiest hands of the competitors on hand this time around.

This one goes to the defensive back who showcased range throughout the tournament and Womack takes the cake. He lined up at cornerback, deep safety, nickel and even middle linebacker depending on the coverage and offense Coastline Stars were facing en route to their championship appearance.

The scary part is that Womack looked comfortable no matter where he lined up, able to run with smaller assignments and physical enough to contend with bigger pass catchers alike. His rise within the 2026 Rivals250 may not soon slow.

The champion program has a lot of weapons at its disposal on offense, but when it comes to getting the ball in their hands and letting them work thereafter – it’s Brown’s show. The lean and powerful prospect beat defenders many ways after he got his hand on the ball, sometimes with pure acceleration, other times with swift change of direction to make someone look silly in the process.

Brown also has some hard-to-tag moves like a spin and backwards bound that he brought out in helping SFE get back to the 7-on-7 mountaintop.

This goes to the tone-setter for the tournament and Ffrench fit that bill for the eventual champs. He was red hot out of the gates in pool play, winning battles of many variety from pure deep shots to crafty plays along the sidelines and even dominant physical routes in the red area.

The Rivals250 talent is the total package on the outside and he’d let a few defenders know about it in the process. Ffrench works towards the football very well and he can finish with the best of the bunch, part of the reason he was able to rack up scores to get SFE going.

Come Championship Sunday, the defensive prospects collectively stepped up and Pouncey brought out timely wins against multiple teams in helping to gain the crown.

Not only did he seal the final victory with an interception of Knight at the goal line, but he got his hands on the ball in the semi-final win to help get SFE there as well. Pouncey’s length and range were on display when the champs were challenged up the middle, and his instincts to take chances at the right times paid off in a big way.

This award goes to the slot receiver who created the most defensive headaches over the weekend and Spafford may be an obvious choice.

Of course the state champion can work outside and do damage, but his work in traffic – and especially breaking out of it to finish with strong hands in tight quarters – was special. Spafford has both quickness and true speed to his name, complete with great body control to win at the catch point, making for a tough cover no matter what route he went for.

The award goes to the wideout who seemingly got behind the defense the most. Montgomery always seems to create his fair share of highlights in a given setting, and this one was no different. When Miami Raw needed a play in short order or late in the game, the Rivals250 talent found a way to stretch the field.

What makes some of Montgomery’s wins even more special is how he finds the football at the end point regardless of traffic. It’s as if the slender receiver plays much larger than his frame suggests.

SFE’s offense was rolling and despite the bevy of elite recruits on the receiving end of the passes from Jones, it was Brady who was counted upon the most near the end zone. He scored a staggering five touchdowns over the last two games of the tournament, none bigger than the final offensive score for SFE in the title game, winning a high-point pass from Jones against the tip of the fingers of a defender.

Hauling that one in, and staying in bounds in the process, is a true flash of the ceiling the south Florida native may have. Brady’s catch radius seems wider than what one would expect from a 6-foot-2 frame.

The award goes to the player who had a setback and overcame it. The Rivals250 wideout literally accomplished this, helping Coastline Stars get to the championship game after missing all of Saturday’s work because of an overnight hospital stay.

He got back to his team on Saturday chomping at the bit to get back on the field, but he was held out. Keys made the most of it on Sunday, securing multiple scores in helping get his team to the title game. When he was out there, he was clearly WR1 for Knight.

This award goes to the emerging prospect to know after the weekend. An injured ankle cost Neptune a lot of time leading up to this spring but he is now healthy and he showed it early and often in this event. Working inside and out, the pure speed he brings to the table was notable and his ability to win at the catch point also stood out on a pair of clutch scores in key moments.

One came on a 9-route down the field on one of the fastest players in attendance and the other was Neptune’s grab at the front pylon to seal the historic victory over Lo-Pro to get to the title game. Not many prospects can say they added offers in their breakout tournament, but Washington made Neptune appear on their board while he was in Tampa.

Any award going to a young star in the making – or in the present – would have the class of 2027 tight end prospect in the conversation. Bowman is already built like a Saturday player at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds (not to mention carrying near 20 college offers), but his game is also mature in how he creates leverage at the top of the route and then work to position himself at the apex thereafter.

It felt like he had more back-line scores than any pass-catcher out there this weekend, many of which were contested. Bowman is absolutely a name to know going forward.

The play of the weekend was obvious and it was going to be locked into this award from the moment it went down on Saturday afternoon, without much resistance. Ferguson, who played mostly wide receiver over the weekend, took the top off of the Midwest Boom defense on the first play of a drive for Trillion Boys, adjusting to the ball to his left side by bringing his right shoulder towards the ball and elevating for a one-handed catch just as the defender arrived.

There was no more audible reaction from the audience than when the Texan made the viral play.