Notes From the Nike Camp at USC

Pac10Recruiting.com was in attendance at the Nike Camp that was held at USC last Saturday. We came away impressed at the talent that showed up and how smooth the camp was run.

One of the most impressive athletes we saw was Carson, Calif., defensive tackle Matt Malele. By eyeballing Matt, he didn’t seem as tall as reported (6-4,) but he’s a thickly built, quick and an agile athlete. Malele benched 185 pounds, 29 times and was very nimble in agility drills. Matt was timed in the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. It was amazing how this big man can move and how light on his feet he is. After seeing Malele drill it is easy to see why he is one of the most sought after defensive tackle prospects in the nation. Matt’s brother Norris Malele, who will be a sophomore this fall, is a name to file away for the future.

We were also able to watch another Carson player drill up close and came away very impressed with cornerback/wingback/running back Brandon Myles. He’s a smooth and fluid athlete. Myles glided through the agility drills we witnessed. Myles projects as a cornerback in college and could also return kicks. Brandon is the son of former UCLA track star Benny Myles. The elder Myles ran the 400-meter for UCLA.

USC fans that were in the audience were awed by their early commitment, defensive tackle Fili Moala from Anaheim (Calif.) Western. This guy is a keeper. Moala is another big, athletic guy who can really move! USC is on the right track with this talented football player.

In one drill we witnessed two titans go at it. They were offensive linemen Matt Reese from Bakersfield (Calif.) Centennial and Kevin Myers from Los Angeles (Calif.) Manual Arts. Both players are reportedly 6-foot-7 and weigh in at 330 pounds. They looked it. Reese and Myers were very fatigued since it was late in the day, but they gave it their all. Both players used their hands well in the drill we saw.

Whitney Lewis from Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure showed why he is considered one of the best players on the West Coast. Lewis was virtually unstoppable in the one-on-one passing drills. Lewis hooked up with Tommy Grady the highly touted quarterback from Huntington Beach (Calif.) Edison. Lewis and Grady seemed to click and looked very good together.

Grady has a very strong arm and he gets the ball there in a hurry, but he throws a "light pass" and is easily caught. Grady has unlimited potential.

The most polished quarterback we observed was Kyle Wright who made the trek down from northern California. Kyle has excellent technique, a great release and a really powerful arm. Kyle could throw the ball through a car wash and the ball wouldn’t get wet. Wright plays for Danville (Calif.) Monte Vista and there will be scores of D1 colleges on the Monte Vista campus this May.

Long Beach (Calif.) Poly quarterback Leon Jackson looked very athletic and has the potential to be very good. He’s a southpaw who threw a couple of nice fade passes, but also had a couple of picks in the one-on-one passing competition.

Jason Ferguson, a wide receiver from Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax also impressed. Jason looked to stand 5-foot-8 and probably weighs about 160 pounds. On one post corner pattern the ball was way overthrown and Ferguson showed off great explosion just by getting to the ball. Ferguson had over 3,700 all-purpose yards as junior and scored 34 touchdowns. Ferguson will be one to watch this coming fall.

Rivals Pac 10 is planning on visiting Air 7 and other camps in the very near future. Be on the lookout for our findings...