Rivals Dozen: adidas East Coast Invitational
WINDERMERE, Fla. -- Hundreds of college-bound prospects showed on in central Florida for Saturday’s adidas East Coast Invitational on Saturday afternoon. There were dozens of teams in the event and the action was fast, making it impossible to catch every snap of every game. Below are 12 of the top individual performances we observed during the tournament.
MORE: Who won the state of Georgia in 2017? | Podcast: Commitment Issues
Recruiting wrap: Jackson is awaiting his first major offer but says Penn State, which he refers to as a “dream school,” could be close to making things official.
Performance: One of the most explosive players on the championship team, Jackson impressed all day. His size has probably limited him to this point, but he has the burst, hands and athleticism to help a major college team. He made an endless string of impressive catches on Saturday.
Recruiting Wrap: Despite being just a rising sophomore Bailey has offers from programs coast-to-coast, with Florida among the schools in the best early position.
Performance: Bailey shook off some early struggles and got better as the day went along as he continues to shine at nearly every event he attends. He helped his team to the semifinals of the tournament and did a nice job of distributing the ball to his playmakers on offense. Georgia has produced some excellent quarterbacks in the last few classes, including five-star Jake Fromm in 2017 and five-stars Trevor Lawrence and Emory Jones in 2018 and Bailey looks to be the next star on the way.
Recruiting Wrap: Heiligh has a host of early offers, including Middle Tennessee, USF, Buffalo and others.
Performance: Air Five, a team from the Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla. area shocked everyone by reaching the finals of the event and Heiligh played a big role in his team's deep run. The versatile playmaker made big catch after big catch and was good at using his size and strength to overpower some smaller defensive backs. Some of the schools on his list were smart to get in early, but it would be a surprise to not see him pop up on the radar of a Power Five school soon.
Recruiting Wrap: Taylor is committed to Tennessee. He recently picked up offers from Louisville, UCF and Georgia.
Performance: Taylor plays quarterback for his high school team but his future is likely at wide receiver and he showed why on Saturday. The electric playmaker became a favorite target of Bailey and once the two got into a groove it was fun to watch. Offensive weapons like Taylor don't come along very often so the Vols were smart in making him an early priority.
Recruiting wrap: Wilson is committed to Florida
Performance: Wilson continues with his breakout offseason. A recent Florida commit, few prospects have seen their stock climb more quickly. Wilson is pledged to the Gators but will likely take recruiting visits this spring and beyond. He is in the midst of an impressive stretch.
Recruiting Wrap: The younger brother of former Seminoles star Dalvin Cook, James is committed to Florida State.
Performance: Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher was in attendance at the event to watch his son, but he also kept his eye on Cook and was likely impressed with what he saw. In 7-on-7 it's tough for running backs to make a huge impact, but Cook is so electric with the ball in his hands that he couldn't help but make some big plays. His ability as a pass-catcher in addition to a runner makes him a perfect fit for the Seminoles' offense.
Recruiting wrap: Wilson holds a wealth of offers and is yet to officially narrow his list.
Performance: A Midwest transplant now at Florida’s IMG Academy, Griffith was one of the more physically imposing players at the event. He made a number of plays and looked like a college-ready prospect making them. Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State, Michigan and Tennessee all seem to be serious players in the race to land his commitment.
Recruiting wrap: Sherwood says Miami, Florida and Florida State, in some order, make up his list of favorites. Tennessee is also in play.
Performance: A recently minted four-star prospect, Sherwood has a great frame and muscle that fills it out. His offer list is growing quickly and he’s likely to stay in state for college.
Recruiting wrap: Casteel is awaiting his first offer
Performance: Casteel is just a sophomore and seems to have a bright college future. He has nice size and a live arm. He led his team to the quarterfinals on Saturday and did so by making a number of difficult throws. He is yet to be a full-time starter in high school, but he has positioned himself to take over the job at national power St. Thomas Aquinas next season.
Recruiting Wrap: Johnson has an impressive list of offers, with schools like UCLA, Georgia, Alabama and Florida among the programs he's expressed interest in.
Performance: Johnson has been on the national recruiting scene since his eighth grade year and the player known as "Born Ready" continued to live up to his moniker during Saturday's tournament. He was the vocal leader of his team's defense and backed it up with his play on the field as well. Johnson can cover a lot of ground in a hurry but he's also very good at coverage and continues to impress whenever he shows up for an event.
Recruiting wrap: A 2019 prospect, Caldwell is awaiting his first offer
Performance: Caldwell should not have to wait long for a school to make things official. He’s an impressive athlete that bailed out a sputtering offense from time to time on Saturday. He was the most consistent offensive threat on a talented team that underachieved. His breakout as a recruiting commodity could be coming soon.
Recruiting wrap: Austin names no early favorites but Miami, Notre Dame and a list of others remain heavily involved.
Performance: Austin’s build is that of a can’t-miss wide receiver but he surprises with his acceleration. There’s a reason he has a host of early offers. And while his team was eliminated quickly and he wasn’t targeted all that often, he looked beyond impressive in spurts.