Rivals Recap: Beast of the East Underclassmen Showcase

PITTMAN, N.J. -- Each year in January some of the best players in the Northeast travel to southern New Jersey for the Beast of the East Underclassmen Showcase. This year was no different and a handful of players that participated have a chance to be big time recruits.

* The best player at the camp, regardless of age, was 2018 quarterback Artur Sitkowski. He is every bit of the 6-foot-5, 205-pounds he is listed and has an absolute cannon for a right arm. The previous coaching staffs at Rutgers and Maryland offered Sitkowski and many more offers are in his future. He was pretty accurate on Friday night, especially on his short and intermediate routes.

* Temple is the only school to offer 2018 athlete Iverson Clement so far but as he gets more exposure more offers will come. He has good size and is pretty developed from a physical standpoint. Clement had very good burst out of his stance and did a good job creating separation He plays running back for his high school and had a lot of success but he could end up playing wide receiver in college.

* Pittsburgh defensive back commit Exree Loe was one of the best defensive backs in attendance. He has great size and is very physical with the wide receivers. Loe was better in press coverage than he was when he gave wide receivers a cushion. He broke on passes in front of him pretty well and was able to make a lot of plays on the ball. Loe could end up being a better safety than cornerback.

* Two of the more highly-touted underclassmen quarterbacks in attendance were Devin Leary and Kevin Doyle. Leary already holds an offer from Temple and is progressing well. His arm strength has definitely improved and he is getting taller. Doyle has good size and is accurate but he needs to improve his arm strength to continue to be viewed as one of the region’s top underclassmen quarterbacks.

* The top prospect at Reading (Pa.) Exeter Township Senior is 2016 Rivals100 Penn State offensive line commit Michal Menet but on Friday night his teammate Gabe Schappell showed that could also be a major college prospect. Shappell dominated as a tight end, running good routes and catching almost everything that came his way. For a 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect he was very fast and had good burst out of his breaks.

* The best lineman at the camp wasn’t a junior or a sophomore. It was freshman Chris Mayo from St. Augustine (N.J.) Richland. He is exceptionally athletic for a 6-foot-5, 290-pound 14 year old. Mayo’s great frame provides him with an excellent starting point to build on. If he can keep his quickness as he gets strong, Mayo could be a national recruit.

* A few other players that had very good days were wide receiver Everett Wormley and Shamere Collins. Wormley is a technician at wide receiver. The junior runs great routes and creates separation by making sharp, explosive breaks. Collins is just a sophomore but is getting stronger and understanding how and when to be physical with wide receivers. He did a good job using his length to his advantage.