Rivals Recap: Florida Fire 7-on-7

MIAMI – The Florida Fire 7-on-7 program held its annual Showcase and tryout on Saturday afternoon. As it does every year, the event attracted talent from all over South Florida. There were familiar faces and new names abound when the daylong outing got under way. Below are news and notes on the top players that attended Saturday’s showcase.

Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) wide receiver Teriq Phillips arrived at the Fire showcase with little buzz and just two offers. Still, that didn’t stop him from being the most consistent young wide receiver at the event. Phillips took as many one-on-one reps as any player and created separation from nearly every defensive back he faced. Phillips is sudden but smooth out of his breaks and will undoubtedly collect a long list of offers by the time he’s a senior.

Most well-established prospects worked out for roughly an hour near the end of Saturday’s showcase. That was not the case for four-star linebacker DeAndre Wilder, who worked at his natural position in addition to taking reps at wide receiver and defensive back. Wilder’s size, quickness and versatility were on full display as the Rivals250 prospect took rep after rep as if he were trying to make a name for himself. Wilder has the length and quickness to be a truly special linebacker and will only get better as he adds strength.

Miami Gardens (Fla.) Carol City running back Camron Davis (2018) showed a knack for running routes on Saturday, but it was his build and explosiveness that stole the show. Sophomore running backs don’t come put together better than the hulking Davis, who runs with incredible power. On Saturday, he showed explosiveness in the passing game and even hauled in a one-handed catch along the sideline.

Wide receiver Destra Benoit was one of the fastest players at the event. And while he has spent some of his career playing running back, he is now a full-time wide receiver. Benoit, who will play next season at North Broward High School, showed off track speed and he beat a number of defensive backs deep on Saturday. Jamming Benoit is the best course of action for a corner, as running down the field at his side is rarely an option. Benoit could see a surge of scholarship offers this spring.

Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan defensive back Wesley Charles didn’t see much playing time as junior because of non-football issues, but showed some seriously impressive coverage skills on Saturday. Charles matched up with nearly every receiver at the event and won a lot more reps than he lost. Charles is a touch undersized but is physical and quick enough to offset his slight stature. There was no more impressive cornerback in the early session.

Linebacker Diego Fagot was a pleasant surprise on Saturday. The 2017 linebacker is equipped with a massive lower body and the ability to change direction in a hurry. Despite his size, Fagot looked smooth in coverage and stayed with smaller offensive players on intermediate routes. Linebackers don’t often shine in touch football, but Fagot managed to make a mark on Saturday. It’s hard to imagine Fagot making it to his senior season without a handful of scholarship offers.

Rivals100 defensive back Stanford Samuels (2017) plans to attend Clemson’s junior day. He also plans to visit Michigan, Maryland, Georgia and USC this offseason. According to Samuels, Florida State, Clemson, Michigan and Georgia are the frontrunners in his recruitment. Prying the four-star prospect away from FSU, for which his father was a star, won’t be easy.

Jerry Jeudy, a member of the 2017 Rivals100, arrived at Saturday’s showcase wearing an Alabama visor. Jeudy declines to name a leader and intends to visit TCU and Baylor at some point this offseason and says the offenses each program runs intrigues him. Jeudy also hopes to tour Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Florida State this summer.

Carol City High School linebacker DeAndre Wilder is the No. 162 player in the 2017 class. He showed up to the Fire showcase with roughly 18 scholarship offers and saying he intends to visit Miami, West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and LSU. According to Wilder, he has no favorite in the process, but Alabama, Miami, LSU and Duke are the teams that stand out to him the most at this juncture.

Alabama leads the way for 2019 star Mark Pope, a wide receiver from Miami Southridge High. Pope already holds a long list of scholarship offers, including one from the Tide. On Saturday, Pope said that Tennessee is beginning to close the gap on Alabama. And while the Tide still lead, his last visit to Tennessee shot the Volunteers up his list. Pope hopes to visit Florida and Florida State this offseason. Currently a 2019 prospect, Pope may reclassify to the class of 2018.

Miami Southridge High School wide receiver Kemore Gamble (2017) remains committed to Miami, but is certainly taking a long look. On Saturday, Gamble said West Virginia is pushing Miami for the top spot in his recruitment. Illinois is also heavily involved.

Kevaughn Dingle has plenty of offers as things stand now and he intends to explore as many of them as possible this offseason. Dingle arrived at Saturday’s event in a Miami sweatshirt and said he hopes to tour Florida, Georgia and Alabama this summer. Dingle will also attend Miami’s junior day on Feb. 22. According to Dingle, Miami currently holds a slight lead in his recruitment.

Miami commit Billy Joseph, a 2018 linebacker, hopes to visit LSU and Tennessee this offseason. Kentucky is also involved in his recruitment. USC could be next to offer Joseph, who intends to make a number of visits despite his early commitment to the Hurricanes.

Hollywood (Fla.) McArthur wide receiver Dominick Watt’s lone offer is from Louisville for the time being, but that could change in the near future. Miami is in frequent contact with the 2018 prospect. Watt hopes to visit Louisville, Florida, Florida State and Miami this offseason, but says he grew up rooting for Alabama and hopes for an offer from the Crimson Tide.

Class of 2018 defensive back Asante Samuel plans to visit Florida State, Mississippi State Ohio State, Tennessee and others this offseason. Samuel, who arrived at the showcase sporting an FSU sweatshirt, says Florida State, LSU, Ohio State and Auburn are the early standouts in his recruitment.