Rivals Recap: Showdowns in St. Louis

St. Louis proved to be a great setting to see some exceptional football, and Division 1 prospects, this past weekend. The three games scouted were decided by a total of just nine points and featured three Rivals100 recruits. Here are the top performances, plays and notes from the weekend.

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After a quiet first half on offense, Babb took over for a stretch in the second half that saw his CBC team take and hold the lead for a long period before finally succumbing 32-28 in the final minute of the game. Babb tallied just two receptions for four yards in the first half, but broke open for a 63-yard touchdown catch on a double pass in the third quarter, then came right back and caught a five-yard out in the end zone a few minutes later. He would finish with six receptions for 110 yards and those two scores. Adding to that, Babb drew the defensive assignment of shadowing East St. Louis four-star Jeff Thomas across the field, limiting him to just four receptions and pulling in two interceptions of his own.

Saturday night we saw several flashes of the ridiculous speed, quickness and ball skills that have earned Thomas a spot in the Rivals100, but the four-star also was limited for much of the second half with cramping. Maybe the most impressive play came on the first drive of the game with CBC driving and Thomas playing the nickel cornerback. He stayed with the slot receiver on the wheel route and made a tremendous over-the-shoulder interception in the end zone, but the play was called back on penalty. For the game Thomas had just four catches for 41 yards, but he scored a key touchdown on fourth down and made the crowd “ooh” on several occasions with his speed and agility.

Perkins is playing his first season with Lutheran North after transferring from University City in the offseason. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound linemen was used as both a nose tackle and a defensive end in Lutheran North’s three-man front at different stages of the game and was able to get consistent pressure on the quarterback from either spot. Perkins has a solidly-built frame and has gotten bigger since we last saw him at the Kansas City Rivals Camp in May. He has a desirable combination of quickness and power and plays with good pad level, allowing him to maximize his size and strength advantage. Lutheran North also uses Perkins as a tight end on offense, and he contributed to their 24-21 win with a two-point conversion catch in the second half.

Friday night’s Chaminade-SLUH game featured several participants who looked the part of Division I prospects, but maybe none more so than Crawford. Saying he is now up to 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Crawford has an ideal frame for the outside wide receiver role. What you need to combine with that, though, to draw college attention is the suddenness and ability to create separation. We saw both from Crawford as well as the ability to sky above defenders and high-point the football. Crawford is reportedly a very good basketball player as well, and he certainly displays that run-and-jump ability that is valued in both sports. But he also showed the toughness needed on the gridiron and laid several impressive blocks to help spring his running backs for long gains.

Adams probably would have finished higher here, but early in the third quarter he came down with cramps and was never the same after that. The Illinois commit playing at less than 100 percent could have been the difference in a second half that saw SLUH drop a narrow 30-28 decision. Prior to the cramping, Adams collected five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. He also added an interception from his free safety position. At 6-foot and 185 pounds Adams is not particularly big or explosive, but he is a playmaker who proved effective at getting open and made several tough catches over the middle.

If you recognize the last name that is because Brett is the younger brother of Blaine Gabbert, current starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and one-time five-star recruit, as well as Tyler Gabbert, who was a four-star recruit in the 2010 class who signed with Missouri. The buzz on the younger Gabbert has been building this offseason and on Saturday night it looked justified. Although just 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Gabbert has time to grow. His growth as a quarterback is pretty advanced from a fundamentals standpoint. He showed clean arm mechanics and threw with excellent velocity and also had great feel in the pocket, displaying escapability when needed. The decision-making was suspect on a few plays, but that is understandable for a sophomore. Gabbert finished the game 14-of-21 for 160 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Is Alabama or Missouri leading for East St. Louis wide receiver Jeff Thomas? That has been the question surrounding the Rivals100 prospect all summer. Thomas did confirm those were his top two schools but said at this time one does not hold a lead over the other. He does not plan to make his college selection until after his senior season is complete, and both programs will receive official visits, though dates have not been scheduled.

Rivals100 defensive tackle Trevor Trout, the No. 1 ranked defensive tackle in the class of 2018, did not make my top five for the weekend, but this was his first game back after missing the previous game with a foot injury. Trout looked tentative and was largely ineffective in the first half of Chaminade’s win over SLUH, but came back and looked much more like the player who was very impressive at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta this past June. Trout said he just had to get the blood flowing in that foot and by the second half was much closer to 100 percent.

St. Louis University High’s Tony Adams decided to make his college selection before kicking off his final season of high school football. After narrowing his list of offers down to Illinois and Missouri, he announced for the Fighting Illini on Aug. 12. The recruitment of Adams may not be completely finished, though. After Friday night’s game the three-star athlete said he remains very content with his decision, but also plans on talking with his parents about taking additional official visits, saying Missouri would receive one of those visits if his parents approve.

SLUH senior running back Andrew Clair was a big get for Bowling Green when he committed to the Falcons in June. Ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the state of Missouri’s 2017 class, Clair had offers and interest from a host of schools around the country. Friday night’s showing, highlighted by the video clip above, suggests that interest will continue right up until National Signing Day, and Clair did confirm that other schools continue to recruit him, mentioning New Mexico was coming after him particularly hard.

Lutheran North class of 2019 running back Isaiah Azubuike nearly came away with the running back MVP award at last May’s Kansas City Rivals Camp despite being two years younger than almost any player there. On Saturday, though, he took a back seat to class of 2018 running back Donovan Marshall, who is more of a quicker, shiftier ball-carrier than the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Azubuike and gashed the Westminster defense for several long runs, including a 43-yard touchdown. Although he saw only a handful of carries on offense, Azubuike did make an impact on defense. He lined up primarily in an outside linebacker role and came down with a key interception that essentially sealed the win for Lutheran North late in the game.

Saturday night’s performance is not one Missouri quarterback commit Reyondous Estes will hang his hat on. He completed less than 40 percent of his passes and threw three interceptions, but he did do one thing that was particularly impressive. With his team trailing late in the fourth quarter and facing a long third down, Estes saw a streaking wide receiver down the middle of the field as he was escaping pressure. From around his own 40-yard line, Estes let loose a beautiful spiral. When it finally came back to earth, the ball had traveled nearly 70 yards to a waiting receiver in the back of the end zone. Only an impressive hustle play from CBC’s Cameron Brown broke it up at the last second, but the throw highlighted Estes’ arm strength.