Simmons: Cam Newton 7-on-7 Tryout Takeaways
ATLANTA — Many want to play for Cam Newton, the former Heisman Trophy winner and current quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and quite a few had their chance to impress over the weekend.
He held tryouts for his 7-on-7 teams Saturday and some of the top prospects in Georgia participated. Here are some takeaways from the event.
CLASS OF 2021 ATHLETE HAD NEWTON SCREAMING
Jaquez Smith put on a show. Nobody had Newton as excited as Smith, a sophomore athlete out of College Park (Ga.) Hapeville Charter that worked out at wide receiver.
He showed a burst off the line of scrimmage, he made plays down the field and he was very consistent with his hands.
Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville and Notre Dame have offered Smith in the last week or so and he is going to draw a lot of interest from schools coast to coast. Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Nebraska and Tennessee among others have also offered.
He showed out at receiver on Saturday, but he can also play defensive back. He is a physical player with speed that drew high praise from Newton and other coaches over the weekend.
CALLAWAY MADE PLAYS
Jimmy Callaway is a 2020 athlete out of Morrow (Ga.) that has seen his recruitment take off recently. Georgia Tech, Kansas, Oregon and Tennessee are some of the schools that have offered Callaway over the last week or so and more are coming.
In high school, Callaway played everywhere. Morrow’s quarterback got hurt, so he played there half the season, then also played wide receiver and defensive back. He is about as versatile as they come.
At this event, he worked at receiver, showing great quickness and the ability to get consistent separation. He was also a strong route runner as well, especially for someone who plays a lot of other positions.
As good as he was on offense, he has the ability to be a top cornerback prospect too. He has great length, quickness and ball skills.
Expect his offer list to continue to grow.
STRONG QUARTERBACK GROUP
There was a lot of top wide receivers, but the position with the most star power may have been quarterback.
Griffin Brewster, CJ Dixon, Tate Rodemaker and Mike Wright are four of the top quarterbacks in Georgia’s 2020 class, and they were there competing. Tucker Melton is another 2020 signal-caller to know and he traveled over to Atlanta from Alabama.
Each has offers and each made their share of good throws Saturday. Rodemaker may be the most improved and Dixon may have the biggest arm with the most upside as he continues to develop. Wright has really made big strides over the past year and you can see his confidence growing. Brewster and Melton threw some nice deep balls.
It didn’t stop there. Aaron McLaughlin and Carlos Del Rio are two of the top 2021 quarterbacks in the Peach State. They were there competing as well. Del Rio recently picked up offers from Georgia Tech and Tennessee. McLaughlin has been picking up offers since middle school. He has always liked west coast schools, like UCLA and USC.
Chad Mascoe is a 2022 quarterback with a lot of eyes on him. He had a big freshman season at Thomasville (Ga.), but will be playing at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy next season. He already has offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Oregon among others. He grew up a huge Seminole fan.
REYNOLDS ON TRACK TO BE A STAR
Baylor, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and West Virginia have offered 2021 athlete Daejon Reynolds of Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett. Other may want to go ahead and jump on board.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore is a name to know. He is starting to pick up offers and the list will be much longer soon. He worked out at wide receiver Saturday and he flashed strong hands, quickness and strength. He could project as a safety as well.
The way he moved and adjusted to the ball was very impressive. He has added good weight and strength over the last year. He still has good speed and he is a two-way star athlete.
AUBURN COMMIT SHINES
Kobe Hudson committed to Auburn in April of his sophomore year and Gus Malzahn and the Tigers have to be excited about his future on the Plains. Hudson played quarterback his junior season after playing wide receiver and safety his first two years at Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County.
After throwing the ball and making some plays with his legs all fall, he moved back to receiver at this workout. He definitely did not show any signs of rust. Hudson was the quickest receiver off the ball and he made plays down the field and across the middle. Once he caught it, he was making quick moves and getting away from defenders.
Hudson drew a lot of praise from Newton as well. The four-star junior does not talk too much, but his actions said a lot. He was one of the most dominant performers on this day.
QUICK HITS
— Christian Miller and Kamar Wilcoxson were two of the top defensive backs there. They are very different. Miller is smaller, more of a nickel type that has good quickness. Wilcoxson, a Florida commit is bigger, and may grow into a safety, but was strong in coverage Saturday.
— Jaylon Barden is another receiver who impressed. He is a tough match up because of his quickness. He is not the biggest wideout, but he is tough and he is a true competitor. Expect his offer list to grow. Ball State, Georgia Southern and Kentucky has offered in the last week.
— Durante Jones is an intriguing defensive back. He has great length and he could project as a cornerback or safety on the next level. He has recently picked up offers from Ohio, Tennessee State and Toledo.
— Chase Lloyd is a versatile athlete that worked at receiver Saturday, but could easily project as a safety on the next level as well. He is picking up offers from Ivy League schools as well as Cincinnati, Duke and Wake Forest among others.
— JaQuari Wiggles has offers to play both sides of the ball. Tennessee offered him as a defensive end Monday, but at this tryout, he was working at tight end. He could definitely play that position. He has good hands, he moves well and could play that H-back role as well. He really showed good, strong hands at this workout. Boston College, Toledo and Western Kentucky are some of his early offers.