South Central Spotlight: Players who deserve more attention
The loss of many off-season camps has kept many prospects under-the-radar who otherwise would have emerged in the last few months. Further uncertainty around the upcoming high school football season means some may continue to be overlooked. Here are 10 prospects from the South Central region who deserve more recognition than they are currently receiving.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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Casey Cain is a big-framed wide receiver that measures in at 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds and is coming off back-to-back appearance in the Louisiana Class 4A state title game. The New Orleans three-star was enjoying what was shaping up to be a colossal offseason, showing off improved speed, great length and the ability to make plays downfield at a small sample size of camps and workouts.
Texas offered Cain after a junior campaign in which he shined on offense and in spot duty playing defensive back. Quietly, he piled up 47 catches for 934 yards and 12 total touchdowns in 2019, and he's on track for an even more productive 2020.
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Tyrese Johnson recently gave a commitment to Kevin Sumlin and Arizona, but the three-star wide receiver has managed to stay out of the headlines for the bulk of the off-season. That is pretty incredible, given that he put together such a spectacular junior campaign that put him into four-star consideration. Johnson is a dual-sport star with Division I offers on the hardwood as well. He's a jump-ball aficionado that is open even when he's covered. He's got the ability to stretch the field vertically and could enter the elite group of Louisiana wide receivers with a strong final season as the alpha for New Orleans Booker T. Washington.
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Colorado snuck into the Lone Star State to land a commitment from three-star safety Trevor Woods this offseason. The Buffs have maintained a strong presence in Texas and edged out Louisiana Tech, Arizona, New Mexico and Miami (Ohio) for the Katy (Texas) Taylor product.
Woods is an instinctual defensive back that can wear multiple hats, cover a ton of ground and isn't shy about lowering his shoulder. Last season, he accounted for 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, forced five fumbles and returned four interceptions back for scores. He flew well under-the-radar and Colorado was the benefactor.
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There is a contingent of elite backs that remain uncommitted in Texas, namely five-star Camar Wheaton, LJ Johnson, Cam'Ron Valdez and, of course, Tavierre Dunlap. The high three-star tailback from just outside of Austin holds as impressive of an offer sheet as any back in the country, but several of his top schools have already landed at least one running back over this off-season. Dunlap is a big-framed back that's light on his feet, can contribute in the passing game and is powerful enough to run over you or around you. That should make his ongoing recruitment even more intriguing.
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Stanford found its fullback of the future in three-star Louisiana tight end Shield Taylor, who committed this summer. Taylor only reeled in five catches as a junior last fall, yet he assembled a double-digit offer sheet because he was able to flash good hands, the ability to fly up the seams and make contested catches. When Taylor pledged to the Cardinal, he said he planned to become a more physical, versatile and agile athlete out West. Our eyes are on Taylor's progress this season first.
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Ty Williams, an Oklahoma State commitment, missed part of his junior campaign due to injury, but he was absolutely phenomenal in the small sample size we were able to absorb. Williams splits his time between safety and quarterback and makes plays on both sides of the ball. He's a bit of a freelancer for Muskogee (Okla.) High. He can cover, tracks the ball well, isn't shy about being physical and plays excellent in coverage over the top. Williams could be a major rankings climber with a full slate of games under his belt.
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Cameron Bonner caught 50 passes a year ago and piled up 1,255 yards and 12 touchdowns in the process. He also compiled more than 1,600 all-purpose yards. The three-star wideout from Houston (Texas) St. Thomas is a special teams ace that frequently finds the end zone via the return game. He can also take the top off a defense and break loose from a crowd. Texas A&M recently joined the race for Bonner, which to date has featured Wisconsin, Washington State, Arizona and Indiana.
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Edzavier Deblaw showed up at Houston-area powerhouse Galena Park (Texas) North Shore last offseason and was pegged as an immediate starter up front for the defending Class 6A champs. Before ever suiting up for the Mustangs, Deblaw camped at LSU with a contingent of North Short college prospects and returned home with his first scholarship offer in hand.
Injuries cost Deblaw the season, but the three-star guard is healthy and ready to shore up the North Shore offensive line, which already features Auburn commitment Jaeden Roberts and talent up and down the skill positions. Deblaw, who also holds offers from Arkansas, Tennessee, Houston and Georgia Tech, could see his options double or triple before long.
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Jaden Nixon was a big-play threat in the making last season for Frisco Lone Star as a key weapon in one of the state's most explosive passing attacks. Nixon, who committed to Oklahoma State this spring, boasts a 11.04-second time in the 100 meters and a 22.94 mark in the 200. That speed amounted to 821 yards rushing, a 9.1 yards per carry average and he found the end zone 16 times in 2019.
He'll be the spark plug for Lone Star this fall and could be even more dangerous with an expanded workload.
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One of the most unheralded prospects in the Greater Houston area is private school standout Jacob Psyk, a local star for Strake Jesuit who is committed to Harvard. Last year, Psyk racked up eight sacks and 19 tackles for loss. He's extremely productive and dynamic off the line, and appears to be a bit of a steal for the Ivy League at the moment.