Summer wrap series: Fastest prospects
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The summer camp season is over and the Rivals.com recruiting analysts were all over the country starting with the Penn State NIKE Camp way back in the first weekend of May to the ESPN Rise Gridiron Kings tournament last weekend that wrapped things up.
Heading into our next set of evaluation meetings and a new set of rankings due at the end of August, here's the next article in our summer recap series with some of the fastest prospects we saw all summer, led by Baylor commitment Corey Coleman, who blistered a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at The Opening.
Only 2012 prospects are eligible to make this list and this certainly does not entail all the speed our analysts saw this summer.
Best of summer: Fastest prospects
DB Deon Bush, Miami (Fla.) Columbus
Tampa Badger highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening, B2G Elite Camp
Buzz: Bush was thoroughly impressive this summer not only because he's so fast in coverage and athletic, but his timing is outstanding. He has a great feel for coming up and making plays and getting interceptions. His natural instincts might make him look faster than he is, but that's all that matters on the football field - how fast can you get to the ball?
ATH Corey Coleman, Richardson (Texas) Pearce
TCU NIKE highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening, Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Coleman registered the fastest time at The Opening during SPARQ testing with a 4.32-second 40-yard dash and he also blistered a 3.8-second shuttle. On the field he consistently beat players downfield at that event as well as at Gridiron Kings. Coleman is one of the fastest prospects in the nation whether it's on a track or a football field, hands down.
RB J.C. Coleman, Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith
Duke NIKE highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening, Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Coleman is a speedy, small back. He caught a wheel route at Gridiron Kings where the defenders had him tight against the sideline but he turned on the speed and quickly beat them down the sideline separating quickly. He was equally elusive at The Opening and has a burst unlike many other scatbacks.
DB Landon Collins, Geismar (La.) Dutchtown
Junior highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening
Buzz: For a big safety who looks like a small linebacker, Collins can really move. He had one of the best 40 times regardless of size at The Opening and he showed off his burst during 7-on-7 play by closing on the ball with a burst hard to find for such a big defensive back.
WR Stefon Diggs, Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel
VTO highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Florida's Friday Night Lights
Buzz: Diggs was toying with defensive backs as he would show his acceleration down the field and ability to make one cut and go on routes. He is quick off the line, but has another gear when he gets the defensive back to slow down in mid-route.
ATH Deonte Evans, McComb (Miss.)
Junior highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Mississippi State camp
Buzz: Evans is built like a brick, but has terrific speed. In Starkville, he clocked a 40 time under 4.4 seconds. He's not just track fast, either; Evans reaches his top speed quickly on the field, and can quickly regain it after making his cuts.
ATH Germone Hopper, Charlotte (N.C.) Phillip O Berry Academy Of Tech
FBU Top Gun highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Duke NIKE Camp, The Opening, Top Gun Camp
Buzz: Hopper is certainly fast in a straight line as expected, but it's the way he gets in and out of his cuts when running routes and how he explodes to the football that really impresses. His sudden, quick-twitch movements allow him to gain separation with consistency. On out and ups or double moves, he can't be touched.
CB Daje Johnson, Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson
Junior highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Texas Showcase Combine, The Opening
Buzz: The TCU commit turned heads when he ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash time. He then followed that performance with one of the top SPARQ ratings in the country at The Opening. A high school running back, Johnson has serious breakaway speed on the field.
RB Randy Johnson, Miami (Fla.) Norland
Miami NIKE highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening, Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Johnson loves catching short swing passes and running toward waiting defenders, but then he unleashes a quick stutter step or juke to freeze them and quickly accelerated into a newly generated hole. Johnson is electric in the open field.
WR Thomas Johnson, Dallas (Texas) Skyline
Junior highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Johnson caught numerous passes for the Southwest team at the Gridiron Kings event and was able to turn them into big plays by slashing through defenses. When he gets a head full of steam he is very quick down the field.
RB Brian Kimbrow, Memphis East
Junior highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Alabama Badger Sports 7-on-7
Buzz: Kimbrow showed in Birmingham that he is every bit as fast as advertised. He truly has great top-end speed, but also doesn't lose much when shifting direction. He is like a waterbug in 7-on-7 play that few can seem to corral.
RB Robert Lewis, South Gate (Calif.) South East
Las Vegas Badger highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): BadgerSports National 7-on-7, B2G Elite Camp, Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Lewis is very small for a running back but is able to gain quite a bit of yardage when he gets to the edge because of his speed. Watching Lewis in one-on-ones against linebackers is almost unfair. He's so fast and so easily bounces outside that it's tough to track him down.
WR Davonte Neal, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral
L.A. NIKE highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Seattle NIKE Camp, The Opening, Gridiron Kings
Buzz: Neal has really emerged at multiple events this off-season not only as a wide receiver but as a cornerback as well. He has great straight-line speed but his backpedal is much better and he's really athletic. He's always around the ball on defense and always seems to get separation on offense.
WR Dominique Wheeler, Crockett (Texas)
Wheeler highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): Texas 7-on-7 State Championships, Top Gun Camp
Buzz: When the Texas Tech commit gets the ball in his hands, he is going to be tough to catch. He is incredibly dangerous after the catch due to his excellent speed and he is a long threat for sure on downfield passes. He may be a bit raw and needs to learn proper route running, but ask him to go from Point A to Point B and he will get there faster than most.
RB Trey Williams, Spring (Texas) Dekaney
Houston NIKE highlightsClick Here to view this Link.
Camp(s): The Opening, Gridiron Kings, Houston NIKE Camp
Buzz: At each event Williams was simply electric using his powerful legs to not only cut and change direction, but to allow him to reach top speed so quickly he was hard to gather even in touch football. His burst is impressive and he gets his muscled frame to top speed as quick as any running back in the country.
OTHER SPEEDSTERS:
WR Bralon Addison, Missouri City (Texas) Hightower, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; ATH Nelson Agholor, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; DB Chris Bivins, Gainesville (Fla.), Alabama Badger Sports 7-on-7, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; LB Richie Brown, Long Beach (Miss.), Mississippi State camp; CB Ronald Darby, Oxon Hill (Md.) Potomac, Gridiron Kings; WR Kedrick Davis, Charlotte (N.C.) Phillip O Berry Academy of Technology; CB T.J. Davis, Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby, Jimbo Fisher Football Camp; WR Jaydrick Declouet, Patterson (La.), Alabama Badger Sports 7-on-7; ATH Cedric Dozier, Lakewood (Wash.) Lakes, Seattle NIKE Camp, The Opening; ATH Kenyan Drake, Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; RB Johnathan Gray, Aledo (Texas), The Opening; WR Deontay Greenberry, Fresno (Calif.) Washington Union, Stanford NIKE Camp, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; RB Brian Grove, West Palm Beach (Fla.) King's Academy, Heath Evans 7-on-7; ATH Todd Gurley, Tarboro, N.C., Duke NIKE Camp; WR Corey Jones, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Penn Hills, Penn State NIKE Camp, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; ATH Cyrus Jones, Baltimore (Md.) Gilman, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; ATH Jaydon Mickens, Los Angeles (Calif.) Dorsey, Stanford NIKE Camp, The Opening, Gridiron Kings; RB Dennis Norfleet, Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King, BadgerSports National 7-on-7; RB Devin Parks, Edna (Texas), Texas 7-on-7 State Championships; WR Tre Parmalee, Overland Park (Kan.) Bishop Miege, Ohio State NIKE Camp; RB Dazmond Patterson, Plant City (Fla.), Plant City vs. Armwood; ATH, David Perkins, South Bend Washington, Ohio State NIKE Camp, Sound Mind Sound Body, The Opening; WR Devonte Robinson, Delray Beach (Fla.) Village Academy, Dolphins 7-on-7; CB Justin Thomas, Orange (Texas) West Orange-Stark, Texas 7-on-7 State Championships; WR Kenneth Walker, Richmond (Calif.) John F. Kennedy, Stanford NIKE Camp, B2G Elite Camp, The Opening; WR Blake Webb, The Woodlands (Texas), Texas 7-on-7 State Championships; RB T.J. Yeldon, Daphne (Ala.), Hoover 7 on 7
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