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Talent pool runs deep in Miami
Editor’s Note: Last week Rivals.com Southeast recruiting analyst Jeremy Patterson spent five days touring high schools in Dade and Broward counties collecting film and scouting the top players in the country's biggest talent pool.
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Patterson will chronicle his tour of the 19 high school trip by summarizing each day of our trip for the next five days, writing about the corresponding day of the week. He begins with last Monday.
MIAMI – After making the trek to Miami over the weekend Miami Gulliver Prep was the first stop Monday morning, home of former Miami Hurricane safety Sean Taylor. While Gulliver does not really have a Division I caliber player for the class of 2005, there are several in the class of 2006.
So far the name drawing the most pre-season headlines from Gulliver is Justin Simpson, son of NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson. Many considered him to be one of the top junior prospects in the nation, but Rivals arrived only to learn that Simpson will not be with the team the season as he has opted to play lacrosse and basketball instead. There is a chance he could rejoin the team, but at this point it looks unlikely.
The trip to Gulliver did not go unrewarded though. Junior offensive lineman Evan Bellamy, is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound behemoth, who moves extremely well and figures to be one of the top lineman in the Sunshine State for the class of 2006. Junior linebacker LaDaniel Lee is also an impressive looking prospect that is already beginning to see college interest trickle in.
Southridge was the next stop in hopes to get a close up look at Rutgers commitment Damsao Munoz . The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Munoz is a solidly built prospect and will make a solid linebacker on the next level. However, he is not the only prospect at Southridge.
The school boasts a pair of impressive junior prospects as well as several seniors, who are not getting a lot of publicity, but are players to watch as the season develops.
Offensive lineman Kristoffer Dourn is an awesome looking prospect at 6-7, 265 pounds. His coach Rodney Hunter said he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and feels he could be one of the best sleepers in the state. Defensive back Travis Jones is a 6-1, 180-pounder that is getting some looks as well as 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver Josh Williams.
After leaving Southridge Rivals.com stayed in the southern part of Miami and went to Southwest to check out offensive lineman and South Florida commit Chris DeArmas.
Some feel that DeArmas is one of the state’s most underrated prospects for the class of 2005. After meeting him in person and watching his film it is easy to give merit to that argument. On the field, he is absolutely tenacious and seems to pancake defenders every other play. He is every bit of the 6-4, 275 pounds he lists himself at as well. He is lean and athletic and has the frame to add weight on the college level.
The final stop of the day was at Edison for practice.
Four-star cornerback Chris Chancellor certainly looked the part during scrimmage where he was unstoppable. The 5-9, 155-pound Chancellor was not only excellent in coverage, but had several tenacious hits. His brother Demerick Chancellor was unable to practice because of a hamstring injury.
Offensive lineman Robin Lindor certainly looked impressive as well. The 6-4, 330-pound lineman claimed offers from N.C. State, Florida International, Ohio State, Rutgers, South Florida and North Carolina. He runs the 40-yard dash in 5.2seconds and does 15 reps on the bench press.
Biggest stock increase: Edison offensive lineman Robin Lindor. He was an impressive looking prospect that has good footwork and solid strength. He may need to work on his mobility a little bit, but his coach stated that he has made strides over the summer and should develop well as a college level offensive lineman.
Sleeper Discover: Southridge offensive lineman Kristoffer Dour is simply a huge kid. At 6-7, 265 pounds Dour is a huge kid, who carries his weight very well. He has the frame to add a significant amount of weight on the college level. He is also a standout basketball player, but his future could be on the gridiron.
Junior to watch: Edison defensive back Tim Todd is an impressive player. You won’t hear many people raving about a 5-foot-7, 165-pound prospect very often, but this kid is rare. What he lacks in size he makes up for in speed and tenacity. He is a vicious hitter, who has a 260-pound bench press. The coaches at Edison told us a story of Todd hitting one player so hard in practice last year that the life saver helicopter had to airlift the kid to the hospital. He will likely grow at least an inch by next football season, but he will still be tabbed as “under-sized” by many.