The Five-Star Academy makes its last stop
The Rivals.com Five-Star Academy circuit came to a close on Sunday with the final stop taking place in West Tennessee at the University of Memphis. The event pulled in talent from the greater Memphis area, Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, Middle Tennessee and Kentucky.
Advertisement
One of the first players to show up at the event also may have been the most impressive physically. Reuben Corley out of Batesville (Miss.) South Panola measured in at just under six feet and weighed in at a chiseled 221 pounds. The high school fullback is a lean and powerful lead blocker that is getting interest from schools from around the southeast.
Another player that impressed physically was Austin Long. Long has been offered by just about every major football program in the Southeast and has very impressive film coming out of Memphis' Briarcrest Christian School.
Question marks about his size were addressed on Sunday when he measured at 6-foot-5 even and tipped the scales at 268 pounds. His long arms and lean body give him some tremendous upside.
Long's teammate and quarterback was also in attendance. Chris Campbell was measured at 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds. With an offer from Southern Miss already in tow, Campbell has the frame to continue to pile up offers from around the Southeast.
Another Tennessee quarterback in attendance with his first offer in hand was Hardin County's Will Gilchrist. At just under 6-foot-2, Gilchrist looks strong at 188 pounds and should see more schools added to his offer list that currently consists of Louisiana Tech.
Gilchrist and Campbell were joined by Meridian, Miss. quarterback Cameron Lawrence at the event, though they may or may not see him in college as a quarterback. Lawrence has already committed to his homestate school of Mississippi State but he could see the field earlier on the defensive side of the ball and it was easy to see why. Lawrence weighed in at 203 pounds and measured right at 6-foot-2.
Volunteer fans will not have a hard time finding their newest commit on the field next year. Dominique Allen showed up in a Tennessee shirt just a day after committing to the Vols and he was massive.
Though Allen declined getting weighed and measured he has a huge body that would be daunting to take down by any defender. The running back is listed at 5-11 235 but could easily weigh even more than that, yet somehow he still manages to display great quickness on the field.
Among the top local players in attendance were some of the top prospects from 5A power Whitehaven High School. Cornerback Gene Robinson holds early offers from schools such as Ole Miss and Vanderbilt and measured at 5-foot-10, 162 pounds. Teammate Derrick Webb also looked strong at 5-11 and 211 pounds. The pair leads a defense that was one of the best in the state in 2008.
A name that Tennessee High School football fans have heard and several college coaches from around the country are beginning to grow familiar with is Gabriel Hunter. The Memphis (Tenn.) Kingsbury running back put up absurd numbers as a junior, rushing for over 2,600 yards including over 460 yards in a single game in the playoffs.
Hunter claims offers Memphis, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Texas Tech among others. He measured in at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds and will be a prospect to keep an eye on in the coming months.