Alpha Dog
– Detroit Loyola class of 2021 defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was, in our opinion, the prospect at the game who had the best chance to play Power 5 football one day. He is 6-foot-3+, over 300 pounds with evident natural gifts like strength and athleticism. Central Michigan has offered. More should come once schools can see him and see the strides he has made since the end of his sophomore season.
Top Five Offense
– Belleville (Mich.) 2021 wide receiver Deion Burks has quickness and twitch that left a couple defenders in his dust. Then he switched over the defense and showed upside as a cornerback as well.
– Walled Lake (Mich.) Western 2021 wide receiver Justin Gabriel is very technically sound. He is great in footwork drills and then used those positional skills to get open and catch a lot of passes in 1-1s.
– Romeo class of 2021 center Cameron Joseph was part of a strong offensive line group where we could have given this spot to a few others, but his consistency in winning reps and how clearly he won those reps made him the choice.
– Portage Northern class of 2020 running back Tyler Amos showed his quicks in shaking linebackers in pass catching drills. He also demonstrated good hands.
– Another Portage Northern back, class of 2021 member Anthony Tyus is a big, strong kid. He catches the ball naturally away from his body and had a nice one-handed snag as well. Depending on how he grows, some schools may look at him as an H-back because of those receiving skills.
Top Five Defense
– Davison (Mich.) junior Latrell Fordham is known for being a wide receiver, but his length and ball skills make him an intriguing defensive back. He is willing to work at that position and despite not having tons of experience there, was not as raw as you may expect and has natural gifts help with that as well.
– Detroit Country Day junior cornerback Marcus Sheppard has impressed at several off-season events. He combines size (6-0, 180), physicality and showed ball skills also.
– Goodrich cornerback Gage Ashley was one of the surprises of the day. He was in the hip-pocket of every receiver he guarded and attacked the football well. He has quicks and competitiveness.
– Saginaw Nouvel’s Zaiden Mitchell is another cornerback prospect who emerged. He has a solid build and good strength, but it was his technique that made him standout and allowed him to win many reps.
– Davison safety Caleb Smith is consistent in his performance from event to event, workout to workout. He is a safety with man to man skills.
Around the Camp
– Had we gone to six top performers on defense, Ogemaw Heights defensive lineman Jere Getzinger likely would have been the next guy in. He has improved since the last camp we saw him at. He powered through some offensive linemen and used quickness and hands to get around others. His frame (6-5, 235 pounds) makes him an intriguing prospect in addition to what he showed at the event. Chippewa Valley’s Jay Lawson was also right there. He is an athletic defensive tackle who schools should take a close look at. Walled Lake Central defensive end Blake Nelson continues to fill out and recently picked up an offer from Purdue.
– On offense, had we gone to six, the nod may have gone to Goodrich offensive lineman Daniel Greene who is strong and performed well at two straight events now. Another offensive lineman who had a good day was Midland’s Solomon Thomas. Warren Mott 2021 Tyson Watson is still learning, but has the raw tools to develop into a FBS recruit at the position.
– Among the linebackers who impressed were Jack Fairman (Cranbrook-Kingswood), Cardiea Harris (Southfield A&T), Logan Pasco (Davison), Jason Williams (Detroit Cass Tech) and Chris Johnson (West Bloomfield).
– At running back, Auburn Hills Avondale’s Jamason Jodway had the best burst of the group and caught the ball consistently.
– The quarterback group had some live arms that include 2021 Brandon Sullivan from Davison, Saginaw Heritage 2020 Keegan Robertson who has a very powerful arm, Utica’s Zack Keen, and Giovanni Mastromatteo, a sophomore at Clarkston Everest Prep who is not a big kid at the moment but spins it well.
– Grayling tight end Andrew Kanary looked the part of a potential H-back.
Belleville 2021 wide receiver Darrell Johnson is a competitive kid who catches the ball well away from his body. Ethan Champney from Saginaw Swan Valley is a bigger bodied wideout who can go up and attack the ball. Brady Dinninger from Saginaw Heritage also turned in good reps including a couple of routes where he left DBs standing still. Darden Davis from Macomb Dakota has size and good ball skills. Joseph Jaruzel and Luke Philpotts are two 6-foot-3 targets who can go up and get the football.
– Another defensive back who stood out was Kalamazoo Central’s Justin Reed, a taller, longer kid who made a couple nice plays on the ball.