Recap: Rising Stars Top 250 Underclassmen Camp

Recap: Rising Stars Top 250 Underclassmen Camp

Top Offensive Performers – West Bloomfield sophomore Michael Williams (2022) was a true standout. He went up high and caught several passes over the top of defenders in red-zone 1-1s. What is he? Is he a linebacker? Defensive end? Tight end? That is to be determined, but he is a really good athlete with ball skills. He may be an H-back who can move around. He is probably about 6-foot-3, so not a taller tight end/H-back, but I look at guys in the NFL like Gerald Everett, Jordan Akins or Jonnu Smith and think that is the type of player Williams can be if he ends up on offense. Michigan has offered.

Oak Park (Mich.) 2021 running back Davion Primm is a bigger 200-pound back but showed he can run routes and be effective as a receiver also. He holds several offers including a Power 5 one from Iowa State.

Oak Park’s Rayshaun Benny was one of the top offensive linemen in attendance. A great athlete who can bend and get leverage with the feet to mirror, he showed why he has offers from around the country. Teammate Kvon Dixon was physical and emerged as a prospect to watch moving forward.

Fenton’s Josh Thompson also performed well on the offensive line. He is a big, strong kid who took reps at both guard and center. He has a handful of MAC offers, but there are a few Big Ten schools evaluating him.

River Rouge’s Jalen Johnson is a strong guard prospect who stone-walled a couple of D-linemen on his reps. His teammate Chance Moore is another powerful kid with a wide, strong build. Once these guys got their hands on defenders, their strength allowed them to win a majority of their reps. Lake Orion sophomore Daniel Babcock and Rochester Stoney Creek’s duo of Aden Smith and Austin Jordan also had good days. Ossian Harris from West Bloomfield is competitive and stoned a couple of the top prospects on the defensive side.

River Rouge junior slot Tay Massey was very quick and created a lot of separation. He was not the biggest guy out there but he may have been the most sudden. Eric Craft from Waterford Kettering also made severl standout plays. Belleville’s Trevor Jones always seems to make plays at camps. He is a good route runner with great hands. Ann Arbor Skyline’s Jordan Wilson was another standout performer.

Quarterback wise, Traverse City West 2022 Brandon Konchek has size and a good arm. Konchek, Tanner Slazinski and James Burnley were among the more lively arms at the event. Tyrese Miller is another young quarterback who drew praise from the coaches at the event.

Southfield A&T’s Rae’Quin Lee, a running back with several offers, showed great quicks and explosiveness. Joshua Brown from Churchill and Jordan Ramsey from Sterling Heights Stevenson were two 2022 backs who caught our eyes.

There was a lot of young talent. Class of 2023 offensive linemen Dylan Senda and Amir Herring both performed above their ages. They are already being recruited by a handful of schools and could both be among the more heavily sought-after kids in the state by the time they are seniors. An 8th grader, wide receiver Nick Marsh, who played with the Motor City Wolverines, has good size already and great ball skills. It is very early, but he looked like a sophomore or junior out there.

2023 QB Drew Viotto has excellent size and a big arm especially when you factor in his age. He played at Walled Lake Western as a freshman and is pegged as that schools next big quarterback recruit.

Top Defensive Lineman – University of Detroit Jesuit safety Elijah Rikard is big and showed well in coverage coming away with an interception and several other good reps.

Detroit Loyola junior defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is light on his feet for a big man and won a lot of reps. He has an offer from Purdue among others.

Oak Park’s Marlon Dawson showed his versatility winning reps in pass rush 1-1s, then stepping over and doing coverage drills and intercepting or breaking up several passes.

Southfield A&T’s Abdul Jabbar is a quick defensive lineman who won with his get-off. He is starting to grow more into a three-tech and he could be very disruptive there.

Zeeland East sophomore Andrew DeVries and Warren Mott’s Tyson Watson both took reps on both offense and defense. DeVries looked really good in his defensive reps, which was a surprise since we had previously only seen him go on offense at camps. Watson — it will depend on how he develops. He can play either side of the ball in college but the upside may be higher on offense. Iowa and Iowa State have both offered him.

Southfield A&T’s Caleb Banks can go both ways but only did defense at this event. He is very long and athletic. I think he will fill in and be an offensive lineman but up until this year, he had played more defense, so he is still learning on O.

A handful of kids we did not know coming in ended up making names for themselves. Grand Blanc’s David Childs and River Rouge’s Tyron Heath at defensive back and Lake Orion’s Joey Thede and Romeo’s Michael Heldman on the defensive line. Thede and Heldman were aggressive and explosive off the ball in 1-1s.

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