Texas 7-on-7 State Finals Preview
College Station will be hosting the annual state championships for 7-on-7 this weekend at Veteran's Park on Harvey Rd just east of Hwy 6. The teams will be divided into small and large school brackets. Division II (small schools) will begin play on Thursday afternoon while the big boys start on Friday. Depending on the bracket, games will either begin at 1 and 2 o'clock each day. Here's a look at the pools and schedule...https://twitter.com/r_brauninger/status/879452412666359808https://twitter.com/r_brauninger/status/879453149593042945In looking at the D1 bracket, I'll be keeping an eye on all Pool E with Deneric Prince and Brian Johnson from Manvel and key target Bobby Brown from Arlington Lamar. Jalen Preston is not expected to make the trip because he's participating in The Opening this weekend. These types of events are built for guys like 2019 QB Grant Gunnell and his shifty WR teammate Chase Lane. The A&M will commits will start play in Pool G against some pretty tough squads that will feature 2019 TE Austin Stogner (Oklahoma) out of Plano Prestonwood. The last commit is in Pool J where Montel Parker and his Dickinson teammates will try to replicate last year's run in this event that included an upset over heavily favored Manvel. Other guys more guys per group to watch for in the big school bracket...Pool A:Clear Brook WR Caleb Chapman 2019 Coppell S Jonathan McGill 2019 Lake Travis WR Garrett Wilson Pool B:Cinco Ranch ATH Brant Kuithe 2019 Lufkin ATH Breylon Garcia 2019 Haslet Eaton RB Titus Swen Georgetown LB Brandon Hawkins (Boise State)Georgetown WR Caden Leggett - had a big Pylon 7v7 National Championship runPool C:Cedar Ridge RB Simi Bakare 2019 Cedar Ridge WR Jaylen Ellis (Baylor)Fort Worth All Saints WR Jaylon Robinson (Oklahoma)Pool D:Mansfield Timberview ATH Jalen Knox (Missouri)Del Valle WR La'Thaniel Washington Del Valle LB Cameron Wilkins Pool E:2019 Hutto QB Chase Griffin Manvel QB Kason Martin (UNT)Arlington Lamar WR Matthew Shaw 2019 Arlington Lamar CB Deshawn Gaddie 2020 Arlington Lamar LB James Douglas Pool F:2019 Katy RB Deondrick Glass 2021 Katy QB Bronson McClelland 2020 Mesquite Poteet RB Seth McGowan Pool G:St Pius WR Bryson Jackson 2019 Beaumont West Brook RB Robert McGrue Pool H:San Angelo Central TE Henry TeeterHouston Lamar RB Ta'Zhawn Henry Pool I:Desoto DB German Green (Michigan)DeSoto RB Kelan Walker (Houston)2019 DeSoto WR La'Vontae Shenault 2020 DeSoto DB Jabbar Muhammad Pool J:2019 Dickinson TE Jalen Wydermyer The Colony DB Jaxon GibbsPool K:Lewisville Hebron QB Clayton Tune (Kansas)Lewisville Hebron DB Verone McKinley III 2019 Lewisville Hebron WR Trejan Bridges 2020 Lewisville Hebron S Darius Snow Klein WR Colton ChelootzPool L:Richmond Foster DB Christian YoungFrisco Wakeland WR Tre Adams Pool M:College Station ATH Marquez Perez 2019 Waxahachie S Demani Richardson Pool N:CyCreek WR Miles Battle Pool O:The Woodlands OL Jake Syptak (plays some TE in 7-on-7) (SMU)The Woodlands WR KeSean CarterPool P:A&M Consolidated ATH Kolby Peel (Ok State)2019 Ft Bend Bush S Jamal Morris 2019 Ft Bend Bush CB Erick Young Houston Lamar should look a lot different this weekend with Anthony Cook, D'Shawn Jamison, and Al'vonte Woodard all expected to be at The Opening. I still think they're a team to beat even without those guys. Their depth is crazy. I'll take a stab at the final 4 this weekend - Manvel, St Pius, Lake Travis, and College Station.While the talent isn't as wide spread in the small school division, there will be some really talented kids competing. Some of those names that jump out are...Cuero TE Bralen Taylor (Baylor)Somerset QB Zadock Dinkelmann (BYU)Carthage RB Keaontay Ingram (Texas)2020 Carthage ATH Kelvontay Dixon Rockdale ATH Jaquayln Crawford 2019 Cuero ATH Jordan Whittington 2019 Stafford WR Jalen Curry 2019 Wellington OL Trevor Roberson - could be a possibility as a TE2020 Melissa RB JaBray Young 2020 Melissa QB Brendon Lewis
Primer: The Opening Regional - Dallas - Sunday, March 5
Sunday prospects from across the region will make their way to the Star in Frisco, Texas for the Opening regional in Dallas. The competition will be fierce and several key Texas A&M targets are expected to be in attendance.Below are the guys Texas A&M has offeredQB Roschon Johnson, Port Neches-Groves (2019) - One of the top prospects in 2019. A&M offered first and he has since added Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, and Penn State to name a few. RB Keaontay Ingram, Carthage - he's giving the Aggies a serious look. WR Jaquayln Crawford, Rockdale - The Aggies are working him hard since extending a recent offer.WR Erik Ezukanma, Keller Timber Creek - Early offer and the Aggies are high on his list.WR CJ Moore, Tulsa (OK) Union - very early offer by the Aggies, and he has become a national recruitWR Marquez Beason, Dallas Bishop Dunne (2019) - plans to visit Texas A&M soon, adding offers left and rightWR Kameron Brown, Collleyville Heritage (2019) - son of Larry Brown has a playmaking rep of his own and a ton of scholarship offers.He is my No. 1 WR in Texas for the 2019 class.WR Arjei Henderson, Fort Bend Travis (2019) - committed early to OklahomaWR Jordan Whittington, Cuero (2019) - it's early and he has a ton of offers. He's visited B/CS a few times. May just be the best overall prospect in Texas for 2019.OL Chasen Hines, Marshall - he has the Aggies in his top five, the school to watch remains LSUOL Darrell Simpson, Justin Northwest - Texas A&M is in the runningLB Alston Orji, Rockwall - the Aggies are in the mixLB Bumper Pool, Lucas Lovejoy - committed early to childhood favorite ArkansasCB Verone McKinley III, Hebron - I've already said I think he commits to Texas A&M at the end of the dayS DeMarvion Overshown, Arp - recent offer, has talked of visitingS Atanza 'AT' Vongor, South Grand Prairie - narrowed his list to Texas, TCU, and BaylorA few other top offensive prospectQB Tanner Mordecai, Waco Midway - No. 3 QB in the state by TexAgs, 4-star QB with offers from Baylor, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Northwestern.QB Zadock Dinklemann, Somerset - former LSU commit, prototypical pocket QB, big arm and great size. Ranked the No. 2 QB in the state by TexAgsQB Jalen Mayden, Sachse - four-star dual threat QB with offers from across the country. QB Grant Tisdale, Allen (2019) - split time in 2016, big time buzz already surrounding this polished passerQB John Stephen Jones, Highland Park - grandson of Jerry Jones and first QB to lead HP to a state title since Matt Stafford.RB Brock Sturges, Allen - the offers are beginning to roll in after a solid junior showing in his first season at Allen.RB Craig Williams, Crosby - he brings speed and quickness to the table. Offers are on the table from Baylor, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, and several othersRB Sarodorick Thompson, Carrollton Ranchview - big back with some speed of his ownRB Jase McClellan, Aledo (2020) - rushed for over 1500 yards and 20 TDs as a freshman, earned state title game offensive MVP honors, and has been offered by SMU RB Kaedric Cobbs, Melissa (2020) - 5-9, 195 and averaged over 10 ypc on his way to over 1200 yards and 16 TDsWR Drue Jackson, Sachse - 46 receptions for 652 yards and 6 TDs as a junior. He counts Texas Tech, Houston, Louisville, Iowa, and Colorado among his offers.WR Miles Battle, Cy Creek - long receiver, who attacks the ball. Body control is a big plus. He has been piling up the offers too with LSU and Ole Miss arriving in the last few weeks.WR Ke'von Ahmad, Colleyville Heritage - slowed by an injury last fall but had a big sophomore year and has offers from Baylor and Louisville.WR Quandree White, College Station - the versatile central Texas athlete will be working at WR on SundayWR Theo Wease, Allen (2019) - 2019 playmaker who recently committed to Oklahoma WR Trejan Bridges, Hebron (2019) - 4 offers are on the table for the 2019 and he is one smooth playmaker WR DJ Graham , Keller Central (2020) - 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, recorded 36 receptions for 527 yards and 3 TDs.TE Nic McTear, Frisco Heritage - committed early to Oklahoma State, but offers continue to arriveOL Rafiti Ghirmai, Frisco Wakeland - has absolutely exploded and become one of the state's hottest prospects since January. Alabama, LSU, and Georgia offered earlier this week. A&M is watching close.OL Casey Phillips, Franklin - another OL on A&M's radar. He's added some nice offers, and is one of the more versatile OLs in the state.OL Brey Walker, Moore (OK) Southmoore - the top prospect in Oklahoma, committed to OU. OL Keivan Myers, Dallas Bishop Dunne - 6-5, 330 and described as athletic. Yep, I'm interestedOL Ylijaah Hall, Bryan - big Centex OL is a guy the Aggies are watchingOL EJ Ndoma-Ogar, Allen (2019) - back from IMG, Ndoma-Ogar is one of the top OL prospects in Texas for 2019OL Brannon Brown, San Antonio O'Connor (2019) - holds a Texas Tech offer, had a big day at the Army Combine in San AntonioA few defensive prospects of noteDE Tyree Wilson, New London West Rusk - emerging DE prospect who I'm intrigued to see in person. 6-4, 225 and offers from ULL and Washington State.DE Ron Tatum, Oklahoma City (OK) Putnam City - top defensive lineman in Oklahoma with top national offersDE Ochaun Mathis , Manor - committed early to TCU. 6-5, 230DT Scale Igiehon, Del Valle - big DT who can do damage in the middle, 6-2, 330, holds a Texas State offerDT Nelson Jenkins, Plaquemine (LA) - committed to LSU in February after decommitting from KansasDT Lloyd Murray, Wichita Falls Hirschi (2019) - very active and strong DT, announced his FSU commitment ThursdayLB Byron Hobbs, Fort Worth Eastern Hills - long and athletic, his tape is fun and he holds offers from Oklahoma State, OU, and Texas to name a fewLB Nicholas Bolton, Frisco Lone Star - one of my personal favorites, intrigued to see how he measuresLB Mykel Gates, Carthage - active LB and multi-year starter for state champion CarthageLB Brian Johnson, Manvel - one of the more athletic LBs in the stateLB Chance Cover, Trophy Club Byron Nelson (2019) - recorded 125 tackles, 13 TFLs, and 2 sacks as a sophomoreS Caden Sterns, Cibolo Steele - LSU commit, top 10 in the stateS Kolby Peel, College Station A&M Consolidated Central Texas standout we've always been high on at TexAgs. S Isaiah Humphries, Sachse - top 50 Texas talent, committed to Penn State commitDB Dayven Coleman, West Mesquite - 6-2, 200 and can play CB, S, and even roll down, Syracuse is his most recent offer.S Jalen Catalon, Mansfield Legacy (2019) - Clemson offered this week. He's a little small, but he's one of the best defenders in the state. Almost 200 tackles and 9 INTs as a sophomore. CB RJ Mickens, Southlake Carroll )2019) - the son of Ray Mickens, started at Southlake Carroll as a freshman last year and is already approaching double digit offers as a 2020 prospect.Quick Notes- Wide receiver is absolutely loaded. There are more prospects holding Texas A&M offers and there is a great combination of size, speed, quickness, and overall playmaking ability. I would give it the nod as the deepest position group of the camp.- The OL group is strong as well. There's a lot of good depth there too. I'm predicting Brey Walker as the OL MVP right now, but it would not surprise me if Rafiti Ghirmai or Casey Phillips came from out of the pack to claim the honors.- My early contenders for fastest man would be Mansfield WR Jackson Gleeson and Rockdale athlete Jaquayln Crawford. Both of those guys can flat out fly.- The defensive end group has the most guys I really want to watch. TCU commit Ochaun Mathis, East Texas sleeper Tyree Wilson, national recruit Ron Tatum, and Euless Trinity DE Izaih Filikitonga all bring some intrigue to the table for me. And I have never seen any of them in person.- The S group another very strong. From Overshown to Catalon there are some are playmakers big and small and everything in between.- Speaking of intriguing the prospect A&M has offered that I'm most excited to see in person is Overshown. I want to see how big he actually is, how he moves, and what that frame looks like. - the guy I most want to see in person that does not have an offer is LB Nicholas Bolton. I love his tape but I've heard he is on the shorter side which has some schools holding off. We'll see. because he has been a defensive playmaker at Lone Star.- One guy I loved on tape that I think could come out of nowhere to make a name for himself is Livingston's Christian Mitchell. He's small but he can flat out go and he will be a tough cover in one-on-ones. Check out his tape if you haven't already.