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Jackson's Top 5 Takeaways From The ESPN Underclassmen Report Camp
This past weekend, the top talent from the State of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi traveled to Houston to compete at the ESPN Underclassmen Report Camp sponsored by Under Armour. The camp was held at Planet Ford Stadium in Spring and the talent level in attendance was outstanding.
VYPE caught up with some of the top players in the country. Here were my Top 5 takeaways from the Camp on Sunday.
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WR Quanell Farrakhan Jr. - The Woodlands High School
While it is still too early for rankings for the Class of 2025, one thing is for sure is that The Woodlands WR Quannel "Q" Farrakhan Jr. will be one of the top players in the nation.
Farrakhan, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound, was an first-team, all-district selection at Grand Oaks after season where he had 1,000 yards of total offense and 13 scores... as a freshman.
His play from the fall transferred right to the camp as he ran great routes and showed off his tremendous pass-catching ability, high-pointing balls in one-on-one drills.
He currently holds offers from Georgia, SMU, TCU, UTSA and Rutgers as of now. Farrakhan enrolled at The Woodlands and will be teaming up with 4-Star QB Mabrey Mettauer in the Class of 2024.
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RB Tory Blaylock - Atascocita HS
Atascocita has had a stable of D1 talent over the years and the next guy on the list is Tory Blaylock - a 5-foot-9 offensive athlete. The Class of 2025 up and comer comes from a football family. He has two brothers playing football at Wisconsin and Sam Houston and his cousin is committed to Colorado.
Blaylock saw some action as a freshman on varsity rushing, going for 500 yards and two touchdowns. He also clocked a 10.58 time in the 100m in track.
Blaylock showed his speed and athleticism at the ESPN Underclassmen Report, running the fastest time at the camp a 4.46 laser timed 40. Blaylock also ran great routes in one-on-one's showing his versatility as a running back making tough catches and even some one-handed grabs.
The Class of 2025 back has already received offers from UTSA, Texas Tech and picked up an offer from Oregon shortly after leaving the Camp on Sunday. Tory Blaylock is going to be a key piece to the Atascocita Eagles offense next fall and I expect his recruitment to continue to heat up as the camp circuit continues.
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QB Roy Thomas Jenkins - Beaumont Kelly HS
Southeast Texas has seen some great athletes and the next is Roy Thomas Jenkins from Beaumont Kelly.
Jenkins exploded onto the scene as a freshman throwing for 2,216 yards and 30 touchdowns as a 6-foot-3 freshman. He fits the mold as a Power 5 QB and he showed out at the camp on Sunday.
Jenkins made some great throws at the camp which left many impressed with his arm strength and ability to make all the route-tree throws. He also clocked a 4.78 in the 40, showing he has the speed and quickness to make plays with his legs. His performance on Sunday earned him MVP of the QB's which was very impressive.
The young quarterback has offers from Texas A&M and Houston as of now, but has had interest from Georgia, Texas, and Clemson as well. Be on the lookout for this young star from Southeast, Texas next fall.
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WR Andrew Marsh - Katy Jordan HS
When you talk about about Katy ISD football everyone thinks about the great D1 talent from Katy, Tompkins and Paetow but Katy Jordan has a Star in the making with Class of 2025 WR Andrew Marsh.
Marsh a 6' 170 pound WR got to see action on Varsity his Freshman year and showed off how talented he is putting up 748 all purpose yards and 6 touchdown. As a freshman Marsh holds offers from Arizona, Michigan State, PVAMU, and UTSA.
Marsh continued to show how gifted he was at the camp on Sunday, showing off his tremendous footwork, route running and pass catching abilities. His performance at the camp did not go unnoticed as he won MVP for Wide Receivers at the camp.
Andrew Marsh is the next big thing in Katy, Texas be sure to watch out for this young athlete.
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DE Loghan Thomas - Paetow HS
Paetow football is loaded this year with defensive players like David Hicks Jr., Daymion Sanford, and Alex Kilgore taking most of the attention but Class of 2024 DE Loghan Thomas is another star in the making.
Thomas a 6'4 210 pound edge player who saw playing time on the State Champion Paetow defense last year. The young sophomore had 32 tackles, 9 sacks and 16 tackles for loss as a starter on Varsity earning district newcomer of the year honors as well.
Thomas translated his play from the fall to the camp showing his speed, length, quickness off the edge, and pass rushing abilities in one-on-one's.
Thomas holds offers from Texas Tech as of right now but I expect more offers to roll in soon for one of the most talented DE in the State.
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Others To Watch Out For
5 star QB DJ Lagway Jr. showed to everyone at the camp why he's arguable the top QB in the country for the class of 2024 showing off his arm strength and ability to put touch on the ball as well. Lagway picked up his 25th offer from Oklahoma today and expect his recruitment to keep heating up.
Another QB that stood out to me at the Camp was class of 2024 Willowridge QB Kendron Penson. Penson, who played for Hightower last year, was a first-team, all-district selection last year and he showed why on Sunday. Penson has great arm strength and touch on his throws.
Class of 2024 Hightower RB Jeremy Payne was very impressive throughout the camp showing why he is considered one of the best backs in the state with his speed and pass-catching abilities in one-on-ones. Class of 2023 Klein RB Myles Artberry also was turning heads at the camp, With offers from Navy, Army, Texas State and Air Force, I expect a breakout senior year for the Klein star.
Paetow Class of 2023 LB Alex Kilgore showed out at the camp with tremendous athletic ability and his coverage skills. I expect him to start picking up some very big time offers in the coming weeks.
Offensive linemen Koltin Sieracki (2024) and Cross Tucker (2023) from The Woodlands and Frank Moss (2024) from the Heights all shined throughout the day, showing their quickness and strength in drills and locking people up in one-on-one drills.
Class of 2025 OL Warren Nolen, the younger brother of Class of 2022 Aggie signee Walter Nolen, was also at the camp and looked very impressive. At 6-foot-4, 315-pounds, Nolen fits the mold for being a top-tier offensive lineman in the country and is looking at playing football in the Houston area next fall.
Cy Ranch Ashton Porter looked great as the 4 Star DE showed off his speed and explosion in drills. Porter is looking to drop his top schools before the season starts, expect more traffic going into his recruitment in the next few months.
THE RECRUITING TRAIL: Willis QB Lagway travels the map
Willis High School quarterback Derek (DJ) Lagway Jr. has risen to elite status over the past month, becoming the No. 1 Dual-Threat QB in the country and Top 20 player overall.
The Class of 2024 QB has already attracted attention from powerhouse programs such as Georgia, Alabama, Michigan State, Penn State, Florida, Texas A&M and LSU to name a few, and has started his tour of unofficial visit, which brought him to the Southeast last week.
This past weekend, Lagway visited Georgia Tech, Georgia, South Carolina and Clemson. Clemson and Georgia have been powerhouses in college football the past five years and have two of the best coaches in the game -- Dabo Sweeney and Kirby Smart.
I was able to catch up with Lagway and ask him what stood out about his recent visits. What was it like talking with and hanging out with both coaches? "I had a great time meeting them and learning things about their programs," he said.
Lagway also visited South Carolina and Georgia Tech and mentioned how cool the facilities and campuses looked. Both staffs really welcomed him in and he had great respect for both programs.
One of Lagway's best memories from his unofficial visits was talking football with Dabo Swee. He even mentioned that Sweeney welcomed him to his home. That meant a great deal to him, saying that "no coach has ever done that" with him.
Lastly, I asked Lagway about the best part of the trip... The Visit Pictures. Lagway said that Georgia Tech had the best photos, mentioning the amazing backgrounds and props they use made the pictures really cool.
Lagway has more visits planned in the next few weeks, and I expect his recruitment to keep picking up as he heads into his junior season next fall.