On this episode of The Football Recruiting Podcast with 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins and 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Cooper Petagna, they share their thoughts on the foundational principles that got the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies to the National Championship game from a recruiting perspective.
They then recap the Under Armour All-American Game and All-American Game and discuss prospects from some of the top college football schools in the nation: Georgia Bulldogs (Ellis Robinson, Justin Williams, KJ Bolden, Chris Cole, Jordan Thomas, Nate Frazier), Missouri Tigers (Williams Nwanari, Courtney Crutchfield), Kansas Jayhawks (Deshawn Warner), Arkansas Razorbacks (Charleston Collins, Selman Bridges), Clemson Tigers (TJ Moore), Alabama Crimson Tide (Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe), Minnesota Golden Gophers (Koi Perich), Miami Hurricanes (Marquis Lightfoot, Justin Scott, Booker Pickett Jr., Ryan Mack, Deryc Plazz, Zaquan Patterson), Auburn Tigers (Cameron Coleman, Perry Thompson, Amaris Williams, Walker White), Florida Gators (DJ Lagway), Penn State Nittany Lions (Ethan Grunkemeyer), NC State Wolfpack (Cedrick Bailey), Mississippi State Bulldogs (Michael Van Buren), South Carolina Gamecocks (Dante Reno), Arizona Wildcats (Demond Williams), TCU Horned Frogs (Hauss Henjy), Wake Forest (Jermey Hecklinski), Purdue Boildermakers (Marcos Davila), Texas Longhorns (Trey Owens), and more!
Let us know what you think in the comments below and be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the channel and CLICK THE BELL for notifications as we bring you multiple live shows per week!
#247Sports #CollegeFootball #Recruiting
FOLLOW US on social!
Twitter: http://twitter.com/247sports
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/247sports/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/247Sports
247Sports: https://247sports.com
Hello and welcome in the 247 Sports football recruiting podcast I’m National recruiting analyst Cooper pagna alongside the director of scouting Andrew Ivans the boys are back from their Hiatus Drew Back and Forth Lauderdale me back here in Nashville in studio and fresh off the championship how about the Michigan Wolverines big
Win last night 34-13 over udub the first national championship since 1997 27 years Drew I was 5 years old I don’t know how old you were at the time but it couldn’t it couldn’t have been that much different but one little thing Drew I’m going to get right into it this
Experience for me watching that game last night was kind of Full Circle I was at Michigan in 2017 I was with udub in 2019 2020 it was something to see those guys on the field last night a couple guys still hanging around from Michigan and a lot of players still in that Washington
Uh team as well and the thing that I thought of when I was watching that game was kis SS what does that mean keep it simple stupid I mean you go down the roster and you look at some of these guys playing in these games a lot of
People will look at the Blue Chip ratio and say hey Washington Michigan they really don’t belong there how about this Drew I look at the offensive line four to the five starters from those two cycles Troy fatano playing left tackle we thought that guy was going to be a
Guard Nate cppo we thought he was going to be a right tackle he’s playing left guard Julius buo we thought he was going to be a tackle he’s playing Right Guard you go down the list Dom Hampton a guy making plays in the defensive backfield last night Corner that grows into a safe
Kind of in that hybrid role all over the place and the reason I say that it’s the height weight speed philosophy right and these guys how do you miss ultimately at the end of the day you’re going to be judged by how you miss and what I mean
By that is sometimes it takes time for these guys to grow and develop and become what they go are going to be physically as well and they need that coaching and Drew when I watched that game last night I saw two teams with an excellent vision for the player that the
Scheme was dependent on their personnel and I saw that two teams playing really fast a lot of miscues in the secondary on both sides but Drew was a fun game I thought it was anybody’s gameing in the third quarter and from a roster construction standpoint I look at Michigan five starters between offensive
Defense via the transfer portal Washington only four it goes back to that philosophy hey you’re still building through the high school ranks right the equivalent of the NFL draft and then you were seasoning some of that top end Talent you think about the guys on udub Jabar muhamed you go down the
List Michael penck Johnson those guys are huge contributors that completely changed the trajectory for your team but the backbone of your team is what you’ve done through the NFL draft in this case High School football recruiting Drew I listen I think there’s a lot of
Different ways to skin a cat we saw Old Miss Louis will have a lot of success with dipping into the transfer portal at a high volume but this right here was eye openening to me continuity at the front of it along with Player Development yeah Player Development what
Stands out for me uh I wasn’t like you I didn’t have a any any hand in recruiting these players but you watch it last night a few different individuals stood out to me for Michigan Colton lovelin the tight end I think he led the Wolverines in receiving yards we talk
About it with that tight end position hey you want guys that can do a variety of different things go back to his recruitment 247 Sports had him as a four-star number one ranked Prospect from Idaho two-way snaps Cooper 91 catches as a senior he had a game where
He had 19 and uh 19 receptions that was a school record also a really good basketball player uh All State selection there shot 40% from behind the arc um and you look at the profile I mean again we say it all right these tight ends we
Want them to do a variety of different things I thought he came up big for Michigan Jaylen Harold to me is the one where I’ve gone back on that EV evaluation a kid out of Berkeley prep same school that has produced a number of guys over the years uh Keon Keeley
Dallas golden who we’re going to talk a lot about in the 2025 cycle I went out there and saw him in person um and I wasn’t blown away but you look at him at Michigan four years this is his fourth year there led the Wolverines with four
Pressures I don’t think he got home with a sack dig it in the profile Cooper dad played seven years in the NFL so uh it’s just it was fun to see these guys that have hung around I think you hit it right there on the head only nine combined transfer starters between the
Two programs these guys build build through the high school ranks and I think they’re going to have to continue to do that yeah a lot of experience as well fourth fifth six year seniors you look at those guys so the national championship as one season comes to a
Close another one starts and that is postseason All-American Bowl the boys have been on the road I mentioned Orlando San Antonio for the Under Armour game and the All-American Bowl we’re going to get to that in a second but just a reminder you’re watching the 247 Sports football recruiting podcast right
Here on the 247 Sports YouTube channel all the recruiting information that you need 247 365 days out of the year you got those two handsome fellas right there breaking it down for you Tuesday Wednesday 5:00 Eastern make sure to like And subscribe to the show guys we see
You in the chat keep it locked here Drew it’s that time of the year right we talked about the postseason and uh I know you were tired because I am tired we got back on Sunday it’s been a long trip not just for you and me but everybody at 247 Sports especially in
The Scouting Community been working hard over these last couple weeks and I guess just let me phrase it this way we’re a little bit different than the NFL we’re a little bit different than College our timeline is different we had Signing Day on what December 20th right and then
After that you go into these bowl games in the first week of January I mentioned Under Armour in Orlando San Antonio San Antonio the All-American Bowl it’s a great experience for us but for the first time Drew it’s really uh our first exposure to some of the best players in
The country I think we saw half of the top 247 over the last three weeks you throw in Alabama Mississippi with the shrine bow so a lot going on so with that being said Drew to you up you’ve been on the road you’ve been a road warrior you’ve been going after it
You’ve been you know chugging Celsius your biggest takeaway over the last three weeks when it comes to these postseason All-Star events well I got I wrote three of them down I know you said biggest takeaway but I I’ll go fast on all of them I think George’s defense I think if we say
This every cycle this time of the year man this thing is still going to be a lead Ellis Robinson talked about him the last time we got together on the show last week I think he’s a guy that has a chance to push for playing time as a
True freshman but these other Georgia Defenders whether it was that the All-American Bull in San Antonio or the Underarmor game in Orlando I mean KJ Balin how consistent was he uh shows up a few big hits there inside the Alamo do Joseph jonia aan he’s just oozing with
Upside Jordan Thomas how good was he in one-on ones at the aab Chris Cole Justin Williams I think georg’s defense isn’t going anywhere with that being said Cooper as I’ve kind of taking a few steps back here and and go up and down the list of the guys we saw it feels
Like parody’s kind of at in all-time high and what do I mean by that I mean you got two Elite talents Williams naner Courtney Crutchfield both those guys are going to Missouri um you got Charleston Collins going to Arkansas Deshawn Warner going to Kansas I think nil has kind of
Changed things a little bit in terms of hey the top 32 players in the country the top 64 players in the country they’re not not all going to Alabama and Georgia it seems like with uh you know your ability to pay players over the table some of these programs can kind of
Zero in on their guys and ensure that they get a star so with the college football playoff expanding to 12 teams I think you know maybe we could see some some fresh faces and obviously you know the transfer portal is going to play a large part in that but that was
Something else I was thinking on and then and finally on the on the money front Cooper I mean we saw kids at check-in wearing Rolex watches I don’t know if they’re real I asked and they said of course they are we saw some agents at these uh All-Star games in the
Hotels and we’re talking like NFL agents and then finally you know some some companies looking to make deals with these athletes like that stuff is real and having gone to these games you know over the past eight years that was never the case so it certainly felt a little
Different in San Antonio and Orlando yeah yeah I I’m I’m glad that you mentioned that I mean now more than ever you know you over time I think in the Personnel world you kind of cross path with some of these guys in the agency side some work with coaches some work
With players they are getting more and more aggressive via High School right and I think you and I have a story just seeing those guys around and they’re asking you questions hey what do you think about this guy versus uh player why it’s fascinating we’re talking about guys that haven’t taken Collegiate snaps
Yet with legitimate six figure uh potential deals on the table and there’s money to be made not only only for these players at the next level but for agents as well alike so I think everything you see with the financials uh if if it sounds crazy and you don’t think it’s
Legit it’s very legit that is what’s running college football and it’s starting to drip into the high school uh level more than ever as we’re starting to see that as well Drew for me pretty simple takeaway right we wanted to figure out how do we stack these
Receivers at the end of the day and I think the great part for us is we were going to get to see the number one player in the country at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio but what about behind him right what about Cameron Coleman when you go down the
List what about Ryan Wingo what about Ryan Williams Gatlin bear where does he fit in to this situation over the last two and a half weeks we have gotten to see 19 of the top 20 receivers in the country per 247 sports that exposure for us is absolute gold when you’re trying
To figure out hey what do we do with a late Riser like TJ Moore we’re going to talk about him here in a second but he had an incredible week in San Antonio he caps it off with a unbelievable game on Saturday what do you do with that guy
And where he fits in I think you and I had the conversation of hey well we got some context we just got to see 19 of the top 20 receivers in the country that’s the blessing that is the part of this three weeks of travel you look at
And say hey we’re fortunate we can look at our board and it’s not just tapes tape it’s not just supplementary data points it’s the live exposure that really kind of helps kind of separate these guys at the end end of the day yeah in the fact I mean I know it’s
One-on ones but it’s padded one-on ones and they’re going up against essentially the top defensive backs in the country you can see who’s fighting to take the Reps you can see who’s creating separation Cooper I think it’s it’s certainly unique and we used to get it kind of with the opening finals back
During the summer months that’s out the window so really like you said this is the opportunity for us I mean Jeremiah Smith how about him uh cam Coleman in that discussion as well excellent weeks you brought up TJ Moore I think you can bring up Jordan ship the North Carolina
Commit as well we’ve said it the strength of this class is the pass catchers you can throw some tight ends in the mix but um that was for sure the case coming out of again the All-American Bull and Under Armour game just just those wide receivers we talked
A lot about uh the Under Armour All-America Game last week and if you’re looking for that video some takeaways we filmed that from the alamoo bowl in San Antonio pretty fun doing that in the Press Box so make sure you can find that on the 247 Sports YouTube Channel under
Podcast for that breakdown we’re going to work on the All-American bowl a little bit we’re going to make sure we touch that up and give you a nice breakdown there Drew no shortage of options there were a lot of players that kind of burst on in the scene in San
Antonio that kind of made you look twice throughout the week but in your case who’s a guy that made the most money in terms of the biggest Riser with the final rankings coming up here in a couple weeks I think Nate Frasier uh Georgia running back Sig I said it day
One of practices whoa this guy’s got juice and he was just running a route we knew Nate Frasier could go uh but we wanted to get some verified measurements on him comes in at just over 5 foot N 200 lbs and then in the game on Saturday 49 yd touchdown catch Leed leading
Rusher six carries for 32 yards I think his short area quickness the combination of that his contact balance it really really stood out to me Nate Fraser rb9 right now I think there’s a chance you know as we look when we start to finalize these rankings he could be rb3
Rb2 he’s definitely a guy that moves up the board and remember Georg signed three running backs we got two of them in San Antonio Chanty Bowen Nate Frasier and then Dwight Phillips is the other guy I think it’s clear-cut he’s he’s the future of George’s backfield comes from
M Day High School uh only just uh just under 600 yards as a senior through 10 games average about six yards a carry um so I think the good news not you know still a ton of mileage and tread on those tires I thought he was impressive
Cooper I’m not sure if you agree absolutely you know our staff uh you know led by you wrote the the article about the superlatives right who kind of had the the most quiet dominant week I thought that was Nate Frasier I mean every time you saw him it felt like an
Explosive play it wasn’t a really a ground game uh on Saturday but every time you kind of looked up Nate Fraser was making a play caught the wheel route out of the backfield on the first drive for the West Squad from Walker white I think the receiving ability I think the
Three down capability you add what he can do in the return game as well Drew here’s the other plus about Nate Frasier that you don’t think about a lot he was splitting reps with Jordan Davidson at modern day right at 2025 and a very talented back himself but there’s not a
Lot of tread on those tires for Nate Fraser so Georgia I think they’re getting a guy that’s going to be day one ready to play in the SEC how many times have we said that Nate Frasier he’s kind of Hell on Wheels I love the way he
Plays fits the identity of what running back coach Dell McGee wants to do there Drew I brought him up earlier in the show and you know we’re going to talk about him over the next week anytime we’re asked about the All-American ball how about TJ Moore a guy that you were
Very familiar with out of the Tampa area he checks in a little bit taller and a little bit bigger than we expected 63 195 pounds that was the first exposure that you were like okay all right maybe this guy’s got a little bit more to him
Then we get out on the practice field you see a lot of highlights like this he’s making the difficult look rather routine and pretty pretty effortless as well Drew I loved everything about him I thought he had the most complete week of any Prospect in ATT tenant he followed
That up by going for over 165 yards receiving on the game on Saturday two touchdowns as well our boy Cory Paris takes home MVP honors but guess what if you flip the script and that’s a win for the East I think that’s TJ Moore coming home with it and in a year just
Absolutely loaded with receivers this guy made a huge statement to say hey I’m one of the best in the country yeah I think he benefited a little bit in that game play and opposite of Jeremiah Smith our top ranked receiver caught 10 passes like you said two touchdowns also threw a
Pass TJ Mo man rewatched the senior tape Cooper I think the best thing about him is how he tracks that football he can Gear Up gear down and he’s someone where there really isn’t a ton of verified data on him prior to coming into this
Allstar setting we know he was a 63 uh high jumper 1113 in the 100 meter dash but man the tape speaks for itself average over 24 yards per catch as a senior there at Tampa Catholic we keep saying it Clemson hey these young guys are going to have
To play I think TJ Moore is someone that can come in and make a splash right away in the ACC you know Bryant Wesco a a current five-star wide receiver for us he’s also signed with Clemson it was just interesting to see Wesco and or Orlando and then you show up in San
Antonio you see TJ Moore kind of gets you re-calibrating how maybe you would stack those two in terms of what we saw what they did on the field as seniors are both really talented prospects but I thought it was a a money-making week for TJ Moore and his Camp has let us know
They are uh all up in our social media platforms asking about a potential fifth star Jason Minx who I do the radio broadcast with for SiriusXM for the game has said TJ Moore has probably made the most money he said what do you what do you mean by that made the most money
This week he said is that an nil standpoint and I said it really wasn’t I didn’t mean to say it that way probably in a ranking standpoint but you know what depending on how the rankings shake out he could maybe get some money so we’ll see what happens with TJ Moore
Super talented receiver heading to Clemson if you’re a Clemson fan holy smokes you got a good one coming your way all right Drew my favorite one or superlative for the oyster boys how about this Mr all oyster boys our first time ever doing this and I think we got
To start this by saying who is our Mr all oyster Boys in 2023 no other than Caleb D so Caleb DS little golf clab for you you might be wondering what is a Mr all oyster boys Mr all oyster boys is a concoction of a lot of different things
Guys that are going to play Early have a immediate impact probably a guy that’s going to pop up on your week to week PFF list as well think Caleb DS Ruben Bane guys like that that’s what we’re looking for we’re looking for that immediate return on investment so without further
Ado Dre who is your pick for Mr all oyster boys next year well this is a layup but how about Jeremiah Smith and I said this on wasn’t this show but I think we did something for the 247 Sports Network at some point during the
Week and I’ll be honest you know I I was having nightmares about Jeremiah Smith and and his number one ranking all right I’m are we are we sure he’s the guy and it sounds silly to say it uh but then you see him at the Joint practice for
The All-American bulll you see him in the game he opens up the scoring with a touchdown only two catches uh I think the West did an excellent job of of trying to bracket Jeremiah Smith but I think he’s as good as advertis Cooper I think if you know we were to choose a
Guy right in our rankings that we think all right for sure this is the guy we feel confident is going to be a top 10 pick in the NFL draft and it’s absolutely Jeremiah Smith and they’re going to need some guys to catch passes in in 2024 as wild as that sounds um
There in Columbus you know have lost some individuals to the transfer portal in comes uh a new quarterback I think Jeremiah Smith’s a guy that’s we’re going to see on the field right away uh and I think you would agree with me yeah absolutely I I remember what was it was
It Wednesday or Thursday I think you and I were just kind of sitting there having our drinks you’re like hey man I don’t know I appreciate you being vulnerable with me in that moment here on the show as well Drew if it makes you feel any better as one of your closest friends
And colleagues no doubts about Jeremiah Smith he showed up and that was really kind of the first time that I got to be around and kind of feel his presence a little bit not only did he check in just a shade under 63 215 pounds it’s so rare
To see somebody with that type of maturity at that age everything about him is very workmanlike it’s very professional I feel like there’s a standard in that Ohio State receiver room in terms of the expectation of what type of individual you’re going to get even outside the player that’s what
That’s what I saw on Jeremiah Smith and then you see this guy there’s no better looking receiver in the country than him you mentioned the 110 meter 400 meter hurdles as well the two toughest events state champ in that the production at shamanam Madonna you have seen it for a
Long time I think that’s just a a human being trait to to say hey do I have this guy right because you know him better than anybody as well I thought he absolutely aced the eye test I think he was a little frustrated on Saturday which happens All-Star game will kind of
Pump the breaks there but love Jeremiah Smith love what Ohio State’s getting Drew I’ll say it I think he’s going to be one of the best in the country at his position from day one so I love that pick I’m going to stick with the receivers which seems to be the theme of
The show I’m going to go with Cam Coleman and another guy that I’ve gotten uh pretty acclimated with throughout the evaluation process we kind of put him in that developmental rare trait uh category and we kind of put him off to the side and we said we’ll put him in
That bucket and we know this guy’s different and he can run and he can jump and he can do all these different things he went from hey we know this guy’s going to be a dude at some point in my mind to this guy’s going to be a dude
Right away after we saw him in Orlando drew it was him and Ellis Robinson I think the two best players in attendance at the under arour all America game going at it with each other and I’ll tell you what man just the phys physical traits that cam Coleman is dripping of
You see the speed you see the acceleration you see the explosion I think he’s the best 50/50 pass catcher in the land maybe outside of Jeremiah Smith he’s got the run after catch as well we talk about it all the time what do we talk about ascending players right
Guys that are playing their best football before they head off to college that’s Cam Coleman that’s what he’s been doing he doubled his production as a senior at Central Phoenix a guy that’s played really well every time we’ve seen him he has just seemed to improved and
Drew you look at uh Auburn in their situation as well they need pass catchers they’re getting a lot cam Coleman Perry Thompson was also there in Orlando the five star and then you think about Bryce Kane and Malcolm Simmons cam Coleman’s a guy that I come back to and
Say all right this guy can change the complexion of Auburn’s offense from day one I loved what I saw out of him I don’t know if you feel the same way but I I think we both know that guy’s pretty different yeah you know what I was I was
Thinking about so we both pick receiver receivers we keep talking about receivers here and let’s put you know a GM hat on right let’s say we were to select from you know this pool of players me and you had a top 10 pick I think if you were looking for a guy to
Make an impact right away you would select one of these guys if you wanted the best player available that’s going to make you better next season it’s going to be a cam Coleman it’s going to be a Jeremiah Smith and uh that’s the strength of the class and even though
It’s so topheavy I I I feel feel confident they would be you know the first individuals off the board I I agree I I think cam Coleman there on the planes um we have continued to say it I think we said it last show we’ve written
About it it’s been a while since uh Auburn had a thousand yard receiver I think the safe money is on cam Coleman bucking that Trend best part about those two they’re they are still puppies like you see Jeremiah Smith and you see cam Coleman and I’m like and Jeremiah Smith
2115 pound pound this guy’s probably going to play comfortably at 225 Plus at the next level right he he still got room to grow I was shocked he was 24 well I thought that was a a glitch on the spreadsheet yeah I I I I couldn’t believe that Wingo I think hovering
Around 210 pounds as well heading to Texas so these guys man just freak of natures especially at the receiver position certainly spoiled this year guys I talked about the oyster Boys on Tuesday and Wednesday what are you doing Monday and Thursday how about Monday how about the 247 sport college football
Recruiting show with Emily proud and Blair andul andulo excuse me they do a heck of a job 5:00 Eastern time that is live on Mondays you can also catch the transfer portal show live on Thursday at 5 o’clock Eastern time we got it all for you right here on 247 Sports Drew the
The great thing uh about postseason events is that that doubt maybe maybe there’s a better term but that little bit of like space in your head that says I don’t know I don’t know I I gotta go back I gotta watch another three- game cut up I
I don’t know I got to go back I got to go see this guy in person live again all that gets put to rest with the rankings coming up in a couple weeks and now we get to go back to the drawing boards we get to reshuffle the board a little bit
We get to put the cherry on top and then away we go to 2025 God bless us right so here we are I love this question one or two guys that you walk away from this event and then you say you know what I I can’t wait to see what this guy does
Because I got to get this guy figured out but who’s a guy or two that you walked away from Orlando San Antonio and said I’m more convicted on this dude than ever I know I liked him but after seeing what I saw I’m stamping him yeah I think I approach this a
Little bit different more so it’s all right I’m pounding my chest because I I knew I was right my hunch was right and it’s it starts with zaven brown right I I think I’ve said it for we’re coming up on on 12 months I think he is one of the
Top corners in the country I think he’s a fstar uh I’ve had a lot of people push back on that zaven brown in San Antonio was one of the only guys that could slow down Jeremiah Smith I know he got beat for the touchdown it was a little weird
Almost kind of like a rub route but outside of that he had two pbus um he’s playing his best football right now final five games at matter day three interceptions five pbus uh I made and xaven brown was a late arrival to the All-American bull so as soon as he
Showed up I pulled him into the 247 Sports room because I wanted to get some measurements on him just over 6 foot more importantly 32 and 1/8 arms he’s got the length I am all in on zaven Brown we’ll see where it happens but I think he could be cornerback three for
Us and then Cooper the other one another defensive back KY Parish out of Minnesota MVP uh Koy was the one of the last invites to the All-American bull when I took over on the selection committee you know we had some opt outs they were looking for a new DB I said
Eric Richards who does an excellent job there for the aab let’s get Koy in the game comes from Esco Minnesota a town of just 2,000 people Coy was on my freaks list he’s an exceptional athlete he ends up winning MVP you just saw it that freaky interception had a pass breakup
Blocked a punt recovered the punt to set up a touchdown also had a few big hits including one of them on special teams I had a hunch this guy was a top 100 player uh I think I was riding a little solo there after that mvp performance I
Think everyone would agree with me so those are two for me what about you I mean you you talk about the town of 2000 there in Minnesota right and it’s two years straight we’ve seen players that during the week I think we’ve had some question marks how are they acclimating
And then when the lights are the brightest these guys are completely different the year before it was Lincoln K holes from South Dakota right another multisport guy that was really intriguing we brought into the game late and then here it’s Cory Parish I mean I kept looking down Drew he had the block
Punt he had the pick earlier in the game he had the deflection to save at touchdown as well he also had a huge hit on a kickoff he was all over the place you talk about the versatility and then the guys just throughout the week getting better and better more and more
Comfortable in that setting too against the type of talent speed and athleticism that they’re seeing qu Parish talk about a guy that’s hugely benefited and I can vouch for Drew Drew has long been a a fan of the man that we call Koi pond or koi Parish nowadays in Minnesota getting
A hell of a player there Drew for me I don’t know if it’s the sexiest name but how about Jaylen mbak right and I was really excited for you to get to see Jaylen andak the number 22 overall Prospect in the country and another Alabama Defender but this was a guy for
The last three years he hasn’t played cornerback he he hasn’t played the position that he’s going to play into Tuscaloosa for the next 3 to four years I talked to Jaylen andak at Alabama Mississippi and Hattisburg kind of overheard him talking he said I haven’t played this position he comes out he had
A great week in Hattisburg at Alam Alabama Mississippi follows it up with another strong Performance in Orlando at the Under Armour game a little bit longer than we thought we all knew he could run but Drew he is sticky a long reactionary athlete even though he’s
Under six foot he’s got some length to him as well and then you talk about a guy that can do so many different things we loved him on offense he had a play quarterback this year he’s a doit all type of player and you look at the guys
That are so successful early at the next level it’s guys that are three- phase players that check all the boxes in terms of speed athleticism there is no questions with Jaylen and bque after seeing him live so I’m buying the stock in in bakay love him probably a guy uh
That you’ll see uh turn a lot of heads once he steps on campus in Tuscaloosa and Drew the other guy for me how about Gatlin bear man I this was a guy that out of Idaho similar to KO Parish I I was I was wondering how he was going to
Do when you dropped him in uh in San Antonio to a setting that had some of the best players in the country and I I’ll tell you this it was maybe Wednesday that joint practice where I walked away and said okay Gatlin bear is one of the best in the country I don’t
Care where he’s from might be from a small town in Burley Idaho the bear is what they call him this dude can absolutely roll I think the other thing that surprised me was he has such a better grasp of a full Run route tree than maybe I thought going into it you
Talk about the lateral quickness uh the change of Direction the suddenness as well I think he has to work a little bit at the catch point to become more of a natural uh pass catcher but Drew just the physical traits with Gatlin bear the only I don’t even want to call it red
Flag but I think the only hiccup in the evaluation process with him he’s going on a mission for two years what’s he going to look like when he comes back still uncommitted uh but figuring out these receivers this is a dude that I mean it’s easy right it’s easy for us
To to say this but 10 out of 10 times I’m taking a chance on even with the mission and say I got to get this guy in my building yeah I think what’s interesting with Koy right and and Gatlin I I’m not sure the exact date Gatlin season ended
But in the future we need to take into account qu told me he hadn’t played football in like two months right so when we see him day want to practice and he’s struggling you know he wasn’t on one of these teams that played a for a
State title a few weeks ago I mean it’s been a while I think there is an adjustment period Cooper I’ll Echo what you said I didn’t really know what to expect we knew the burle bear could roll Idaho state record and a variety of different track events but man uh as a
Route Runner and a guy that you know didn’t grow up playing seven on seven every weekend I thought it was impressive how he created separation got in and out of his breaks mixing the gears there I agree and then Jaylen inak if he’s 5 foot1 he’s the tallest 5 foot
11 guy in this class I said that at check and I was like there’s this guy’s I think I text you I’m like he he seems tall for someone where you know the numbers say he’s 5’11 and I agree what I like about Jaylen not afraid to use the
Hands I I think in a good way I got multiple photos uh sitting on the computer of him just tugging away at the Jersey uh hopefully he can uh get away with that in the SEC we’ll get it right just knocking the rest off so we talked
About some players that we liked how about some uh teams that we liked we got a see a lot of guys like we said half of the top 247 over the last couple weeks Drew any of these uh I would say incoming classes you kind of put the pieces together from different events
And say wow they got something there all I’m going to give you two of them let’s start with Miami and that group of pass rushers you brought up Ruben Bane a few minutes ago ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year well we saw what they got coming
Behind him Justin Scott we were fly Ling blind on him he shows up to the All-American bull measures exceptionally well I think he’s one of a a rare body type in this class 300 pounder that can play multiple spots up front he was better than expected I’m gonna be Cooper
Honest there Cooper on Justin Scott but I think the real story is here Maris Lightfoot and Booker picket I thought Lightfoot had the best first step in San Antonio at the All-American bowl and I think picket had the best First Step at the Under Armour All-America Game in
Orlando picket had two sacks in the UA game a few more pressures I think he also had a force fumble Lightfoot also all week in San Antonio just getting after the quarterback now I think both these guys you know have not not deficiencies but they’re built a little
A little odd right I think light foot’s skinny uh around the waist but man 35 inch arms he was dinged up as a senior came back I I think you you look at Jason Taylor what they were able to do again with Ruben Bane as a freshman I
Think Mary’s light foot is going to be one of the top pass rushers in the ACC in years to come Booker picket on the other hand you know 63 205 pounds I thought he was a little built built a little bit better impressive impressive week for him his ability to bend uh and
Get after the quarterback and it makes sense you know he’s had over 66 sacks the past four years so like those guys and then with no Dame just the premium Talent Cooper we always we always get asked about it hey how does Notre Dame take that next step forward college
Football playoff expanding to 12 teams I think two of the guys we saw in San Antonio Bryce young uh the defensive lineman son of the NFL Hall of Famer stock up for him Cooper and I just looked this up before we got on the show
You know he doesn’t turn 18 years old uh for a few more a few more months he is just a puppy I thought it was a really good week for him and then Kingston V Assa I think I got that right the linebacker at of St John mbosco violent
Player uh I thought the instincts for a guy his size showed up all week in San Antonio really like those two and I think those guys can be foundational pieces for the Irish on defense over the next few years I’m glad you brought up Notre Dame and I’m glad you brought up
Miami as well but Notre Dame to me you know you and I get asked that question a lot what do they need to do how do they take that next step and I think with the 12 team uh playoff here rounding in form in 2024 Drew I I I think continuity
Right just keep doing what you’re doing love Bryce young you talk about the developmental upside you also would talk about the genes there with his dad being an NFL Hall of Famer uh he had a great week and vamu ASA is a guy that I really
Want to touch on I mean you talk about guys that play the position the right way and we always talk about what’s it supposed to look look like at linebacker it’s so easy to get lost in the sauce at receiver and corner and all these different skill POS positions and and
Edge rusher and they’re projectable positions Quant quantifiable projections where we can say hey I like mares sloot CU he’s he’s got a great first step and he’s got 35 inch arms and that is the truth at linebacker there is some subjective feel Instinct that is really important that is hard to quantify right
It’s hard to put a a numeric value on that Kingston Ville amasa he has that his feel for the game and his instincts are absolutely rare he plays as fast as he processes that is so hard to find you usually find it at the mid skill positions and it is
Such a separator for running backs tight ends linebackers as well and Drew I think you and I talked about it it’s hard to see what these guys are made of when they’re not in a full 100% 11on 11 environment right and the mid skill guys are the hardest typically to evaluate
When they’re in this kind of three quarters Tempo type of setting vly amasa Nate Fraser handful of other guys those guys answered the bell and I thought those two running back linebacker were the best not because of so much of what they have in their body but their feel
For the game is just different and you can tell by the way that they play and then Miami Drew I mean you brought it up like the pass rushers what they’re doing on that defensive line you adding Justin Scott to a guy like Ruben Bane Armond blunt coming in there as well Maris
Lightfoot Booker picket looked a lot better than I think anyone expected Kane’s getting it done uh hats off to Jason Taylor there doing a tremendous job okay Drew for me Auburn right this is the team I kind of been banging the drum on I think maybe since a day or two
Before signing day when we came on the show and we’re like all right who’s the team to watch well Auburn finished uh with a bang and and we talked about cam Coleman earlier in the show I thought Perry Thompson had a solid week maybe left a little bit to be desired as well
But they’re getting a hell of a player with him how about a Maris Williams man he just kind of had one of those weeks where you’re like all right we feel pretty confident uh what Hugh frees is getting in this type of guy and then you you put the puzzle pieces together three-phase
Player played running back plays multiple positions you see him in the return game as well track and field background hasn’t even been doing it for that long and another good guy in the shotput that I think threw it over 51 feet and then you see him in person and
He’s exactly what you would expect him to be uh has the length young for his age rocked up lean frame I actually think he can play early coming from North Carolina which is not something you typically expect but I love amaris Williams love what they’re getting there
And then Walker white I’m going to file that one away put it in my pocket because we’re going to talk about him here in a little bit but Walker white man what a great week in San Antonio and without further Ado Drew what a transition to the quarterbacks right we
Got to talk about the quarterbacks I think everybody thought um you know this was going to be a big couple weeks for the arms that being said San Antonio what do we send out six invites to the All-American bowl and six new faces right so those initial six invites that
Accept it there were six new guys at the end of the day so here’s a list of the guys from Orlando at the under arour all America game led by DJ lagway Ethan grunk Meer the Penn State signing then you see Cedric Bailey Michael Van Beren
The MVP of that game and then Dante Reno as well and then as we head over to the All-American Bowl Walker white as we talked about deman Williams at Arizona had a really good week hos Haney Trey Owens Marcos DEA and Jeremy hick Linsky so drew a lot of names but let’s start
At the top and a guy that we were really I would say excited to see in DJ lagway at the Florida s you know been some questions whether or not he was going to stick with Florida he sticks with the Gators it’s always funny when you get in
This setting and I think you know we talked about these Allstar games really starting to emulate more of a NFL model they’re almost like what the Pro Bowl is now in the NFL if you know anything about the Pro Bowl well it’s it’s flag football and a lot of uh you know more
Media coverage than it is actually these guys in full pads and shorts and shoulders and seeing good on good so fortunately we’re able to see some of that but the takeaways on DJ lagway Drew is I I’ll I’ll I’ll continue to kind of beat the drum on this I think 11 on 11
Full speed this guy is a different animal and there’s times that he flashes but I also think it was a good reminder that hey it might it’s not going to be overnight that this guy is going to step onto the field in Gainesville and completely change the trajectory of this
Program I think we know he’s fully capable of that but it’s going to take a little bit of patience and I know that’s not what Florida fans want to hear still think he can get on the field situationally and I think you kind of
You you try to get him to that point but I don’t think it’s going to be something where here the keys DJ lagway take us to the promised Lane well was unfortunate he got hurt in the what second quarter of the the Under Armour game only got to
Throw 10 passes we saw what I thought one flash of him running the football and I think that is really what makes him the Difference Maker and why we are so excited about DJ lagway and his ceiling look at the guys that are making plays uh in the college football playoff
And are making them you know in the upcoming Wildcard Weekend they are these mobile quarterbacks that aren’t going to fall down the first time they are touched in the pocket DJ lagway when he checked into the Under Armour game guy next to me confused him for a front
Seven Defender I mean he is legitimate 63 225 pounds I went through uh my personal Rolodex in my head uh and then I went through some rosters I think he is the biggest quarterback ever at the Under Armour game since I’ve been covering it uh and maybe really since
Justin Fields who did not participate due to injury but he was there hanging out all week I mean this guy has the frame you know read some other people’s practice reports people kind of knock in the arm we gave gave him our award for the biggest arm out there and that’s
Because you know he’s an upper body thrower that can get it around the field uh Gatorade player of the year that was announced a few days ago Cooper he had a heck of a senior season I’m still a believer in DJ lagway wish we had seen a little bit more unfortunate that he
Rolled up that ankle but for me I mean he passed the test he was what I thought he would be in terms of still got to keep progressing a little bit you know mechanics might turn some off but man combination of the arm the legs and the
Frame uh it’s all there our friend uh Tom lugan bille I thought had the best player comp for DJ lagway yet that was Dante cold pepper so he went back and I and you know I I brought up cam ward in the past maybe a bigger physical and you
Said it I mean I got eyes on lagway I’m like how is this guy not a linebacker you know he’s out there upper body thrower explosive arm Drew I think we saw a little bit of it on the first drive kind of what he’s capable of with
His legs it’s going to be part of his game and the good thing about lagway is he can lean on the legs a little bit we saw this with Jaden Daniels early in his career a guy that was super dynamic as a runner he’s not a Jaden Daniels type of
Runner but as you have the legs which is so much natural part of his skill set the other part of his game can continue to develop and that’s going to be Billy Napier’s job to get him to continue to ascend as a passer and Drew I I talked
About f with the with vamu Asa and Nate Frasier I think lague has that and that’s almost something like that is going to continue to develop as he gets more and more reps so certainly an exciting prospect now let’s transition to San Antonio hodg Podge a quarterbacks
Man we had three guys under six foot uh got a little bit of everything there but let’s start with Walker white the Auburn sigy we talked about him this is a guy that I think you and I have both had our eyes on for a long time out of Little Rock
Arkansas uh a guy that has continued to improve his accuracy as a passer I think up nine percentage points in his completion rating as a senior which was encouraging and something we wanted to see Drew you get around him uh the player comparison has long been will Levis 64 222 PBS only
Three pounds separate the two obviously will Levis is in the NFL right now those numbers were from the scouting combine but he is as good looking physically of a quarterback as you’ll see there are no question marks about the arm I mean you want to talk about NFL arm we in in the
Stats from the game were a little bit misleading you know it had Gatlin be hit him in the chest had another one uh on the outside that he threw from the far has to the bottom of the numbers you got to see a little bit of everything good
Athlete I would say adequate to above average as a runner in space uh but something that is definitely uh you shouldn’t just gloss over as well but I loved what we saw from him we talked about the receivers Hugh frees is bringing in how about Walker white man I
Think you know it’s going to be like a fine wine maybe two to three years from now we we look forward and say all right they got something with this dude yeah I think it’s going to be a slow burn with Walker white but man some of those
Throws he made in practice then you saw it and that clip right when he hit Nate Frasier down the sidelines I think his ability to put it on a DOT to the outside 10 to 15 yards between the numbers and the sidelines he’s making throws at other guys in this class can’t
I thought you saw that on his senior tape and then we come to San Antonio and it keeps showing up again and again in practice he has an NFL arm Cooper I don’t know if he’s ever going to you know a 70% passer I just don’t think
That is his game he’s someone that’s going to take the shots uh and then you know run the football we saw him I think he got four carries you know not as elusive as a DJ lagway but he can move the chains and he can move tacklers with
Him you know if they if they drape all over him I thought it was an excellent week for Walker white Eric Richards again director uh for the All-American bull he texted me after day one okay you know I was I was kind of skeptical on Walker but good job getting him in this
Game no it was it was excellent Walker white Cooper and I I think you know the will Levis comp you threw out a few months ago there was a lot of push back uh but I think I think Auburn fans would be happy there and you should view him
As the quarterback of the future there on the planes all right outside of Walker white we talked about those quarterbacks that were sub six foot six foot excuse me Deon Williams being one of them hos Haney being another let’s let’s talk about Deon Williams man I
Mean you talk about a gamer there was really nothing during the week that said all right I I kind of see it with Dean Williams but then you kind of look at Dean Williams where he’s going play his football for Jed fish and then you look at the success that offense has had
Under Jed fish and Noah faid who took over for Jaden Delora earlier in the season I don’t think there is a better place in the country for Dean Williams to go than to Tucson Arizona to play his ball for jet fish and here’s the thing I mean you look at the similarities
Between him and an Noah faid you think about the suddenness the athleticism within the pocket we saw him get loose a couple times Scramble for that touchdown late in the second half of the game on Saturday drew the other thing with him I I think you can kind of feel pretty
Comfortable on giving him the gamer tag right I mean just the flow of the game they move him outside the pocket things start to speed up a little bit he took a hit on Third and 18 that he delivered to TJ Moore at Dime I mean he’s got some
Like stuff in his neck he’s got a little bit of resolve projecting The Sundays big question mark the size is a huge issue I think he came in at 5’9 Saturdays Arizona’s getting a hell of a player and the Wildcats and their fan base should be very very excited about
How he fits in with Jed fish in the big picture are you getting the NCAA 25 video game because I think I think Arizona is going to be a team to play with I don’t know how he didn’t win MVP I mean don’t get me wrong I’m a koi
Parish guy and to be clear I didn’t have an MVP MVP vote I don’t think anyone at 247 sports did we did not select it uh but deand two touchdown passes he also had that rushing touchdown pass uh you’ve said it Cooper and I think something that we haven’t talked about
Enough with Deon Williams is he beat Dylan rayola twice as a junior uh he also I believe beat Malachi Nelson this guy is Good Under Pressure uh Under The Lights his ability to I don’t know run around reverse field circle around is one of one in this class at the
Quarterback position yes he’s on the smaller side but I think you’re going to be watching I don’t know what the big 12 media deals are in the coming years is it ESPN is it Fox I I have no idea but you’re going to be watching some of
These games and he’s going to be in there and you’re GNA be like okay this guy is fun I think we gave him the Mr Electric uh award for the week I’m fired up to see him like as a college football fan he’s good for the sport um and he
Was one of the last invites and you know Arizona there’s some people that were pushing to get him in the game we landed at San Antonio’s airport we are at baggage claim and Arizona football you know is advertising there in San Antonio remember they had just won the Alamo
Dome so I don’t know Arizona it’s an exciting time I think if you’re a wildcat fan it’s so important you know we we continue to talk about these All-Star games and a lot of opt outs and guys enrolling early to join their programs to practice and I get it it’s a
Great opportunity to understand why you would do that but it it provides opportunities for guys like demon Williams and Walker White that let’s be frank they were not the first calls to be invited to these games and now you see these players in a completely different setting that you
Have never seen them before in and guys like Walker white uh guys like Deon Williams have risen to the occasion and they’ve cashed in and and that’s going to suit those guys going forward whether it’s in the rankings or whether it’s just the experience to play against that
Type of speed and that type of athleticism in that setting so drew the last one here that I highlighted don’t know if you saw it Marcos Dilla heading to Purdue I was kind of like man this guy’s like sneaky Graham Herold fit like big pocket passer guy that can
Facilitate I thought he had a really good session seven on seven uh and also the team period I think later in the week did some really nice things and you see the arm strength can do a little bit of everything up and down I think he’s
Going to have to work on his consistency but you talk about like the developmental upside and then we’ve talked a lot about the fit with Deon Williams how about the fit with Marcos Dilla and Graham I’m like wow this guy looks like Graham harrold at Texas Tech
All those years ago under Mike Leech and for what they want to do I think he fits in nicely over there in West Lafayette yeah he’s what like 235 pounds or something 239 yeah we had we had three guys under 511 and you know some heavy heavy individuals I I I think if
You’re looking for a you’re a big 10 fan out there right and you’re you’re GNA hate a quarterback in the league someone that’s GNA provide a ton of upsets at some point uh in the years to come keep an eye on Marcos now you’re right he does throw a lot of interception senior
Season got off to a bit of a rough start but he’s a gunslinger uh baseball background I think it shows up I mean live arm can do the off platform stuff multiple angles um I I I can’t wait to see him at Purdue and you know with how this bull
Season went Cooper you know how many how many true freshman quarterbacks ended up having to having to play like I I think we could see Marcos on the field at some point in 2024 and I think if you’re Purdue like you got to take this guy yes
Man you got to coach him between the ears and and get him to cut down on mistakes but uh he is the quarterback of the future there and and West lafaette how about Ryan Walters man doing some sneaky sneaky good things not only High School recruiting but the transfer
Portal as well Drew before we get out of here we’ve tackled a lot we’ve talked about biggest risers we’ve talked about quarterbacks we’ve talked about glasses we’ve loved we’ talked about the national championship all the all that type of stuff but I know you I know you
Got a lot in that head a lot of information in the information Bank over the last couple weeks is there a player is there a thought is there something out there that you say hey I wish I got that on the show guess what I’m saying here’s your opportunity maybe something
You want to get out there with your final thought oh you’re talking about it when we brought up Jeremiah Smith you know Jeremiah Smith did not have to play in this game he did not he’s a guy that has been to everything throughout the process remember he was at the Elite 11
Finals catching passes day one and it was kind of like why he’s been at every seven on seven tournament he has done it all uh and it was Saturday night uh after things had wrapped up bumped into him at the hotel with his camp and I was
Just talking I said Jeremiah man hey really appreciate you you know coming out and playing and I don’t know who it was that was standing next to him and they’re like why wouldn’t Jeremiah Smith play in this game he’s one of the most loyal kids there is uh he he was always
Going to play and you know that kind of got my mind going back to him sticking with Ohio State right he was committed for over a year Florida state Florida Miami all make those runs but in the end it was the Buckeyes that that went out
And uh I think he’s a Pros Pro he’s got that mindset he’s he’s a quiet individual um but that was something that stood out to me and then Cooper we were was like Sunday morning 5:00 A.M waiting on our Uber he was going to classes at at Ohio State he was moving
In that Sunday I mean he could have said no to this All-Star game um and and got there a few days early but he decided to play and to me that’s that that stands out yeah you talk about the the wiring of some of these guys at the top right
You talk about like Jeremiah Smith and Ellis Robinson and you get Cam Coleman you get to see these guys compete but the great part about this setting is you get to see them when the cameras are off of them you get to see kind of like all
Right how does this individual go about their business and you talked about it earlier the Ever Changing landscape of college football I it’s very real there are agents out there right throwing around a lot of money a lot of dollar signs card companies all all this stuff
That didn’t exist think about all the people in the ear of Jeremiah Smith think of all the people in the ear of a Ellis Robinson or a cam Coleman so for those three guys and I want to highlight those three guys in particular just to go out there and their last chance in
High school to play this game and not just show up for the game but to be the best players consistently throughout the week and do what they’ve done throughout their whole High School career kudos to them man and and quite honestly if you’re looking for the last indicator in
The evaluation process that’s it I I want to know what you’re going to be like when ESPN isn’t filming practice you know what what do you like right and in these Allstar settings guess what man if a guy gets nicked up or if a guy is
Bruised or if a guy don’t want to play guess what they can do they can tap out and we’ve seen plenty of those guys right so you know the last thing for me and and players might not realize man but seeing some of these guys at the top
Of their game continue to do what they’ve done over the last three years it’s pretty special right and and I think that’s the greatest indicator that they can give that those guys are going to be successful at the next level guys we appreciate you joining us as always
Like I said the oyster boys here every Tuesday and Wednesday 5:00 Eastern time make sure to like And subscribe to the show we go from 2023 to 2024 which means 224s almost in the bag and 2025 is around the corner and the 2026 are the
Names you need to know so Andrew and I we will do our best to keep you informed as always guys for our do our director of scouting Andrew Ivans I’m Cooper pagna we’ll be back same time tomorrow see you there
2 Comments
Thanks for watching! Be sure to hit that LIKE ๐ button and SUBSCRIBE to the 247Sports YouTube channel.
Gatlin bear didn't look good he dropped passes he didn't get open