The weekend in review: Recapping the Prospects (Part I)

The first weekend of prep football is in full force on the ESPN family of networks (and elsewhere). Some of these games counted, some didn't. In any case, it was the first chance to watch some real action from the high school level in over nine months. Here were some of the big-name prospects who jumped off the screen to me on Saturday.

OL Martez Ivey (6-6, 280, Apopka)

– Ivey absolutely looks the part of a big-time, national top-100 level lineman. Apopka lined him up all over the field – including in the slot on a handful of plays – in an effort to get him in position to make the key blocks on each offensive set. Despite the fact Apopka dropped a 51-36 decision to Palmetto State powerhouse Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes, the Blue Darters still managed to outgain their opponents in total offense, 402-367. A fact helped by the presence of Ivey as well as all-purpose back Daquan Isom. I'm still curious to see how Ivey develops over the course of the next year, but he looks phenomenal right now. Should be one of the top offensive linemen in the Class of 2015.

FB Chandler Cox (6-2, 215, Apopka)

– An all-around threat who plays multiple roles in Apopka's single-wing style offense. Cox could be the eventual successor to Zack Darlington at QB for the Blue Darters. His future on the college level is likely as a fullback, however. A devastating blocker who is also a tough runner between the tackles, Cox would seem to be a great fit at fullback for a team looking in that direction for the Class of 2015.

DE Jacob Pugh (6-4, 225, Tallahassee Godby)

– The thing that jumped out at me immediately in regards to Pugh is his noticeable gain in bulk. This isn't the lanky, gangly athlete we saw running about creating mischief as a sophomore at Monticello Jefferson County when Pugh was a sophomore. He has developed into an excellent weakside end prospect. The Seminoles got a real steal with this one, as Pugh created all sorts of headaches for the Plant offensive front – as well as Panthers head coach Robert Weiner – in an impressive and dominant kickoff classic win for defending state champ Godby over Tampa powerhouse Plant, 35-16.

WR John Burt (6-3, 175, Tallahassee Lincoln)

– Reggie Davis (Georgia) and Taj Williams (Indiana) were excellent receiver prospects for Lincoln last year. Only a junior this fall, Burt is already better. Lincoln picked up a big 34-21 win over Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett on Saturday, and Burt was one of the stars of the show. Four receptions, 132 yards and two touchdowns on offense. He also added an interception on defense in the victory.



Long, rangy and with the ability to get open in the vertical passing game, Burt figures to dominate the football scene in Tallahassee over the next two years as he develops into a national recruit at the receiver position. Needs to add weight and fill out, but that will come with time.

RB Dalvin Cook (5-11, 196, Miami/Central)

– In a sloppy game littered with penalties, it was hard to read much into the performance of Florida commit Cook, along with Miami pledge Joe Yearby (who combined for over 100 yards rushing and two TD's on the night) in a 44-13 kickoff classic win for Central over fellow South Florida power Dwyer. Both figure to build on twin 1,400-yard campaigns from last fall, as the Rockets prepare to defend their Class 7A state championship from last year, and make a run at the mythical national championship for this year.

DE Lorenzo Carter (6-5, 234, Norcross)

– Unfortunately for Carter, and the rest of the Norcross squad, they were completely dominated and overshadowed by the speed of the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes of Tallahassee. Undersized left tackle Jordan Ingraham pushed Carter around all night long, with the only play I can recall Carter making was on a stunt inside where he managed to get his hands in the face of BTW quarterback Treon Harris in the second quarter. Harris still managed to unleash a dart which went for about 20 yards, which was pretty much the story of the night. There's no doubt that Carter has all the athletic tools to develop into a big-time player at the next level. Saturday night proved he still has a ways to go to refine those considerable talents, however.

DE Chad Thomas (6-5, 240, Booker T. Washington)

– Thomas may not have made a huge impression in the stat column on Saturday night, but he's clearly improving as a player. While Carter is known for his athleticism as a pass-rusher, and will likely line up on the weak-side or even as a pass-rushing OLB at the next level, Thomas will be a strong-side end or even perhaps make an impact at the three-technique at Miami. Thomas lined up quite a bit on the interior and certainly seemed to have his way with the Norcross offensive front on Saturday night. His play will be closely monitored by all the recruiting services over the course of the 2013, I'm sure.

QB Treon Harris (5-10½, 186, Booker T. Washington)

– 23-of-28, 287 yards, 5 TD's against a team widely thought to be one of the 25 best in the country. Harris also threw in a cool 65 yards rushing on 10 carries. Not much more to add about this performance. He was simply sensational. I'm thinking there may be something to Harris' insistence that he get a look at QB on the next level.

RB Mark Walton (5-10, 182, Booker T. Washington)

– The next in line at Booker T. Washington. Walton looked electric in his limited role against Norcross on Saturday, which included a 13-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of the Tornadoes' rout over one of the top programs in the state of Georgia. Expect Walton to be another ho-hum national prospect from the BTW prospect machine.

Florida: the new prep OL powerhouse

Traditionally, in recruiting circles, the Midwest is sort of thought of as the place to go for big-time OL prospects. It makes sense. The Big Ten has long been considered the cradle of great offensive linemen, so it would stand to reason that prep coaches in that region would also focus on the quality of their offensive lines as an important cornerstone in the process of building their teams.

On the other hand, Florida has long been considered the place to go to for top-level skill talent. Running backs, receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, even pass-rushers. College programs can always get their fill in the Sunshine State. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen? Not so much. But perhaps that paradigm should be in for shift, at least, if recent recruiting rankings have any indication.

For the Class of 2012, John Theus (Jacksonville/Bolles) was widely-regarded as a consensus five-star prospect. He signed with Georgia, and showed a lot of promise in his first year, moving into the right tackle spot for the 'Dawgs and proving to be a significant contributor.

This past February, Laremy Tunsil (Lake City Columbia) surprised many by signing with Ole Miss. But what isn't surprising, is the fact he's already running second-team at left tackle in Oxford. Tunsil was also considered a five-star talent.

Now, David Sharpe (Jacksonville/Providence) is carrying the torch for Florida offensive linemen. Also considered a five-star talent with incredible upside, Sharpe has offers from nearly all the top programs in the country and has been selected to participate in the Army All-American Game (just as Theus and Tunsil did before him.)

While offensive linemen can often emerge on the radar late, Apopka's Martez Ivey has already staked a claim as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2015. If he continues on this current path, he will give the state of Florida a five-star offensive line prospect for the fourth year in a row.

Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate the level of players Florida is producing along the offensive line?

Martez Ivey highlights:

Paul Lucas ... the next Marvin Bracy?

It was a relatively normal day at Showalter Field in Winter Park back in May of 2010 for the FHSAA Class 4A Track & Field finals. Well, until the sun started to go down, and sophomore Marvin Bracy blazed a time of 10.19 seconds in the 100 meters. It would have been a state meet record, had the time been wind-legal. In any case, Bracy's time caught the attention of track followers from coast-to-coast. Despite the fact he had yet to suit up in a varsity football game, Bracy's speed also caught the attention of football coaches all over the country as well that night.

After going through the recruiting process, Bracy committed in July of 2011 to play football and run track at Florida State. He redshirted as a freshman on the gridiron last fall in Tallahassee. But on the track, Bracy lived up to expectations. After just one year at FSU, Bracy elected to go pro in track this spring and forgo his remaining eligibility without playing a down of football. Such is the risk when recruiting a player with that much track speed.

Bracy isn't the only track star to become a highly-recruited football prospect, of course. He followed closely on the heels of Jeff Demps, who ran the fastest prep 100m time in history, before going on to a successful career as a football player and sprinted at the University of Florida (winning a national championship in both sports). Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield, a cousin of Bracy, also decided to attend FSU after a decorated prep track career.

Last night's nationally-televised battle between Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) might have been the coming-out party for another track star as well. Mountain Pointe junior Paul Lucas rushed for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns – on only eight carries – in a 28-21 upset win for the Pride on the road over the No. 21 team in the country, according to the USA Today rankings.

Like Bracy, Lucas had very little impact on the varsity squad during his first two seasons. But if last night's contest was any indication, Lucas (5-11, 175) is going to have a huge impact moving forward. In the spring, Lucas won the Arizona Div. I state title in the 100 meters by blazing a time of 10.44 seconds, edging out rival Devon Allen, who signed with Oregon in February, and is expected to make an early impact for the Ducks this fall as a freshman. 

Lucas' time, it should be added, was the fifth fastest in Arizona prep track & field history. Again, he's only a sophomore.

With his impressive debut on the gridiron last night, Lucas has served notice that he's the next big-time track star to take the prep football world by storm. I expect he could set off another wild recruiting battle, as the state of Arizona continues to produce blue-chippers at an increasingly common rate.

Here's a highlight of Lucas' exploits on the track from the spring, where he blazed a time of 10.66 seconds in the 100 meters:

David Sharpe

One of the more intriguing prospects on the recruiting trail in this cycle, offensive tackle David Sharpe (6-6, 290, Jacksonville, Fla./Providence) has been drumming up considerable interest since busting onto the scene this spring. The offers have been flying in ever since. While there has been a general consensus that Sharpe will end up at Florida when he signs his letter-of-intent paperwork, I think his recruitment will prove to be much more interesting then that.

Look no further than this quote from former USC and NFL All-Pro offensive lineman Tony Boselli for proof:

Tony Boselli on David Sharpe's planned visit to #USC: "Why wouldn't he? It's the greatest school in America" #Trojans
— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) August 23, 2013

The Trojans will reportedly get an official visit from Sharpe, and I wouldn't discount their chances in this recruitment, especially with the presence of Boselli (now an assistant coach at Providence) in his ear.

Still, I think you need to look a little closer to Jacksonville to find the serious contenders for Sharpe's signature.

Alabama will make a run at Sharpe. We already know this, since the Crimson Tide make a run at pretty much every big-time lineman prospect on a yearly basis. Georgia figures to be in the mix. The 'Dawgs very nearly landed Laremy Tunsil from right down the road in Lake City last year, and assistant coach Will Friend has established himself as a strong presence on the recruiting trail. Sharpe has also visited South Carolina as well. The Gamecocks could be a factor in this race too.

However, the two schools I'd keep an eye on are Clemson and North Carolina. Sharpe's uncle ($), James Coley (no, not the former FSU assistant/current Miami offensive coordinator) played his college ball at Clemson before moving on to the NFL. The Tigers, perhaps more than any other team on Sharpe's short list, can sell the playing time angle. Sharpe also visited Clemson over the summer, and we know that the Tigers have had success recruiting the state of Florida under Dabo Swinney.

The Tar Heels could become a factor because of Sharpe's original love: basketball. Sharpe seems to want to at least give college hoops a shot (even if he's not likely to play for more than a season or two), and UNC clearly has the strongest hardwood tradition of any school on his short list. The Tar Heels can also sell the playing time angle as well, although they do have a commitment from a blue-chip tackle in this class (Bentley Spain).

I expect Florida to remain a serious factor in the race for Sharpe, although the rest of the pack has clearly caught up with the Gators. It will be interesting to see who gets cut from his list when he narrows it down to five, as I see six schools: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and USC, with a legitimate claim to land the consensus top-100 prospect as of right now.

Just to show how athletic this kid is, here's a short video clip of him dunking a basketball. ATHLETIC:

Ismael Murphy-Richardson

At this point in the process, a lot of the cream has risen to the top as it relates to the recruiting game. Most big-time programs have their prospect boards pretty much solidified. Top 100 and 250 lists have started to become a little more clearer. While names will still rise and fall in the rankings, we have a much better idea of who is legit (and who is not) following the spring/summer camp circuit.

But that doesn't mean names aren't still being overlooked, and those are the stories which interest me the most between now and National Signing Day. Who are the prospects that everyone should be talking about, but aren't?

The first example I'll submit: Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge LB/TE Ismael Murphy-Richardson.

Murphy-Richardson is listed at 6-4, 215 pounds, and looks the part on film. He claims a number of big-time offers (Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Washington among them.) But has generally been overlooked by the recruiting services (none have him rated more than three-stars at the moment.) This is a mistake.

Looking over his highlight film, Murphy-Richardson has the type of high-upside skill-set that makes a player of his caliber attractive to colleges. He is comfortable and athletic playing in space. At the very least, playing a 3-4 OLB position is in the cards, and I'm not sure he wouldn't be a fit as a 4-3 OLB as well. Growing into a weakside end in a 4-3 also looks to be a possibility, as the pass-rushing ability is there and can be honed and improved in time, although Murphy-Richardson will need to add some weight.

Over on offense, this guy looks like a big outside receiver. His body control is excellent, and he's a very impressive all-around athlete. With the mindset he carries over from defense, obviously blocking is not an issue for him. Growing into more of a flex, receiving-minded tight end would seem to be well within the realm of possibility as well.

After recording over 700 yards and 11 scores a season ago (while averaging more than 23 yards a reception), plus 68 tackles, five sacks and a pair of interceptions on defense, I'm intrigued to see what Murphy-Richardson does for an encore. His size, athleticism and versatility make him a top-250 prospect, in my mind. Now I'm curious to see how long it takes the recruiting services to notice as well.

No YouTube video for highlights, but if you want to see more of Ismael Murphy-Richardson, check here.