Phoenix is one of the nation’s fastest growing cities and the football in Phoenix and in Arizona has seen a tremendous increase in talent in recent years.
Two years ago, 51 players signed division-one or 1AA letters of intent. Last year that number jumped to 64 and already this year there are 36 players in the Grand Canyon State holding early offers.
Arizona players walked away with MVP honors from a very talented Scout.com LA combine each of the last two years. Avondale Agua Fria defensive end Everson Griffen (USC) amazed everyone in attendance with a blazing 4.46 forty two years to take home the award and Chandler Hamilton running back Covaughn Deboskie (Cal) earned the recognition last year with a sub 4.4 forty.
Scout.com and new partner Under Armour wisely made Phoenix one of the combine stops and the 200 invite spots filled quickly. The event this weekend at the Arizona Cardinal Practice Facility in Tempe, has the makings of something special with 32 of those 36 players with offers expected to be in attendance along with top talent from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California and Oregon.
Today we preview the players along the defensive side of the ball who have registered.
Defensive Line
The d-line will easily be the marquee group in Phoenix. Headlining the event will be Scout.com Top 100 player Devon Kennard (Phoenix Desert Vista), Corey Adams (Scottsdale Saguaro) and Craig Roh (Scottsdale Chaparral). But the talent does not stop with these three. Seven other players from this group hold division-one offers with many more being on the cusp of receiving their first.
Kennard’s teammate Danny Mullarkey is out to show he is not an afterthought behind Kennard. Danny (6-3 220) tallied 10.5 sacks opposite of Kennard and holds an early offer from Washington.
One player that could really blow up with a good showing is Scottsdale Saguaro DE Justin Jungblut. At 6-6 250, Jungblut looks the part, but has limited film after playing behind division-one signees Chris Merrill and Derek Bisgard. Mountain West programs Utah, Air Force and Wyoming all have offered Justin but his stock is one that could rise dramatically.
In the same mold as Jungblut, Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep DE Garrett Riggio could move up the ladder in similar fashion. Riggio (6-4 230) has packed on 15 pounds since last season and has reportedly run in the 4.5-4.6 range in the forty. Riggio has a motor and with a good showing in Phoenix, expect his offer sheet to grow. Currently Wyoming and Army have extended offers.
Phoenix Brophy Prep’s Trent Murphy is another big defensive end that will take field this Saturday. Standing 6-5 235, Murphy holds five early offers despite missing over half of Brophy’s run to the 5A1 state title with a broken leg.
Others to keep an eye on are Phoenix Washington’s Kharyee Marshall, Brophy DT Mike Tree, Payson High’s Bryan Burke, Sierra Vista Buena’s Laurence Gibson and Kaysville (Ut.) Davis High’s James Cowser.
Sleeper: Peoria Centennial’s Bryan Gabbard. Gabbard is an athletic offensive tackle but a 6-4 215, he is too lean to garner much recruiting attention. He will run with the d-line on Saturday in preparation for this season, where he will see more action at d-end.
Linebackers
This is a very solid group that looks to be led by teammates Rueben Robinson and Anthony Jones from Chandler Hamilton.
Robinson, an early commit to Oregon State, will transition from the safety spot he manned last year, where he earned the reputation for delivering the big hit, to mike backer for the Huskies.
Jones, aka Mississippi, is a rangy outside backer that holds multiple Pac 10 offers.
Tucson Ironwood Ridge’s Jake Fischer is a true middle backer. He stands just under 6-0 and weighs in the 230 range. He is explosive and does not shy away from contact. With pads not being worn in Phoenix, the best part of Fischer’s game may not be on display, but make no mistake, this guy can play. He holds early offers from Arizona and Colorado.
Teammates Anthony Greco and Ryan Reardon from Notre Dame Prep both hold early offers from Army and are getting plenty of interest. ND head coach Scot Bemis tells us that nearly 50 schools stopped by during the spring evaluation period. With good showings, these two could really blow up.
Sleeper: Tempe Marcos de Niza’s Anthony Rose. Rose mans the middle for the Padres but at 6-1 190 is a bit undersized. He has a nose for the football and is all over the field. Many schools are looking for to him to possibly move outside.
Defensive Backs
Three-star safety Alex Logan from Denver (Co.) Mullen is the top-ranked prospect in this group. A big, rangy player, Logan (6-3 200) holds multiple Pac 10 offers.
Arizona’s top DB prospect is Chandler Hamilton’s Ryan Milus. Milus has serious speed, fresh off a 5A1 100 meter state title, which saw him run a blazing 10.56. That was Arizona’s fastest time of the season. Milus’ slight build (5-10 150) may be what has kept some programs from offering but hasn’t kept schools like Washington State, Boise State, Utah and Air Force from pulling the trigger.
Notre Dame Prep’s Andy Wilder may line up on either side of the ball on Saturday. He is an all around athlete who caught 44 passes for the 4A2 state champions, as well as recorded 45 tackles on defense and served as the team’s kicker and punter. Army has offered the 6-3 190 pound Wilder.
Quite possibly the most intriguing prospect of the entire combine may be Apache Junction’s Shane McCullen. He has been a workhorse running back for the Prospectors but at 6-2 190 and running mid 4.5’s in the forty, many schools are wondering if he can play safety or outside linebacker. Shane may get some reps in the secondary this Saturday.
Chris Badger from Timpview High in Utah is only a junior but had plenty of success last year as a sophomore. Look for him to standout amongst the out-of-state DBs.
Sleeper: Goodyear Millennium’s Marquis Flowers. Not many people are talking about Flowers yet because he is going to just be a junior. But at 6-2 190, that will not be for long.
We will preview the offensive side of the ball tomorrow.
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