After Phoenix players took MVP honors at the talented Scout.com Los Angeles combine two years in a row, Scout.com decided to bring their first major event to Phoenix last year and the participants did not disappoint. Peoria’s Jeremy Dang walked away with the MVP honors in what proved to be an extremely talented group of young men. This year’s event is shaping up to be just as good. It is at full capacity and no walk-ups will be accepted.
We take an early look at some of the players that will take the field this Saturday at Glendale Community College.
Defensive Preview
DL
There may not be as many defensive linemen as there are offensive linemen participating in Saturday’s event but the ones that will be there will form a quality group. Several players in this group hold major college offers and leading the way is DE Jordan McDonald from Scottsdale (Az.) Saguaro. McDonald picked up his third offer this week from Arizona State and will be tough to block with his long arms. Phoenix Pinnacle’s Andrew Hurley will likely take some at linebacker as well but if he comes down for the pass rush session, watch out. Hurley led the state in sacks last year with 18.5 but is being moved to Mike linebacker for the ’09 season. Keep an eye on Chaparral end Chris Fox. He started at center last year for the Firebirds but will play some DE and LB next year. Schools that have come to Scottsdale to recruit have loved his athletic ability.
The defensive tackles will be stout and Cy Maughmer from Apache Junction could wreak some havoc. Big Cy is thick and strong and holds an early offer from Air Force. Skyline’s Chris Brown is as good looking a kid that will be at Glendale on Saturday. He stands 6-3 285. Desert Mountain’s Tyeler Davison is a guy that will take reps on both sides of the ball. While he has an offer from UNLV as an o-lineman, he has a passion for defense and wants to prove he can play there at the next level. Chandler Hamilton’s Tevin Hood is the son of former Arizona Cardinal’s DT Eric Swann and at 6-1 280 is tough to gain leverage on. Another son of a former Arizona Cardinal, junior Todd Peat will be a national recruit and already holds an offer from ASU.
Sleeper- C.J. Randall – Gilbert (Az.) Mesquite- At 6-6 220, Randall has an uncoachable frame. Not many people have talked about him yet but a good showing Saturday could change that.
LB
We have another solid group of players here as well. UNLV commit Austin Arias is a true middle backer and while playing without pads may not ideally suit him, he will surprise people with his athletic ability. Corona del sol’s Kyle Benson is not short on athleticism either. He is a terror on both sides of the ball and just made the finals in the 5A1 110 hurdles. He will end up playing outside backer in college and already has several offers to his credit. Another big middle backer that will be in attendance is Buena High’s DeAndre Little. He just received his first offer from UTEP.
Being in Phoenix, the majority of the prospects will be Arizona natives but one out of state player that is sure to turn some heads is Zach Daugherty from Las Cruces (NM) Onate High. He holds three D1 offers and look for him to have a good day. One player that does not have an offer but is probably deserving of one is Centennial’s Austin Garday. He plays on the strong side for the Coyotes and makes a living making plays in the backfield.
This group also features some players that haven’t quite received a lot of the spotlight to this point but that could change with a good showing here. The Hamilton duo of Ben Peters and Keegan Merrigan saw limited playing time last year behind D1 signees Anthony Jones and Rueben Robinson but definitely pass the eye ball test. Apache Junction’s Nate Scola and Sabino’s David Duran may not be the biggest players but are fearless and standout on film.
Sleeper- Brock Haman – Scottsdale (Az.) Saguaro- Haman will just be a junior but the Saguaro staff thinks he could be the future for the Sabercat defense. He is well over 6-2 and 200 pounds and has the versatility to play outside backer or safety.
DB
Three players in Scout.com’s Top 25 safeties nationally will take the field on Saturday. Goodyear Millennium’s Marquis Flowers headlines the group and he is arguably Arizona’s top overall prospect. The four-star safety is being recruited by the entire Pac 10 and has already been selected to play in the US Army All-America Game. Stanford commit Chris Badger will travel down from Utah for the second straight year. Last year he was more than impressive and was named to the all-combine team. Chandler Hamilton’s Devon Carrington brings a good mix of run stuffing and pass coverage to the table and it is no surprise that he is being heavily recruited.
Don’t let the safeties steal the show though; there is a strong contingent of corners that should look good in the 1 on 1’s. Adam Dixon from Cesar Chavez, Buckeye’s Randy Hale and Centennial’s Kyle Coffey can run with anybody on the field and all will sign division-one scholarships this year.
Sleeper- Keegan Whipkey – Peoria (Az.) Liberty- Whipkey has the size and speed to be a heck of a college DB but he has spent most of his time playing QB for Liberty. He will get a chance to showcase his skills in the secondary on Saturday.
Underclassman to Watch- Laron Tarkington – Phoenix (Az.) St. Mary’s- As just a freshman last year, Laron not only started every game for the Knights, he excelled. He was named 1st team all-region, impressive for anyone but even more so for a freshman.
We would like to give a special thanks to Athlete’s Performance for doing the timing at the event. Please take a second to check out their website and look at their brand new facilities.
