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UA/ Scout Phoenix Combine Preview: Offense
Story URL: http://scoutcombines.scout.com/2/757046.html
Jason Jewell
ScoutCombines.com		May 23, 2008

Deep classes at wide receiver and running back highlight Saturday’s event at the Cardinal's Practice Facility in Tempe

Yesterday we previewed a very talented defensive group that will compete at the Cardinal’s Practice Facility in Tempe on Saturday for Under Armour’s and Scout.com’s first ever event in the Grand Canyon State. The offense may be less heralded then the D but there are some players that are sure to turn some heads.

Quarterbacks

 

With no player amongst this group currently holding an offer, expect the competition here to be fierce, as each player wants to leave no doubt that they can compete at the college level.

Glendale (Az.) Mountain Ridge’s Kevin Yost is everyone’s early pick to be the top signal-caller in the Grand Canyon State. But closely pushing him are Peoria High’s Vinnie Spano and Scottsdale Chaparral’s Spencer Stone.

Matt Inman put up crazy numbers last year for 2A program Yuma (Az.) Catholic. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 30 scores while only committing six interceptions. He wants to go out and prove that he can compete with the big dogs from bigger programs.

Nevada’s top two QBs will make the journey south to compete. Nicholas Libonati from Green Valley and Emir Lopez from Las Vegas High both had plenty of success last year and are hearing from a variety of schools on the West Coast.

Jeff Tuel from Clovis West High in California will get the chance to reunite with some of his old teammates when he comes to Tempe. Tuel spent some time at Salpointe Catholic in Tucson before moving to CA. Five players from Salpointe are registered for the combine.

Sleeper: Ronnie Daniels from Albuquerque (NM) La Cueva- Daniels is the only player from the 2011 class competing in Phoenix. He made a splash as a freshman on La Cueva’s varsity squad last year, compiling 1,300 all-purpose yards. Coach Romero at La Cueva will use him as a QB this year but his future could be at RB.

Running backs

Expect some blazing forty times to come out of this group as many of the players registered here just recently posted fast times during their track season.

No back uses his speed better than Peoria’s Jamal Miles. Jamal hit paydirt 38 times last year for the Panthers and holds offers from both in-state programs.

Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep’s Patrick Foley ran 10.8 in the 100 meters this year and has academic institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Air Force and Army all over him. All have offered.

We spotlighted Apache Junction’s Shane McCullen in the defensive preview but he will also get some reps at RB. He has rushed for over 3,400 yards in his high school career. His combination of size (6-2 190) and speed (4.47) makes him one of the most intriguing prospects in the Grand Canyon State.

Possibly the best all-around back in AZ is Cactus High’s Mike Brown. He has the speed to get to the edge, the toughness to run between the tackles and the hands to catch it out of the backfield.

Las Cruces’ James Hall and La Cueva’s Gus Bowe will be representing the state of New Mexico.

Hall was one of the state’s leading rushers and holds an early offer from New Mexico State. Bowe is a throwback, hard-nosed football player that pounded his way to 900 yards and 12 scores last year. Bowe could also get some reps at linebacker.

Sleeper: Anthony Hughes from Peoria Centennial. He could be the state of Arizona’s top prospect in the class of 2010.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

This group will compete with the defensive line for being the deepest position at the combine. Palo Verde’s Adam Hall headlines the group as the four-star prospect travels north from Tucson to prove he belongs amongst the nation’s elite. The 6-4 190 pound Hall holds offers on both sides of the ball, so don’t be surprised to see him running routes one play and the very next move over and play some safety.

Scouts did not lose track of Markus Wheaton when he transferred to Chandler High from Phoenix Mt. Pointe. He, like Hall, has stacked up offers on both sides of the ball.

 Richard Wilson from Spanish Fork is one of the top tight ends in a very good year out West at that position.  We first saw Wilson at the 7-on-7 Tournament in March in Las Vegas and he stood out there.  He's also seeing his recruitment pick out and is the top prospect at the position at this combine.

Big Kendall Gregory-McGhee from Cherokee Trails in Colorado is the top out-of-state prospect at the combine. At 6-4 210, he lined up in the slot last year and hit up defenses for 10 scores but the talk is that he may put his hand on the ground at the next level and play some tight end.

Paul Porras from Scottsdale Saguaro, Jeremy Dang from Peoria High, C.J. Westbrooks from Phoenix Moon Valley, Ebo Makinde from Phoenix Paradise Valley and Spencer Hagan from Capital Christian in California all hold division-one offers and look to be amongst the top players in the entire event.

Sleeper: Yuma Catholic’s Roderick Ford. The 6-3 185 pound Ford missed five games with an injury as a junior but managed to catch 17 balls for 456 yards and three scores as well as pick off five passes in the five games he played in. He could make a name for himself at an event such as this.

Offensive Line

The pounds will be abound in Tempe on Saturday as plenty of big fellas will look to make a name for themselves.

The top lineman at the event will be Scottsdale Saguaro’s Kody Koebensky. Kody used his long arms and strength to help pave the way for one of the top ground attacks in the state last year in route to helping the Sabercats win their second straight 4A1 state title. The 6-4 290 pounder holds nearly 10 early offers.

Mammoth Rio Mares from Cibola High in New Mexico could explode with a good showing. The 6-6 360 pound Mares has been offered by both in-state programs but in an under-recruited state such as New Mexico, getting exposure in a marquee event such as this could really help his recruiting.

Bryce Schwindt from Columbine High in Colorado is a big, tough football player. This road grader is getting plenty of attention from schools in the Midwest and rightfully so.

Scottsdale Chaparral’s Taylor Lewan and Phoenix Shadow Mountain’s Doug Zismann both hold early offers. Lewan could really benefit from this event as he has very limited reps along the offensive line. The 6-6 260 pound Lewan has been primarily a defensive tackle but has moved to the offensive side of the ball for his senior season. He definitely looks the part and if he can prove the transition to be successful, look for major college programs to throw their name in the hat.

Sleeper: Page (Az.) High’s Chris Chischilly. I can’t remember the last prospect to come out of Page but Chischilly is an intriguing player. He was named 1st team all region last year and definitely has the size at 6-4 300 to play at the next level. He also showed great explosiveness by winning the 4A2 state title in the shotput with a 53’ throw.



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