With Ground Zero's win over Bishop Gorman's 7-on-7 squad Sunday night, the Las Vegas Pylon 7v7 officially came to a close. As always - and perhaps even more so than usual - there were a ton of UCLA recruits in attendance.
Here were the news, notes and evaluations of all the top Bruin prospects in this weekend's tournament (for Saturday's recruiting notebook, click here).
Quarterbacks
-Four-star K.J. Costello.
-Three-star Kevin Davidson - He had a pretty tough weekend out there. He has a huge body with a power arm, but it's more of a shotgun than a sniper. I still think he's a Pac-12 project quarterback, and one of the five or six best QBs in the state. But he showed this weekend he's got a pretty good ways to go before he's a high Pac-12 offeree.
-2017 Tua Tagovailoa - I was really excited to see him this weekend after writing about all he did behind Fred Ulu-Perry this season. He has short limbs and he's only about 6 feet 1, but he can rip it. He has a tight delivery, quick feet and a super fastball. I didn't see a whole lot of touch out there today, but given his dual-threat qualities, plus the heater he displayed, I'd have to imagine he'll be one of the four or five best QBs in the region in '17.
Others to note:
*Costello was a superstar on Saturday, looking like a five-star prospect.
*Five-star Jacob Eason has elite size at 6 feet 5, 207 pounds, and he looked great. But I'm still taking Josh Rosen if we're comparing the two QBs.
*Three-star Max Gilliam looked solid today, but I don't know how much more he has to go until he hits his ceiling.
*2017 Tate Martell had a really nice weekend, bouncing back from a couple poor showings at Rivals Camps last weekend. It seems pretty clear he's going to likely end up at USC, though.
Running backs
-Spent the entire weekend watching 7-on-7 teams, and the only RB close to UCLA level out there (at least in the West region) was Sean McGrew, who I think is the much better prospect between the two, I wouldn't expect UCLA to get involved here.
Wide receivers
-There's not really a doubt in my mind that four-star N'Keal Harry is the top receiver in the region. I filmed him for one game and a half this weekend, and the eight or so highlight clips I got of him were arguably the top eight highlight clips I got all weekend. He's massive, he can make dazzling grabs and he's a really nice kid too. I heard UCLA was going to offer this week, and if that's true, Harry said he'll visit on Saturday with Chase Lucas prior to the Nike Camp this upcoming weekend.
-Last week, I thought four-star Tyler Vaughns (but still very close) as the top wideout in California.
-Speaking of Vaughns, he was dynamite in the one game I watched. He had three or four touchdowns and made the corner covering him look like he was on roller skates. He's long and he has incredible body control. The worries I still have with Vaughns are if he's soft and if he can fill out that frame. But everything else about him is A-plus. I will love to see him and Owens battle it out in Baltimore at our Five-Star Challenge to really see who the best in California is.
-Four-star Chase Lucas didn't do a whole lot in the two games I watched of him. Had only a handful of catches. Nonetheless, he's a pretty good athlete who's long. I think he actually may be a corner, but he can definitely play receiver at the next level as well. The one thing I know about Lucas, though, is there's no way he's a Pac-12-level running back with that frame.
-Four-star Damian Alloway doesn't do much to impress me. I know, I know, he's a Rivals150 four-star and he has all the track speed and all that. But if you're looking for a playmaking F-back who's going to be that small, I'd prefer it to be somebody way more electric like four-star Jackie Jones or 2017 Bishop Gorman wideout Tyjon Lyndsey. Alloway didn't seem to have blazing speed and he wasn't a super jitterbug like Ray-Ray McCloud or Christian Kirk in the two or three games I watched. I actually wonder if his best position might even be cornerback, but he's a little small for that even. He'll be one I need to watch more as this 7-on-7 season goes on.
-Four-star Jackie Jones looked like he usually looked when he was playing wideout for his Poly 7-on-7 team. Just super quick and electric in the slot. He was playing a lot more defense later in the day Sunday, though, so he was a bit more quiet than usual this weekend and won't get the same amount of ink he usually gets from recruiting analysts.
-I didn't get to see much of four-star Brandon Burton at wide receiver. On Day One, the Elite Athletes' afternoon ended early when a fight broke out. Today, he was playing strictly free safety in the game I watched and he had a pick. So regardless, he should be a top 10, if not top five, player in the state in the next round of rankings.
Other notables:
*Both Dylan Crawford had big performances in the one game I saw Body by Tra, but it doesn't sound like UCLA is making either one a priority.
*I really like three-star wideout Grant Porter. I think he's sure-handed and I love his size. He's underrated right now because of all the top guys ahead of him in the region, but he could be a guy who blows up in the summer.
Tight ends
-After a mammoth first game on Saturday, where he caught everything, four-star Devin Asiasi didn't have a single catch in the other two or three games I watched. I still find him to be a very good prospect with his size and his ability to catch the ball. Either way, I'd bet a dollar he ends up at USC.
Other notables:
*I think I'd keep an eye out for Gio Fauolo. He was really good at our camp last weekend and I thought he did more of the same this weekend. He might be a little too pro-style for UCLA, but he should be a Pac-12 TE when all is said and done.
Linebackers
-I saw Curtis Robinson, but you could tell he brings some thunder when he comes up to hit. He even played wideout and had a J.J. Watt-style touchdown grab in the corner of the endzone today. I was all set to write him off, but he proved this weekend he's probably the top dog in the state.
-Robinson, too, proved he's a pretty-darn elite prospect. He could legitimately be a high Pac-12 receiver just as much as he could be a high Pac-12 outside linebacker. He moves extremely well and had two or three picks - plus several long touchdown grabs - in the two or three games I watched.
-I'm starting to think Lokeni Toailoa may end up being a defensive lineman. If you compare what he looked like at this time last year to what he looks like now, I think you could safely say he's added at least 20 pounds. And I'm not sure he's done growing. With how violent he is, and given the way he'll probably be a liability in coverage in the Pac-12, he could just be a hell of a defensive lineman. I'm interested to see where his body takes him.
-Four-star Krys Barnes had a much better day today after looking sluggish on Saturday. He ran and moved a lot better, although I don't think he's anywhere close to the caliber of linebacker Kelly or Robinson will be / are.
Other notables:
*A name to watch out for is David Tate. He was Kelly's teammate on DB Guru this weekend and is a pretty darn good linebacker prospect. He only holds a Colorado offer right now, but that offer sheet will increase shortly. UCLA could be a player here soon.
Defensive backs
-I think four-star CB Jordan Parker is the best cover corner outside of Iman Marshall that I've seen in this region in the past few years. He was a blanket on his side of the field in every game I watched him. Really, really good prospect.
-I expected to see a little more from four-star CB Byron Murphy. A lot of people think he's the top player in Arizona, right in front of N'Keal Harry, but I'm not sure I saw that this weekend. He's obviously a super athlete, but compared to Parker in the cover corner category, I'm giving the edge to Parker here. Apparently Murphy can flip to offense and be pretty effective there, so I want to see him some more at camps and 7-on-7 this spring.
-Four-star DB Shurod Thompson goofed off entirely too much out there this weekend, but when he got serious and focused down at free safety, there weren't too many better defenders out there. He keeps trying to mess around at cornerback, but I think he's a far better safety prospect. He had several pass deflections in the last game I saw him play in on Sunday.
-2017 safety Chaz Ah You will probably be a name you hear a lot in the next recruiting cycle. He was another safety who I thought was really good out there, especially considering he's a year younger than nearly everyone else on the field. I think a UCLA offer is just a matter of time for him.
Other notables:
*2017 CBs Keith Taylor are great and will probably be three of the top five or six defensive backs in the 2017 class out west.
Here were the news, notes and evaluations of all the top Bruin prospects in this weekend's tournament (for Saturday's recruiting notebook, click here).
Quarterbacks
-Four-star K.J. Costello.
-Three-star Kevin Davidson - He had a pretty tough weekend out there. He has a huge body with a power arm, but it's more of a shotgun than a sniper. I still think he's a Pac-12 project quarterback, and one of the five or six best QBs in the state. But he showed this weekend he's got a pretty good ways to go before he's a high Pac-12 offeree.
-2017 Tua Tagovailoa - I was really excited to see him this weekend after writing about all he did behind Fred Ulu-Perry this season. He has short limbs and he's only about 6 feet 1, but he can rip it. He has a tight delivery, quick feet and a super fastball. I didn't see a whole lot of touch out there today, but given his dual-threat qualities, plus the heater he displayed, I'd have to imagine he'll be one of the four or five best QBs in the region in '17.
Others to note:
*Costello was a superstar on Saturday, looking like a five-star prospect.
*Five-star Jacob Eason has elite size at 6 feet 5, 207 pounds, and he looked great. But I'm still taking Josh Rosen if we're comparing the two QBs.
*Three-star Max Gilliam looked solid today, but I don't know how much more he has to go until he hits his ceiling.
*2017 Tate Martell had a really nice weekend, bouncing back from a couple poor showings at Rivals Camps last weekend. It seems pretty clear he's going to likely end up at USC, though.
Running backs
-Spent the entire weekend watching 7-on-7 teams, and the only RB close to UCLA level out there (at least in the West region) was Sean McGrew, who I think is the much better prospect between the two, I wouldn't expect UCLA to get involved here.
Wide receivers
-There's not really a doubt in my mind that four-star N'Keal Harry is the top receiver in the region. I filmed him for one game and a half this weekend, and the eight or so highlight clips I got of him were arguably the top eight highlight clips I got all weekend. He's massive, he can make dazzling grabs and he's a really nice kid too. I heard UCLA was going to offer this week, and if that's true, Harry said he'll visit on Saturday with Chase Lucas prior to the Nike Camp this upcoming weekend.
-Last week, I thought four-star Tyler Vaughns (but still very close) as the top wideout in California.
-Speaking of Vaughns, he was dynamite in the one game I watched. He had three or four touchdowns and made the corner covering him look like he was on roller skates. He's long and he has incredible body control. The worries I still have with Vaughns are if he's soft and if he can fill out that frame. But everything else about him is A-plus. I will love to see him and Owens battle it out in Baltimore at our Five-Star Challenge to really see who the best in California is.
-Four-star Chase Lucas didn't do a whole lot in the two games I watched of him. Had only a handful of catches. Nonetheless, he's a pretty good athlete who's long. I think he actually may be a corner, but he can definitely play receiver at the next level as well. The one thing I know about Lucas, though, is there's no way he's a Pac-12-level running back with that frame.
-Four-star Damian Alloway doesn't do much to impress me. I know, I know, he's a Rivals150 four-star and he has all the track speed and all that. But if you're looking for a playmaking F-back who's going to be that small, I'd prefer it to be somebody way more electric like four-star Jackie Jones or 2017 Bishop Gorman wideout Tyjon Lyndsey. Alloway didn't seem to have blazing speed and he wasn't a super jitterbug like Ray-Ray McCloud or Christian Kirk in the two or three games I watched. I actually wonder if his best position might even be cornerback, but he's a little small for that even. He'll be one I need to watch more as this 7-on-7 season goes on.
-Four-star Jackie Jones looked like he usually looked when he was playing wideout for his Poly 7-on-7 team. Just super quick and electric in the slot. He was playing a lot more defense later in the day Sunday, though, so he was a bit more quiet than usual this weekend and won't get the same amount of ink he usually gets from recruiting analysts.
-I didn't get to see much of four-star Brandon Burton at wide receiver. On Day One, the Elite Athletes' afternoon ended early when a fight broke out. Today, he was playing strictly free safety in the game I watched and he had a pick. So regardless, he should be a top 10, if not top five, player in the state in the next round of rankings.
Other notables:
*Both Dylan Crawford had big performances in the one game I saw Body by Tra, but it doesn't sound like UCLA is making either one a priority.
*I really like three-star wideout Grant Porter. I think he's sure-handed and I love his size. He's underrated right now because of all the top guys ahead of him in the region, but he could be a guy who blows up in the summer.
Tight ends
-After a mammoth first game on Saturday, where he caught everything, four-star Devin Asiasi didn't have a single catch in the other two or three games I watched. I still find him to be a very good prospect with his size and his ability to catch the ball. Either way, I'd bet a dollar he ends up at USC.
Other notables:
*I think I'd keep an eye out for Gio Fauolo. He was really good at our camp last weekend and I thought he did more of the same this weekend. He might be a little too pro-style for UCLA, but he should be a Pac-12 TE when all is said and done.
Linebackers
-I saw Curtis Robinson, but you could tell he brings some thunder when he comes up to hit. He even played wideout and had a J.J. Watt-style touchdown grab in the corner of the endzone today. I was all set to write him off, but he proved this weekend he's probably the top dog in the state.
-Robinson, too, proved he's a pretty-darn elite prospect. He could legitimately be a high Pac-12 receiver just as much as he could be a high Pac-12 outside linebacker. He moves extremely well and had two or three picks - plus several long touchdown grabs - in the two or three games I watched.
-I'm starting to think Lokeni Toailoa may end up being a defensive lineman. If you compare what he looked like at this time last year to what he looks like now, I think you could safely say he's added at least 20 pounds. And I'm not sure he's done growing. With how violent he is, and given the way he'll probably be a liability in coverage in the Pac-12, he could just be a hell of a defensive lineman. I'm interested to see where his body takes him.
-Four-star Krys Barnes had a much better day today after looking sluggish on Saturday. He ran and moved a lot better, although I don't think he's anywhere close to the caliber of linebacker Kelly or Robinson will be / are.
Other notables:
*A name to watch out for is David Tate. He was Kelly's teammate on DB Guru this weekend and is a pretty darn good linebacker prospect. He only holds a Colorado offer right now, but that offer sheet will increase shortly. UCLA could be a player here soon.
Defensive backs
-I think four-star CB Jordan Parker is the best cover corner outside of Iman Marshall that I've seen in this region in the past few years. He was a blanket on his side of the field in every game I watched him. Really, really good prospect.
-I expected to see a little more from four-star CB Byron Murphy. A lot of people think he's the top player in Arizona, right in front of N'Keal Harry, but I'm not sure I saw that this weekend. He's obviously a super athlete, but compared to Parker in the cover corner category, I'm giving the edge to Parker here. Apparently Murphy can flip to offense and be pretty effective there, so I want to see him some more at camps and 7-on-7 this spring.
-Four-star DB Shurod Thompson goofed off entirely too much out there this weekend, but when he got serious and focused down at free safety, there weren't too many better defenders out there. He keeps trying to mess around at cornerback, but I think he's a far better safety prospect. He had several pass deflections in the last game I saw him play in on Sunday.
-2017 safety Chaz Ah You will probably be a name you hear a lot in the next recruiting cycle. He was another safety who I thought was really good out there, especially considering he's a year younger than nearly everyone else on the field. I think a UCLA offer is just a matter of time for him.
Other notables:
*2017 CBs Keith Taylor are great and will probably be three of the top five or six defensive backs in the 2017 class out west.
