On3: YAA Miami Junior 150 Prospects

You Are Athlete visited Miami as the next-to-final stop before the National Junior Showcase in Houston, TX.

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Defense

The defensive line prospects were easily the best group at the Miami Junior 150.

Sakai Whittaker (6-4, 236) is a rising freshman, and he was the best defensive player at the YouAreAthlete Miami Showcase. Whittaker has the look of a Power 5 commit and has the tools to be a dominant edge rusher. He is both strong and lightning quick off the snap.

Lidarius Seymore is a 7th grader who is already turning heads. He was selected for the Under Armor All-American Game. Seymore projects as a defensive tackle, but he is not sure which high school he will attend.

Defensive tackle Rafael Cruz (6-0, 275) from Miami won an invite to the YouAreAthlete Houston Junior National Showcase. Cruz is an 8th-grader with a solid base. He says he plans to attend Columbus High School.

Other linemen winning MVP for the defensive line include Jorge Fernandez and 2030 Dominic Chaiz.

Linebackers

Reginald Davis (2031) overall Linebacker MVP award and won the fastest athlete award for the Middle school group. Davis made plays all day, including a couple of picks and deflections.

Linebacker Cru Smith is a 2030 prospect who plans to attend Northside Christian High School in St. Petersburg. Smith performs well in the cat-and-mouse running back/linebacker drills and displays good coverage in the 7-on-7 drills. He has to continue to add muscle and height as he enters high school, or be prepared to play safety in college. Either way, he’s on the right track.

Defensive Backs

Defensive back Javarius Thompson, a 7th-grader from Miami, was one of my Top 5 overall prospects at the YouAreAthlete Junior Showcase. He performed well on both sides of the ball and won the DB MVP and an invite as a wide receiver.

Other defensive backs earning invites were Evan Reyes, Jonathan Spears, Mason Mulligan, and C.J Ivanelli. Marcus Harris (2032) won the Young Gunz Defensive Back MVP.

Photos from Miami

Offense

I wrote down the names of three running backs before speaking with the coaches, and all three earned invites. 2031 Kaden Greene (5-7, 160) won overall MVP. He was elusive during the cat-and-mouse running back/linebacker drills and was un-guardable during the passing drills.

Providing strong competition for running back MVP was 2030 Jocelin Francois Jr from Deerfield Beach. Francois appears bigger than the listed 5’9, 170 pounds, and he has a powerful running style and makes precise cuts. He is already a Power 5 recruit with offers from Miami, Auburn, LSU, Kansas, and Pittsburgh. Francois won the Rivals Miami Elite Camp RB MVP.

Zion Charles was the 3rd running back I wrote down, and he received an invite to the YouAreAthlete Houston Nationals.

There were plenty of quarterbacks competing for a Houston invite at both the younger players and the middle school group.

Of all the quarterbacks, Cape Correll 2030 Jacob Vandle appears to be the most polished

with his throws and pass completions. Vandle won the overall YouAreAthlete MVP, beating out Alex Toledo, Derek Wilson, Philip Moynihan, and Deacon McMillen.

Quarterbacks

The Young Gunz quarterbacks showed a lot of potential. 2033 Ryan Rudie from Tampa won the longest throw for his group and was the overall Young Gunz Quarterback MVP.

Camden Miles was another top youngster for quarterback, as were 2033 Cyrus Denson, 2033 Javarie Bowles, and 2035 Emanuel Vitalherne.

Wide Receivers

The receiver group was so large that three grade-based sets received invites to Houston.

Fakih Owens (2030) won the YouAreAthlete Miami overall WR MVP for the middle school group. Owens says he plans on attending Miami Palmetto in the Fall.

X’Zavier Tatis (6-0, 160) from Fort Myers earned an invite to Houston. Tatis said he will attend Cape Coral High School.

Another receiver number I wrote down was the jersey for 2030 Mario Woods (5-11, 145) from Jacksonville. Woods looks like a player who will be a big, physical receiver, maybe even a tight end.

Earning the 7th-grade MVP was Ashton Streeter from Miami, and the Young Gunz MVP for 6th grade and below was awarded to 5th grader Carlos Alvarez from Miami.

Offensive Line

The offensive line group may have been the weakest due to its small numbers. Earning MVP was 2030 lineman Malik Campbell. Other MVP winners and Houston invites were 2031 Turner Swan, 2030 Lorenzo Soto, 2030 Marquis Oliphant, and 2030 Idi Kenner.