By: Josh Newberg

This weekend Scout.com/Badger hosted a 7-on-7 tournament on the campus of USF in Tampa. Over 300 prospects were on-hand and there were 17 teams made up of recruits from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina. The Florida recruits were in abundance and accounted for 13 of the 17 teams.

In the end it came down to a heated match-up between team Alabama and team Palm Beach of Florida. The two day round-robin tournament was won by the kids from Palm Beach. Team Palm Beach was quarterbacked by Marshyl Rothman and he got plenty of help from guys like Chris Dunkley, Gerald Christian, DeJoshua Johnson and Matt Elam. The game was a close one, with 20 seconds left Palm Beach led 19-12 and added a late score on a bomb from Rothman to Dunkley with no time on the clock.

Alabama was loaded with talent as well, their quarterback Cody Blanchard showed why he’s an upper D1 prospect along with WR Maudrecus Humphrey and DB DeMarcus Millner. However, the Florida speed and athleticism was too much for the boys from Alabama. One player on team Palm Beach single handedly took over the game and that was CB Merrill Noel from Pahokee. He was so aggressive at the snap of the ball that none of the Alabama receivers that faced him could get off the line. Eventually the Alabama coaches and fans became more interested with Noel then what was going on in the game, which proved to be the turning point for team Palm Beach.

Here are some observations & analysis from the Scout.com/Badger 7-on-7:

DeJoshua Johnson is a real nice prospect, but if he’s 155 pounds like Scout.com lists him then I’d be shocked. At 5’10 the kid is probably 140-145. Not a huge deal as a high school prospect, he’ll still be heavily recruited.

Two WR that are flying under-the-radar are Leon Shorter 6’2, 170 and Jameson Wright 6’1, 175. Both are from Fort Pierce high school. Their dimensions and style of play are so similar that they almost look like brothers. Neither has any real offers at this point, but I think Leon will be a stud by mid-summer. He’ll have big time offers from schools across the country. He’s tall and rangy, great ball skills and is a phenomenal jumper. His teammate Jameson Wright is also a D1 prospect, but Leon Shorter will blow-up shortly.

Greg Dent from Belle Glades was one of the top corners at the tournament. He’s listed by Scout.com as a safety, he’s 6’ 170. His greatest strength is his ability to leap off two feet and his wingspan. He’s physical and plays against the top talent in the state week-in –and –week-out.

Here’s a quick rundown of the QB’s that stood out:

Brandon Doughty QB from North Broward prep is a pro-style QB, he’s 6’3, 190 and threw darts all over the field. He’s got a quick release and can get the ball vertical in a hurry. Doughty is a sure top-10 QB and when it’s all over could be the best in Florida.

Marshall Rothman from Jupiter Christian is undersized, but was outstanding in this weekend’s tournament. He’s very Matt Grothe like, he’s also a winner like Matt too. He’s started since his sophomore year and is a ridiculous 27-1 as a starter. He’s 6’ and 175 pounds. He’s a scrambler who throws great on the run.

QB Blake Bortles from Oviedo HS is another one in a long list of Florida QB’s for 2010. He’s 6’5, 215 runs a 4.7 40 and plays CB on defense. He’s a QB prospect all the way. Bortles only has one offer at this point and that’s from UCF. I don’t know if he’s a top 10 QB in the state, but he’s a nice looking prospect.

C.J. Bennett from Alonso HS was on the sidelines. Most BCS schools will probably look at him as an ATH, but one school wants him right now as their main signal caller and that’s South Alabama, where former USF Bulls OC Greg Gregory is now calling the plays.

Philip Ely from Plant HS is a 2011 prospect and right now is talented enough to deserve some lower D1 offers. I believe he’ll mature into a top 5 QB for the 2011 class.

Venice QB Trey Burton struggled this weekend, he didn’t have the greatest talent around him. I still think he’s worthy of his UF commitment, probably just a bad two-days.

From the Alabama team I really liked Cody Blanchard. He’s a 6’1, 190 mobile QB that will be a first or second round pick in the Baseball draft this year. However, he will not be going pro. He wants the college experience and will go somewhere he can play both sports. He’ll get offers from around the country before it’s all over, but right now he’s leaning toward Jacksonville State because his father played football there. I think if a BCS program gives him the opportunity to play two sports then he’d be open to it.

That’s it for the QB’s, here’s the rest:

Ace Sanders is a stud! Coach Weiner (Head Coach Plant HS), who coached him this year and coached Nu’Keese Richardson last year told me that he thinks Ace is a better prospect on-and-off the field. He thinks Ace is special and was the most electrifying WR at the tournament. He compared him to UM’s Santana Moss. He said every time Ace touches the ball something is going to happen. I think he’s FSU’s to lose and wouldn’t be surprised if he commits by summer.

Ethan Grant, WR from North Broward Prep is another slot guy that is getting a ton of attention even though he committed to Oregon just before signing day. He’s not letting the attention turn his focus, from what he told me he’s very solid in his decision.

Marvin Robinson, Safety from Lake Regions has a nice lineage. He’s cousins with DC Jefferson (Rutgers QB) and Vince Williams (FSU LB). He says he’s interested in UM, USF, Michigan, OSU and UF. He doesn’t have an offer from UM, but he’d like one and he says he’s not interested in FSU. Robinson is 6’2 and 204 pounds. They don’t come much better looking than this at safety.

The rich keep getting richer. UF commits Jonathan Dowling (DB) and Matt Elam (S,LB) looked outstanding this weekend.

Georgia TE Brian Vogler is an intriguing prospect. He’s 6’7, 245 and is a weapon in the passing game. He’s already got 14 offers including Alabama, FSU, Maryland, Auburn and Rutgers. No offer from USF, but they should. The kid grew up in Tampa prior to HS and was in the end-zone for the AUB/USF game. He told me that was one of the best games he had ever been to and said he was in the end-zone when Jesse Hester pulled in, “the catch”. He was very excited about USF and said he’d be interested if they offered.

CB Tony Grimes from Hollywood Hills was impressive. By the end of the tournament he wasn’t seeing much action because teams knew not to throw his way. Grimes are 6’, 170 and will be an upper D1 prospect.

The toughest kid at the camp award goes to Merrill Noel. He’s from the Muck, 5’9, 160. More physical then anyone else on the field. When he faced the AL WR in the championship game, not one of them could get off the line. He’s strong and has excellent hands. And when the players and coaches got on him about his physical play – he cranked it up a few notches. He fed off the crowd and took his receiver out of the play every snap. Those Alabama boys didn’t know about Pahokee, but they do now!

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