“Right now, I’m getting a lot of interest from schools, but no offers yet,” Wright said. “Schools email me, they call telling me to come to their camps.”

Wright plans to participate in a few camps this summer to earn more recognition. As of now, he expects to attend camps at Miami, Georgia, Florida Atlantic.

The South Florida talent will not allow distance to play a factor in his recruitment. He does hope to find a program that is very family orientated. “I’m looking for great academics,” Wright said. “I want to go where there is a family feel, where I feel like it’s at home.”

His top five schools are: Maryland, Florida State, South Florida, West Virginia, Florida.

Wright stated why he’s so interested in Maryland, “I really want to travel,” Wright said. “I watched their spring game, I felt like if I go to Maryland it’s the best fit for me.”

He also had a chance to check out Miami’s spring game, and he was thrilled he had that chance. “Miami, thats the school to be at,” Wright said. “I mean the Miami players have a bond with each other that sticks out.”

American Senior High (Hialeah, Fla.) defensive back Brandon Wright (5’11/170) is in hunt for his first scholarship offer. Although, he does not hold an offer, there are schools showing interest in the cornerback. He has recently heard from South Florida, Indiana, Townson University, Stetson, Florida Atlantic, Western Carolina, Central Connecticut State and Boston College.

“Right now, I’m getting a lot of interest from schools, but no offers yet,” Wright said. “Schools email me, they call telling me to come to their camps.”

Wright plans to participate in a few camps this summer to earn more recognition. As of now, he expects to attend camps at Miami, Georgia, Florida Atlantic.

The South Florida talent will not allow distance to play a factor in his recruitment. He does hope to find a program that is very family orientated. “I’m looking for great academics,” Wright said. “I want to go where there is a family feel, where I feel like it’s at home.”

His top five schools are: Maryland, Florida State, South Florida, West Virginia, Florida.

Wright stated why he’s so interested in Maryland, “I really want to travel,” Wright said. “I watched their spring game, I felt like if I go to Maryland it’s the best fit for me.”

He also had a chance to check out Miami’s spring game, and he was thrilled he had that chance. “Miami, thats the school to be at,” Wright said. “I mean the Miami players have a bond with each other that sticks out.”

The rise of 7-on-7 passing tournaments are well documented now and high school football players are joining up from all over to increase their exposure and skill sets.  Some may feel that they are too young to compete, but as the Space Coast Pro 7-on-7 team proved this offseason, it is more about hard work and willpower than grade level.

“To me, 7-on-7s are just like AAU baseball,” Space Coast Pro head coach Jaryd Clark said. “It gets kids off the couch and out on the field playing against some of the top talent from around the country.

“It doesn’t get much better for you than that,” he added.

Whether it’s to stay in shape, get noticed by colleges or perfect a position, his young team–filled with mostly freshman–competed against some of the best teams in the Sunshine State.

“We did well against everybody,” Clark said. “We beat some good teams, lost, but we never got blown out and that was really great considering how much youth we had.”

Even though he credits his entire team for pulling together and checking egos at the door, Clark says that some of players elevated themselves to the competition they were playing against.

“My top performers at the Apopka IMG tournament were Tre Nixion (Viera, Fl.a), Hayden Kingston (Viera, Fla.), Chris Singh (Viera, Fla.), Luke Clark (Cocoa, Fla.) and Kyle Toriano (Florida Air Academy/Melbourne, Fla.). All five are freshmen and all have great attitudes towards the game of football. They do what I ask them to do. They play hard and are just going to be great role models one day.

“Hayden was absolutely on the money on almost every throw in the play book. He’s very smart and doesn’t throw picks. Tre has got some of the best hands I’ve ever seen, runs very precise routes and has the speed to burn defenders when he wants. Luke has got some pretty good hands. He catches some unbelievable catches at times and plays some good defense. Chris does a great job at corner. He has great closing speed and reads very well when in coverage. Kyle is a pretty good safety. He’s physical and bats a lot of balls down. He reads very well. Like I said, all these kids are freshmen and have great work ethic, no attitudes and just play the game of football the right way.”

According to Jaryd’s father, Ben Clark, who also coaches for Space Coast Pro, other teams started to recognize their competitive spirit and outstanding performances.

“We defeated No. 5-ranked Top Recruits in Apopka,” Clark said. “The head coach of the Top Recruits Keewan Ratliff (former Gators standout) honored our team by personally coming over and congratulating us. That really enlarged our kid’s hearts.”

He added, “We also like having the younger kids because they are eager to learn and are very coachable. Our number one rule is we don’t tolerate the smack talk.  I tell the players ‘Lions don’t roar when hunting’.  It is my sincerest hope to ignite sportsmanship in the game again– something that seems to have been forgotten in the last ten years.  Despite our kids being two and three years younger, we are years ahead of the competition in composure, poise, and class.  That is something we feel are the intangibles that the community we represent can be very proud of.”

Clark and the Space Coast Pro will be back after spring football to continue putting in work. “Jaryd and I do this for the love of the game and our players.  If we contribute in any way to even seeing just one of our kids end up in college with a scholarship, then we feel our money, time and sweat was all worth it.  On June 27th and 28th we will be competing in the Drew Brees 7v7 National Tournament in Orlando.  We have a sponsor that paid for the tournament entry fee and we are now on a mission to raise funds for a two night hotel stay plus some funds for food.  Full disclosure will be provided for every dollar donated. Any and all funds collected above the team’s expenses for this tournament will be donated the Make a Wish Foundation.

If you would like to contribute to the non-profit Space Coast Pro, contact Jaryd Clark at cjaryd@yahoo.com or (321)431-2206.

We now have a new and improved website. Check out CaneInsider.com

The new site has many new features, so bookmark it as your favorite Canes website.

New features:

Player profiles

Text updates

Newsletter

Commit List

Offer List

and much more is coming!

It was tough watching all of the Seminoles and Gators being drafted throughout the NFL Draft. I remember the days when every round, especially the first, was inundated with ‘Canes ready to make their impact on the next level. This year, two ‘Canes, just two, were selected by NFL teams. Mike James went to the Bucs. Brandon McGee went to the Rams. A few guys signed free-agent contracts. Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet year for the team known as NFL U. I know you are down about this. You love Sundays, watching all of the highlight shows and seeing ‘Canes all over the place in the NFL making impact plays. Think about it, most of the guys that we’ve gotten spoiled watching on Sundays have been in the league for a decade plus. Reggie Wayne is 35. He’s ancient when it comes to an NFL player. Ed Reed just underwent hip surgery. His body is breaking down like a great-grandmother in a nursing home. It’s become apparent that the decade-long downturn in Hurricanes football has rared it’s ugly head in the NFL. Sure we have a few younger ProCanes. There’s Leonard Hankerson, Demarcus Van Dyke and others, but it’s not the same as the dozens of guys that dotted the league starting more than a decade ago. Have no fear ‘Canes fans, I think we’re about to get back in to the first round.

I think Stephen Morris is going to have an amazing year, building on the year he had last season in which he threw 21 TDs to just 7 INTs. In watching him a bit during the spring, his arm looks as strong as ever and I think his mental grasp of the game has only gotten stronger. So as I watched the first round of the draft and saw EJ Manuel getting drafted by the Bills, I thought to myself, “if EJ can get drafted in the first round, there’s no reason, after a great year, that SteMo can’t do the same.” Maybe that’s being overly optimistic considering right now he’s rated the ninth best qb in the country. But I seriously think he has the potential to be a first rounder. A few other guys could play themselves into high picks as well. We’ve all gone through the trials and tribulations with Seantrel Henderson, but lets face it, at 6-8, 350, he’s going to draw the attention of the pro scouts. All signs point to Seantrel having his best year. He looks like a lean, mean, fighting machine and it seems as if he finally has his head on straight.  Brandon Linder might not be first-round pick, but he’s definitely going to be a second or third round guy. He’s as smart as can be and as tough as nails. He is your prototypical NFL guard.  Hurns and Walford can also play themselves into mid-round picks by having good seasons.

Then there is the group after those guys. DUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!. C’mon! We all know that number eight is going to be a top pick. It’s only a matter of when. Guys like Deon Bush and Tracy Howard have the potential. What about Denzel Perryman, Raph Kirby, and even much later Alex Figueroa. I think Olsen Pierre can be a top pick if he keeps his engine running. It’s quite clear that the talent is getting back to the point where the NFL is going to send more head coaches and GMs to our  pro day rather than just the southeast scout.

The only question is what impact will the NCAA and their claws have on things. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are scholarship reductions coming. I’m hoping it’s not enough to make us go through something like we did in the 90′s with a 5-6 season in 1997. Hell we had some bad years a few years ago with a full slate of scholarships.  No one wants to go though that again. I trust Al Golden and his staff’s talent evaluation to fill our program with a bunch of NFL players to be. Sundays are fun when you can fill your fantasy team with a bunch of guys you saw play at Sun Life. Let’s hope next year, and for years to come we can have a three-day draft party and get back to being NFL U.

Athlete Steven Claude (Champagnat Catholic/Hialeah, Fla.) is starting to get serious college interest. Central Florida, Miami and Marshall stopped by his high school since spring football has started and more are expected to come by to lay eyes on the 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore.

“I have been receiving mail from Cincinnati and Vanderbilt,” Claude said. “Duke wants me to send them my transcripts, which I did. Miami, UCF and Marshall stopped by the last couple of days. I talked to Coach (Paul) Williams from Miami, Coach Kirk (Callahan) from UCF and Coach (Alex) Mirabal from Marshall. He is a laid back person. He is pretty cool. He said he is looking for 2014 recruits and 2015 recruits, too. He looked at my stats from the Elite Scouting Combine and saw I ran a 4.4 in the 40 and did well in the one-on-ones.”

Along with the 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, Claude put up a 4.19 short shuttle time. The 2015 prospect talked more about the Canes.

“Miami, I love the college,” Claude said. “I love the tradition. My uncle Romeo (Davis) used to play for Miami, so that gives me a big boast on them. So, he can put me in with the coaches. I went to one of their practices. I loved their practice and how coach Al Golden runs the practice. I like how the coaches coach their receivers up.

“I talked to Coach Williams yesterday at practice. He said he loves my size. Coach Mike Tunsil wants me to move to corner and that’s why Coach Williams likes me also. I’m a more physical player. For me, my size and speed, I like corner, too.”

Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Notes 5-2-2013

Spring ball has started and coaches will be racking up serious travel miles as they’re now visiting all of the targets possible in the allotted time. Expect offers, possibly even commitments, during May and the responses, “coach told me to come and camp” as the Al Golden Football Camp takes off in June as well.
-Class of 2014 quarterback Morgan Mahalak received renewed interest from the Canes when James Coley told him that he would be out to see him throw this week. This came after contact with Miami had died down since Jedd Fisch left. Mahalak received an offer from Oregon, and committed. It is better for both sides as Miami wasn’t showing Mahalak the kind of attention one would of a main target and Oregon is a dream school for him. Miami still has Hialeah (Fla.) signal-caller Alin Edouard committed and are looking to add another.

-Defensive backs coach Paul Williams went out to Champagnat Catholic yesterday to check in on 2014 Louisville safety commit Michael Johnson, 2015 wide receiver Steven Claude and 2015 safety Mellick Jackson. Johnson is an elite player that is being recruiting by schools such as LSU, West Virginia, Nebraska an UCF. He has a lot of interest in Miami, but the 6-foot-3, 190-pound athlete hasn’t received an offer yet. He and Coach Williams spent a good amount of time together yesterday. An offer could be coming soon.

-Class of 2016 quarterback Logan Byrd is said to have a good connection with Miami offensive coordinator James Coley. He’s out of Kathleen, Ga., and is an athletic quarterback reportedly running in the 4.7s for his 40-yard dash. He is already being talked about amongst the scouting world and possesses good size at 6’2, 220-pounds. It’s early, but as we learn every year, recruiting starts earlier and earlier. Check out his highlight: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1174264/athletics

-While the coaches are on the road, several prospects are making their ways down to Coral Gables, Fla., this weekend to visit the campus. Nationally ranked defensive tackle Travonte Valentine, linebacker Greg Miclisse and defensive tackle Freddie Booth-Lloyd will be checking out the campus tomorrow. The 2014 prospects are all feeling good about Miami. In fact, Valentine has them in his top three and could very well end up wearing Orange and Green on the next level.

-The Canes are continuing to offer early with the most recent one going out to 2016 tight end/defensive end Isaac Nauta. He’s already 6-foot-4, 230-pounds and has a slew of other colleges like Clemson, Florida and Michigan–all coming after him. The Buford (Ga.) product is just one of many the Canes have offered in the Peach State.

University School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) running back Jordan Scarlett (6’0/200)  is only a sophomore in high school but holds scholarships from almost every top school in the nation. Those schools include Miami, Alabama, LSU, Florida State and many more.  This past season he helped lead University School to a 3A Florida State Championship, rushing a total of 1,357 yards and 22 touchdowns on the year.

“It was a great experience,” Scarlett said when asked about the state title. “best feeling of my life. Now I wear that ring everywhere I go. Hard work and dedication is all you need to win another state ring, and I think we can get two more we have a really talented team.”

He also listed a few factors that will come into play when he makes a decision on where he wants to play college football. “The coaches, how the love is at the school, playing time and staying close to home.”

While he is working hard in spring football right now, he has a couple summer plans. “I might visit FSU,” Scarlett said. “Also may be attending Al Golden Football Camp in June.”