I've been able to watch a number of the prospects Arizona has offered and had commit this spring and some of them I've seen quite a few times now. Rivals.com's national analysts give out their Roadies award, so I thought it would be a good time to give away some of my own awards to recruits I've been paying attention to this spring. Now there are still a couple more events to go this summer, but here is a look at some of the standouts I watched during the spring.
Now even though I have watched a lot more than what I'm going to list, I'm mostly taking into account recruits who have Arizona on their top lists or have a good shot of ending up in Tucson when all is said and done by the way things are looking right now.
Speed demon: This one was close, but I have to give it to three-star running back JJ Taylor. Watching him at the B2G Elite Camp a couple weeks ago he was probably the most impressive player to me overall with his speed being at the forefront of what he does. It's rare to see kids go through the running back drills as smoothly as he did that weekend and the Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout didn't take any reps off either. UA commit Sean Riley, who could come out of the backfield or lineup in the slot, is a close second in this category.
Mr. Accuracy: This award has to go to Arizona commit Devon Modster. I watched the future Wildcat quarterback on a few occasions this spring and the one thing you know you can expect from the four-star prospect is that he will hit his targets. Modster's accuracy is one aspect of his skill set that separates him and it is what could get him on the field early in his career with the 'Cats. You'd like to see a little more velocity on some of his passes but whether he is trying to hit targets in the short, intermediate or deep parts of the field he gets it done.
Best hands: Trevon Sidney has made a name for himself in 7-on-7 events and camps where he can really show off his skill set without the pads on. One of the things that makes the four-star receiver so impressive in those situations is his ability to catch the ball. Sidney runs routes well, but it is his hands that make him such a big-time target for so many programs. He can be a little too trusting of his hands as he does tend to go for a lot of one-handed catches, but overall his ability to catch the ball is special.
Most improved: He likes to say he's been able to throw the ball as well as he has coming out of the spring the whole time, but anybody who watched four-star prospect Khalil Tate throw the ball earlier in the spring noticed the difference as of late. His accuracy was more dialed in and he looked a lot more comfortable throwing the deep ball as well. While many schools want him as a receiver Tate wants to play quarterback at the next level and when I watched him at the Air Strike 7v7 he showed he has what it takes to do that with his arm.
The next step will be continuing to show that as the summer continues and as his senior season at Gardena (Calif.) Serra plays out.
Most impressive: Tate's teammate at Serra, Brandon Burton, is another recruit I watched a few different occasions this spring and he was the most impressive recruit I watched. Burton is close to five-star range in the Rivals.com rankings and he played like it this spring. The four-star recruit could play on either side of the ball, but right now he probably projects better as a safety. Still, he had one of the best catches I've seen so far this offseason back in May at the B2G 7v7 and he has shown he has the skills to play receiver as well at the next level. Burton picked up his offer from Arizona not too long ago and there are some Arizona commits who are already talking to him about joining them in Tucson.
Honorable mention: Two other prospects who have stood out this spring have been Jacob Colacion, who I have watched quite a bit, as well as receiver DeVaughn Cooper from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne. Colacion has been about as consistent as they come at the linebacker spot whether it was in a camp or 7v7 setting. He won the linebacker MVP at the Rivals Camp in Southern California and a couple weekends ago he was very good at the B2G Elite Camp as well.
Cooper picked up an offer from Michigan that certainly made some noise, but he still feels a little under-recruited at this stage. I've had a chance to watch him a couple times already this spring and he has been impressive. He has good speed and a knack for making plays at his receiver position..
Now even though I have watched a lot more than what I'm going to list, I'm mostly taking into account recruits who have Arizona on their top lists or have a good shot of ending up in Tucson when all is said and done by the way things are looking right now.
Speed demon: This one was close, but I have to give it to three-star running back JJ Taylor. Watching him at the B2G Elite Camp a couple weeks ago he was probably the most impressive player to me overall with his speed being at the forefront of what he does. It's rare to see kids go through the running back drills as smoothly as he did that weekend and the Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout didn't take any reps off either. UA commit Sean Riley, who could come out of the backfield or lineup in the slot, is a close second in this category.
Mr. Accuracy: This award has to go to Arizona commit Devon Modster. I watched the future Wildcat quarterback on a few occasions this spring and the one thing you know you can expect from the four-star prospect is that he will hit his targets. Modster's accuracy is one aspect of his skill set that separates him and it is what could get him on the field early in his career with the 'Cats. You'd like to see a little more velocity on some of his passes but whether he is trying to hit targets in the short, intermediate or deep parts of the field he gets it done.
Best hands: Trevon Sidney has made a name for himself in 7-on-7 events and camps where he can really show off his skill set without the pads on. One of the things that makes the four-star receiver so impressive in those situations is his ability to catch the ball. Sidney runs routes well, but it is his hands that make him such a big-time target for so many programs. He can be a little too trusting of his hands as he does tend to go for a lot of one-handed catches, but overall his ability to catch the ball is special.
Most improved: He likes to say he's been able to throw the ball as well as he has coming out of the spring the whole time, but anybody who watched four-star prospect Khalil Tate throw the ball earlier in the spring noticed the difference as of late. His accuracy was more dialed in and he looked a lot more comfortable throwing the deep ball as well. While many schools want him as a receiver Tate wants to play quarterback at the next level and when I watched him at the Air Strike 7v7 he showed he has what it takes to do that with his arm.
The next step will be continuing to show that as the summer continues and as his senior season at Gardena (Calif.) Serra plays out.
Most impressive: Tate's teammate at Serra, Brandon Burton, is another recruit I watched a few different occasions this spring and he was the most impressive recruit I watched. Burton is close to five-star range in the Rivals.com rankings and he played like it this spring. The four-star recruit could play on either side of the ball, but right now he probably projects better as a safety. Still, he had one of the best catches I've seen so far this offseason back in May at the B2G 7v7 and he has shown he has the skills to play receiver as well at the next level. Burton picked up his offer from Arizona not too long ago and there are some Arizona commits who are already talking to him about joining them in Tucson.
Honorable mention: Two other prospects who have stood out this spring have been Jacob Colacion, who I have watched quite a bit, as well as receiver DeVaughn Cooper from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne. Colacion has been about as consistent as they come at the linebacker spot whether it was in a camp or 7v7 setting. He won the linebacker MVP at the Rivals Camp in Southern California and a couple weekends ago he was very good at the B2G Elite Camp as well.
Cooper picked up an offer from Michigan that certainly made some noise, but he still feels a little under-recruited at this stage. I've had a chance to watch him a couple times already this spring and he has been impressive. He has good speed and a knack for making plays at his receiver position..
