Trever Jackson: Winter Garden, Florida
It’s only fitting that I leadoff with the winner of the Hole-Shot competition that ended Day 1, Trever Jackson. Billed at 6'2.5/185, you’d think he’d be on the spindly side, but that is not the case at all. Jackson showed poise, confidence and, above all, a hand cannon on his shoulder. With the entire camp coming to a standstill for the end-of-day throwing competition, Jackson battled Ethan Grunkmeyer and Hauss Hejny down to the wire before dropping a well placed dime on his final throw to emphatically stake his claim as a high-level signal caller with talent belying his three-star billing. Though he has just one year of high school starting experience, Jackson has been making the rounds on the camp circuit this summer and it’s been paying off handsomely for him. Heading into April, Jackson had named a Top-5 of Pitt, Tulane, Indiana, FAU and Appalachian State. A respectable group, but as Jackson continued to showcase himself, the big offers steadily rolled in. Illinois offered him in early-April with Texas A&M, Penn State and Missouri following soon thereafter. He has an official visit coming up 6/23 at Missouri, but you can bet there will be many more visits lined up after his standout showing on Wednesday night. Jackson has one of the best arms in the biggest QB showcase in the land. Recruiters will be camped out on his lawn to secure his commitment in short order.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, Lewis Center, OH - Oletangy
The newly minted Penn State commit made James Franklin and company look like genius’ for landing Grunkmeyer before his ascendant performance yesterday. While the Hole Shot competition put a nice spotlight on him at the end of the Wednesday session, Grunkmeyer put forth a complete performance at all the various throwing stations. A great example of this was throwing the 10-yard whip routes, where he is prompted to look at the opposite side of the field before snapping his head over to the primary receiver, locking on and delivering a strike. His processing ability was flawless, as soon as his eyes hit the target, he was decisive with pinpoint accuracy every time. It was a drill that OSU commit Air Noland had noticeable difficulty with, as the instructor had to put him through the paces several times to help him pick up the timing and nuance of the drill. He was clearly guiding the ball as opposed to ripping it, which Grunkmeyer did with effortless precision. That’s just one drill and Noland’s deep ball accuracy was strong, but the point is Grunkmeyer looked dialed in for every drill from a preparation standpoint.
Watching his HS tape from last year, I was immediately impressed with his grasp for the offense and ability to maintain focus while under duress. He makes progressions, throws on the break and exhibits total command of the offense. His football intelligence is palpable, and good on Penn State for noticing Grunkmeyer’s immense potential.
Quick Hits
- LSU’s Colin Hurley of Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville was a revelation, making strong, accurate throws to multiple levels with a smooth release. I thought him and TCU’s Hauss Hejny’s velocity were the best of the 6'0 and under QB group, with Hejny making the Final-3 of the Hole Shot comp thanks to his crisp tosses. One of the coaches even shouted “Sonny Dykes !” after one of Hejny’s bullets as a harbinger of what’s to come for the TCU faithful. While some QBs lost RPMs or unleashed throws that fluttered like butterflies, no such issues were present with these two gunslingers.
- Similarly Alabama recruit Julian Sayin, from nearby Carlsbad, California looked every bit the part of his 5-star pedigree. On perhaps the most telling drill of Day 1, QBs took straight drops before testing the efficacy of their arm strength by having to hit a stationary receiver 35 yards downfield. Let me tell you, this drill was a line of demarcation for the neophyte QBs. You could practically feel the nerves after watching several misses, bounces and Ducks that eliminated several competitors from Camp MVP consideration right out of the gate. No such jitters for Sayin though, as the current 247Sports QB2 effortlessly ripped 4 straight picture-perfect spirals right on the button like he was born to do it. You could say the same about Dylan Raiola , as the 2024 QB1 has church-mouse quiet feet on his drops with easy arm-action and zip. You can see why he’s considered such an intriguing prospect, as his release looks compact and effortless. Ryan Puglisi fired some rockets out there as well.
- NYJ QB Zach Wilson ‘s little brother, Isaac (6'0/190) , is a four-star signal caller who is currently sporting .8975 247Sports Composite Grade. Given his impressive genealogy I was excited to see Wilson throw, however the recent Utah commit undeniably had trouble making 15-yard flat-footed sideline throws to stationary targets. His accuracy and arm strength waned to both sides of the field, with multiple throws on the left and right bounced before reaching their intended destination. In the Hole Shot competition, he only made one throw and it was one of the most wobbly deep shots of the showcase. In his defense Wilson appeared to be having some trouble with his throwing hand, so it could be a case of being hampered by injury, though that’s purely speculation.
- Luke Kromenhoek had some eye opening tosses as well, loved his demeanor and confidence. The Florida State commit has been working the phones like a switchboard operator in the 1940’s trying to secure as much talent as possible for the Noles. He’s the 2024 QB version of a presidential candidate who criss-crosses the country trying to drum up support for his agenda. Given how engaging Luke was when I interviewed him, I can’t blame Coach Norvell one bit for using the power of persuasion in any and every way possible to restore the proud FSU legacy to their previous glory.
- You can’t be everywhere at once, so i’ll be focusing on CJ Carr , Demond Williams, Elijah Brown and DJ Lagway on Day 2. As a College Fantasy Football aficionado, I am also contractually obligated to give a long look at Will Hammond since anyone who pilots TT OC Zach Kittley ‘s nuclear-hot passing system is someone I MUST have an opinion on.