On Thursday night I was out at Glendale Community College for Saguaro/Centennial. The Coyotes snapped Saguaro's 28 game winning streak, 41-21. Here are some notes on ASU's prospects, as well as some other thoughts on some players in the game that performed well.
Byron Murphy
Murphy doesn't have to play deep into the game very often at Saguaro, and on Thursday night, he got his ass kicked. Here's the thing though- a Byron Murphy ass-kicking still looks like this:
8 catches for 154 yards, 2 TDs
He also had several pass break-ups on defense. It was almost painful to watch him, as well as the rest of the Saguaro team toward the end of the game, as players were cramping up and dropping like flies all over the field. It was like having a field full of snakes biting at people's calves. Once he got tired, Centennial DBs, including Isaac Steele, started to be able to jam him on every play.
His best play of the day came on a short out route, where he sold that the ball was coming to him so well, that Isaac Steele tried to bite on a throw that never came, and the handoff to the left that Steele would have had containment on ended up going for 50 yards.
Kaelib Jarrell
Blair Angulo was out at the game with me, and said he likes the 6-3, 185-pound safety more in an outside linebacker role. Every time I've seen Jarrell in person, he's making some type pf mental mistake in coverage, and so I could see wanting to use him in a different role, but he seemed a little too skinny to me for that to be plausible. Then, Jarrell started making plays at the line of scrimmage, and even forced/recovered a fumble at the beginning of the second half. Blair was right- he does look much more comfortable coming up and making plays- it would be interesting to see what he can do on a blitz from the outside. He also played some WR, and Saguaro never made use of his massive height advantage in the passing game, so it was hard to get a clear picture of what he looks like as an offensive playmaker.
Kayden Lyles
Lyles might end up being one of the top 5 most-recruited players in AZ high school history when it's all said and done, but I wonder where his true home is. I like him as a DT- coach Mohns says he's an interior offensive linemen, and Blair confirmed that's where most of his offers have him.
He had early penetration against Centennial's big offensive line, and while he was visibly fatigued from playing both sides of the ball, which affected his decision making in pass protection, he finished the game relatively strong. He was possibly the most emotional after the Saguaro loss, as this would have been the first of his high school career.
Marshal Nathe
A quick pronunciation note on the ASU commit's last name: Nay-thee
Nathe continues to look stronger than he did in his junior season. In the third quarter, many of the Coyotes runs were straight behind holes he opened up, or second level blocks he made. His best play of the night was on a long run by RB John Rincon that was seemingly stopped at the 2 yard line. Nathe ran 30 yards down the field, and with the help of Tanner Hawthorne, knocked the entire pile into the end zone to give Centennial a 34-21 lead.
Speaking of Tanner Hawthorne
This 6-6, 275-pound offensive tackle wowed me with his performance on Thursday. He has a few offers right now, from the likes of schools like South Dakota State, and despite his size, he was not a starter on last year's team. After talking with Hawthorne's teammates after the game, they said he had a focused and productive summer, and that he's looked as good as any offensive lineman that Centennial has on the roster. He's got a massive upside if he's just now catching on to the intricacies of playing tackle, and still had a dominant performance like the one he had last night. Keep an eye on him.
Isaac Steele update
Steele was decent in coverage again this week. He's solid. One thing he showed me this week that he didn't show me last week, and it isn't necessarily a positive, is that he can get a little riled up. He plays better at QB when he's flustered, but he doesn't necessarily play smarter. He got hit with a taunting penalty on a crucial third down stop that helped Saguaro extend a drive and undid a lot of the positives that Centennial had been building on at the time.
Other Saguaro notes: I do not expect 2017 Louisville targets OL Corey Stephens and ATH Robert Branch-Williams to be on ASU's radar beyond staying in contact. While they are talented, they're both a tad undersized and extremely raw. By the end of this year we'll see how they progress.
Byron Murphy
Murphy doesn't have to play deep into the game very often at Saguaro, and on Thursday night, he got his ass kicked. Here's the thing though- a Byron Murphy ass-kicking still looks like this:
8 catches for 154 yards, 2 TDs
He also had several pass break-ups on defense. It was almost painful to watch him, as well as the rest of the Saguaro team toward the end of the game, as players were cramping up and dropping like flies all over the field. It was like having a field full of snakes biting at people's calves. Once he got tired, Centennial DBs, including Isaac Steele, started to be able to jam him on every play.
His best play of the day came on a short out route, where he sold that the ball was coming to him so well, that Isaac Steele tried to bite on a throw that never came, and the handoff to the left that Steele would have had containment on ended up going for 50 yards.
Kaelib Jarrell
Blair Angulo was out at the game with me, and said he likes the 6-3, 185-pound safety more in an outside linebacker role. Every time I've seen Jarrell in person, he's making some type pf mental mistake in coverage, and so I could see wanting to use him in a different role, but he seemed a little too skinny to me for that to be plausible. Then, Jarrell started making plays at the line of scrimmage, and even forced/recovered a fumble at the beginning of the second half. Blair was right- he does look much more comfortable coming up and making plays- it would be interesting to see what he can do on a blitz from the outside. He also played some WR, and Saguaro never made use of his massive height advantage in the passing game, so it was hard to get a clear picture of what he looks like as an offensive playmaker.
Kayden Lyles
Lyles might end up being one of the top 5 most-recruited players in AZ high school history when it's all said and done, but I wonder where his true home is. I like him as a DT- coach Mohns says he's an interior offensive linemen, and Blair confirmed that's where most of his offers have him.
He had early penetration against Centennial's big offensive line, and while he was visibly fatigued from playing both sides of the ball, which affected his decision making in pass protection, he finished the game relatively strong. He was possibly the most emotional after the Saguaro loss, as this would have been the first of his high school career.
Marshal Nathe
A quick pronunciation note on the ASU commit's last name: Nay-thee
Nathe continues to look stronger than he did in his junior season. In the third quarter, many of the Coyotes runs were straight behind holes he opened up, or second level blocks he made. His best play of the night was on a long run by RB John Rincon that was seemingly stopped at the 2 yard line. Nathe ran 30 yards down the field, and with the help of Tanner Hawthorne, knocked the entire pile into the end zone to give Centennial a 34-21 lead.
Speaking of Tanner Hawthorne
This 6-6, 275-pound offensive tackle wowed me with his performance on Thursday. He has a few offers right now, from the likes of schools like South Dakota State, and despite his size, he was not a starter on last year's team. After talking with Hawthorne's teammates after the game, they said he had a focused and productive summer, and that he's looked as good as any offensive lineman that Centennial has on the roster. He's got a massive upside if he's just now catching on to the intricacies of playing tackle, and still had a dominant performance like the one he had last night. Keep an eye on him.
Isaac Steele update
Steele was decent in coverage again this week. He's solid. One thing he showed me this week that he didn't show me last week, and it isn't necessarily a positive, is that he can get a little riled up. He plays better at QB when he's flustered, but he doesn't necessarily play smarter. He got hit with a taunting penalty on a crucial third down stop that helped Saguaro extend a drive and undid a lot of the positives that Centennial had been building on at the time.
Other Saguaro notes: I do not expect 2017 Louisville targets OL Corey Stephens and ATH Robert Branch-Williams to be on ASU's radar beyond staying in contact. While they are talented, they're both a tad undersized and extremely raw. By the end of this year we'll see how they progress.
