Last night I went out to the Long Beach Poly/Centennial game- with each high school game I cover for ArizonaVarsity this year, I'll bring back news/info/analysis on any present ASU prospects.
ATH Jackie Jones:
Hod and I have written about Jones before. I watched him go out to Baltimore, run his mouth at all the Florida WRs, and then actually back it up and shut them down, earning him position MVP at the Rivals 100 combine. He's an intense kid. 5-9, 160, and honestly plays with the temperament of a 1970's middle linebacker.
Let me put this as delicately as I can. On the field, Jones is not a nice person. He's not dirty. He plays within the rules. And by 'on the field' I mean the second the shoulder pads go on, until he moment they come off. He's not a guy you want to talk to as media before or after the game.
Jones plays with a lot of heart. His team was awful last night (close to 15 penalties), and his passion alone helped keep them in it. I'm genuinely surprised they didn't go to him more.
He's a college DB. He only played around 25 snaps at DB for Poly last night, but it was enough to show his capabilities. Where he really surprised me is on one play in the 4th quarter, he launched the ball carrier 4 yards backwards with a vicious hit that happened in the open field. Open field tackles are rarely this violent. He stayed on his feet- didn't even go down with the CeHS player that he hit.
On offense he's a slot guy. He had three early touches, seemed to be bothered by an ankle momentarily, and then they giving him the ball altogether until a miscommunication on a route had Isaac Steele pick off a pass that was meant for him. He was there punter half the time, and ran two fakes on 4th and long in LBP's own territory, getting the first down both times (one was called back).
In the second half, he scored LBP's first TD with a catch at the line of scrimmage, and a wild 61 yard run up the left hash.
I'm not sure ASU has a shot at this kid, and I'm not sure ASU fans would want him. He's an easy kid to misunderstand. I planned to ask him about ASU, but he pretty much told me to be on my way. Last time I asked him about ASU he implied that they weren't a factor, but that he was interested in getting out of California. Michigan is thought to be a contender. Florida/Florida State as well. We'll see.
Davir Hamilton
Hamilton transferred to Poly and got cleared two days before the game. He's big, looks much bigger than the 6-2, 204 he's listed at. I thought he was a linebacker- he played almost exclusively at WR, and lined up on the right side of the field. Unfortunately for him, the QB almost exclusively looked left. He had one reception where he took the ball and got so excited to try and make a play, that despite being 5 yards downfield when he hauled it in, he ended up losing 6 yards. He did have one vicous hot on a Centennial player who had just leapt a defender and came down right in front of him that made me see why some think he's suited for defense. He's a soft verbal to Utah.
Joshua Brown
Brown is a 6-1, 231 3-star MLB that no one has offered yet. He's the only player on Poly's defense that never once looked fatigued by the Arizona heat. He had an interception on the first series, was always around the ball, and was the clear leader of the defense. He had a couple of bonehead moments, but that can be said of LBP's entire team outside of Jones. Those guys lack discipline.
I'm not sure what level prospect Brown is, but I wouldm't be surprised to see his recruiting take off if he strings together more games like the one he had last night.
Marshal Nathe
He's a lot better than when he committed to ASU. Going into the summer I had him even with teammate Steven Bailey. No more. Not close.
Nathe is a mauling left guard. I watched him obliterate a 6-0, 205 defensive end twice on the same play. He was effective in tandem with his center, he was very good in driving tackles and ends backwards. He pulls quickly. He doesn't quit until the whistle. I left the game very impressed.
On a couple of occasions he fired off a little too quickly, missed a block at the first level, and got lost out in space 5 yards down the field. I asked him about it and he said he definitely needs to tighten things up more. His coach, Richard Taylor, told me after the game that he's put in way more work since committing than he did before he was getting offers.
Isaac Steele
Last night two people told me "Isaac Steele will be a D1 corner." He said he gets Pac-12 letters (ASU included), but no offer has come in. He defended Jack Jones well enough for me to make four separate notes about it. He also picked off a pass meant for Jones. Steele also plays QB, and ran for both of Centennial's TDs. He's currently 6-2 and a little over 180, has great speed, and is the leader of both the offense and defense. He'll go from covering Jones this week to Byron Murphy next. Let's see if he can duplicate his performance.
ATH Jackie Jones:
Hod and I have written about Jones before. I watched him go out to Baltimore, run his mouth at all the Florida WRs, and then actually back it up and shut them down, earning him position MVP at the Rivals 100 combine. He's an intense kid. 5-9, 160, and honestly plays with the temperament of a 1970's middle linebacker.
Let me put this as delicately as I can. On the field, Jones is not a nice person. He's not dirty. He plays within the rules. And by 'on the field' I mean the second the shoulder pads go on, until he moment they come off. He's not a guy you want to talk to as media before or after the game.
Jones plays with a lot of heart. His team was awful last night (close to 15 penalties), and his passion alone helped keep them in it. I'm genuinely surprised they didn't go to him more.
He's a college DB. He only played around 25 snaps at DB for Poly last night, but it was enough to show his capabilities. Where he really surprised me is on one play in the 4th quarter, he launched the ball carrier 4 yards backwards with a vicious hit that happened in the open field. Open field tackles are rarely this violent. He stayed on his feet- didn't even go down with the CeHS player that he hit.
On offense he's a slot guy. He had three early touches, seemed to be bothered by an ankle momentarily, and then they giving him the ball altogether until a miscommunication on a route had Isaac Steele pick off a pass that was meant for him. He was there punter half the time, and ran two fakes on 4th and long in LBP's own territory, getting the first down both times (one was called back).
In the second half, he scored LBP's first TD with a catch at the line of scrimmage, and a wild 61 yard run up the left hash.
I'm not sure ASU has a shot at this kid, and I'm not sure ASU fans would want him. He's an easy kid to misunderstand. I planned to ask him about ASU, but he pretty much told me to be on my way. Last time I asked him about ASU he implied that they weren't a factor, but that he was interested in getting out of California. Michigan is thought to be a contender. Florida/Florida State as well. We'll see.
Davir Hamilton
Hamilton transferred to Poly and got cleared two days before the game. He's big, looks much bigger than the 6-2, 204 he's listed at. I thought he was a linebacker- he played almost exclusively at WR, and lined up on the right side of the field. Unfortunately for him, the QB almost exclusively looked left. He had one reception where he took the ball and got so excited to try and make a play, that despite being 5 yards downfield when he hauled it in, he ended up losing 6 yards. He did have one vicous hot on a Centennial player who had just leapt a defender and came down right in front of him that made me see why some think he's suited for defense. He's a soft verbal to Utah.
Joshua Brown
Brown is a 6-1, 231 3-star MLB that no one has offered yet. He's the only player on Poly's defense that never once looked fatigued by the Arizona heat. He had an interception on the first series, was always around the ball, and was the clear leader of the defense. He had a couple of bonehead moments, but that can be said of LBP's entire team outside of Jones. Those guys lack discipline.
I'm not sure what level prospect Brown is, but I wouldm't be surprised to see his recruiting take off if he strings together more games like the one he had last night.
Marshal Nathe
He's a lot better than when he committed to ASU. Going into the summer I had him even with teammate Steven Bailey. No more. Not close.
Nathe is a mauling left guard. I watched him obliterate a 6-0, 205 defensive end twice on the same play. He was effective in tandem with his center, he was very good in driving tackles and ends backwards. He pulls quickly. He doesn't quit until the whistle. I left the game very impressed.
On a couple of occasions he fired off a little too quickly, missed a block at the first level, and got lost out in space 5 yards down the field. I asked him about it and he said he definitely needs to tighten things up more. His coach, Richard Taylor, told me after the game that he's put in way more work since committing than he did before he was getting offers.
Isaac Steele
Last night two people told me "Isaac Steele will be a D1 corner." He said he gets Pac-12 letters (ASU included), but no offer has come in. He defended Jack Jones well enough for me to make four separate notes about it. He also picked off a pass meant for Jones. Steele also plays QB, and ran for both of Centennial's TDs. He's currently 6-2 and a little over 180, has great speed, and is the leader of both the offense and defense. He'll go from covering Jones this week to Byron Murphy next. Let's see if he can duplicate his performance.
