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Championship 7v7 Southwest Regional: Day 1 Notebook

SI All-American looks back on pool play at the Championship 7v7 Southwest Regional in the Dallas area

John Garcia, Jr.

PLANO, Texas -- More than 100 club teams kicked off the Championship 7v7 weekend tournament in the Dallas area for the Southwest Regional event. 

Teams from south Florida to Pennsylvania all the way out west to Colorado made the trip to the Lone Star State to showcase underclassmen talent and SI All-American was on hand for pool play all day and into the night on Saturday. 

There was plenty to take away on Day 1 of the event. 

Class of 2022

QB Jett Huff, College Station (Texas), C-STAT 

The best quarterback on the field Saturday from a productivity standpoint wasn't very close. The rising-senior passer, who completed 73% of his passes in 2020, was as surgical as it gets for No. 1 overall seed C-STAT. In three games, he engineered an offense that scored 129 points in three games while no other program reached the century mark. Working with longtime friend and some College Station High teammates, Huff is a true floor general, a point guard with his decisiveness and distribution skill. He also plays with some flair and finesse, making the throw of the day in high-lowing a linebacker to absolute perfection to cap off he and his program's dominant Saturday. The organizing coaching staff warned us about Huff and he delivered beyond even those expectations. Ivy League programs want him to camp this summer and the 5'9" Huff will likely take in events at Oklahoma, TCU and Baylor in search of his first scholarship offer. 

WR Stephon Johnson, Lancaster (Texas), Texas Air Raid

The Oregon Duck commitment made things look relatively easy from a pass-catcher's standpoint Saturday (video above) despite a late start compared to most of the teams in the field. Few wide receivers looked as fluid or explosive as the rising-senior, who worked the middle of the field and third level equally well against varied secondary looks. Johnson has the length to play bigger than his 6' frame suggests, with comfort playing in traffic or in space. The track standout appears to have hit another gear with his swiftness and polish at the same time, traits that may not allow for much sitting in the Pac-12 come 2022 and beyond. 

DB/WR Kendrick Law, Shreveport (La.) Captain Shreve, Bootleggers North 

If there were awards for the Day 1 slate in Plano, Law would have easily taken home the 'two-way player of the day' honor from SI All-American. He is a blue-chip offensive prospect with running back and wide receiver pedigree (along with 10.9 speed), but also made a strong mark on defense at cornerback, safety, and linebacker. Law was the most effective press defender we got our eyes on Saturday, stifling much taller opponents at the line of scrimmage with an elite punch and body control. While his build, speed and physicality impressed in each game, it was his ball skills rolled into the package that make it clear why Alabama, LSU, TCU, Florida State and many others are competing for official visits from the Louisiana native. 

WR Decoldest Crawford, Shreveport (La.) Green Oaks, Bootleggers North

Consistent with his high school film, Crawford showed a smooth running motion, the ability to sink his hips to make definitive cuts, caught the football away from his body, and made defenders miss after the catch. The long-time LSU commitment (October of 2019) is also a difficult one-on-one match up because of his ability to high point the football and catch a fade pass in the back of the end zone. Overall, Crawford could be labeled “Mr. Consistency” with how he operates during each play. This is a wide receiver that takes his craft seriously and is a key component of LSU’s 2022 recruiting class.

WR/DB Jordyn Tyson, Frisco (Texas) Independence, 940 Elite 

On the rise is Tyson with his fantastic play Saturday. He's quick, sets up DBs with his double moves, catches the ball away from his body, and runs past just about everyone. Defensively, he started at cornerback as well. Capable of turning and running, planting his foot and coming back to the football to make a play. Thus far within recruiting, Tyson went relatively under the radar from a Power 5 perspective. Tulsa, Texas State University, and New Mexico have offered to date. After seeing Tyson’s performance during the Championship 7v7 Dallas tournament, there’s no question Tyson is a bona fide FBS playmaker.

WR Ajay Allen, Monroe (La.) Neville, The U Elite

A powerfully built prospect at one of the Deep South’s most prominent high school programs, Allen is the player that seemingly is always open. Explosive defines Allen’s game. When running, his natural forward lean and fluid hips allowed him to shake defensive back after defensive back. Further, he makes difficult catches in traffic; he’s not opposed to going over the middle to make a play. This is a young man with FBS talent and it’s only a matter of time before FBS programs target him.

DB Denim Day, College Station (Texas), C-STAT

The dominant C-STAT organization's top defender Saturday was clearly Day, a long and rangy cornerback who commanded attention for his press technique and ability to run down the field. We didn't see him allow a score on Saturday, seldom a catch of more than a few yards at that, and he received an endorsement from Texas A&M wide receiver commitment Noah Thomas after they went head-to-head to kick off the day. With strong leverage technique and turn-and-run ability, Day could be a sleeper senior to watch for Big 12 programs in the fall. At 6', 160 pounds, programs like Baylor, Kansas and Louisiana are interested at this point. 

WR/QB Savion Red, Grand Prarie (Texas), True Buzz

Despite the top two quarterbacks not making the trip to Dallas, True Buzz went undefeated on Saturday thanks to the SMU commitment stepping in and slinging it all over the yard. His build (and Friday night tape) will make you wonder how the Power 5 programs aren't working to flip the sole Mustang commitment in the class of 2022, but it was his leadership, mobility and surprising arm strength that got him included on this list after Saturday. 

DB Dylan Dixson, Pearland (Texas), STE

A Colorado commitment who could line up at cornerback, safety or linebacker on a given play, Dixson proved versatile roaming the back-end for STE Saturday. He made plays downhill to halt the sticks while showing clear aggression at the catch point to dislodge the football in critical moments. As his frame fills out, he could make the permanent move to the box and utilize his secondary ability to stay on the field regardless of down and distance. The Buffs may have found a gem in south Texas.

LB Vincent Paige, Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic, LionHearted

Paige played for LionHearted and showed his football IQ by not only staying with smaller slot wide receivers, but understanding route concepts, i.e. crossing routes and pick routes, to help his defense be effective. From a physical perspective, Paige looks like a future college defensive end. However, with his ability to move laterally and understand the nuances of linebacker play, he could be utilized in zone drops and be more than just a big body in coverage.

LB/DE Nic Caraway, Bryan (Texas) High, Texas Air Raid

A newcomer to the Texas Air Raid 7v7 team, Caraway was impressive running with slot wide receivers and running backs in space. It’s rare to see a player his size turn and sprint like Caraway. He’s a potential college defensive end, but his natural athleticism means he could be an outside linebacker within a 3-4 defensive scheme. A very powerfully built frame that explodes out of his defensive stance, Carway even lined up in a cornerback stance during one-on-one situations with slot wide receivers. Offers from SMU, Memphis, Nevada, Tulane, Marshall, Western Kentucky and UTSA are in to date.

WR Grant Page, Boulder (Colo.) Fairview, Warrior Football 

A big, rangy wide receiver with offers from Kansas State, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and others, Page was the Warrior Football go-to target when they needed to move the sticks or make something happen in the red zone and he rarely disappointed. Extremely comfortable with the football in the air, he would almost just out-rebound defenders at the apex and use a 6'3" frame to extend high enough to pull the ball down whether in traffic inside or in space. Page showed some of the best body control and field awareness of any pass catcher in a loaded field. 

WR Kyron Henderson, Dallas (Texas) Kimball, Shotyme

Perhaps the most towering presence among pass catchers in the field Saturday, he outshined some of the more coveted Power 5 prospects on other rosters with his downfield ability and natural catch radius. A longtime basketball prospect, Henderson is still considering playing each sport at the next level, though his football offer list is stronger at this time with Baylor, Kansas and Georgia Tech all on board. 

QB Christian Dorsey, Hitchcock (Texas) High, STE

The triggerman for perhaps the most talented team in attendance, Dorsey looks the part at 6'3", 190 pounds, but doesn't have an FBS offer to date despite a big arm, athletic frame (including a basketball background) and seemingly a strong football acumen. Dorsey has a clean motion and can stamp the ball to all three levels without much wasted time in his trigger. The Texan led STE to a Pylon tournament championship in March. Central Arkansas is the top offer currently on the table but other programs are beginning to make contact. 

Class of 2023

WR Morgan Pearson, Ardmore (Okla.) Plainview, C4

A striking frame on the outside, at 6'1" 220 pounds or so, wasn't all that caught our attention Saturday. Not only did he pull in perhaps the catch of the day over two defenders (see Tweet below), but he proved polished throughout the 15u competition early in the day. Few plucked the ball away from his body like Pearson did, showing more polish than most his age. With the strong frame it will be interesting to see how he stacks up positionally when he enrolls in college. Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and others are already in that race having offered. 

WR Ja'Ryan Wallace, Aubrey (Texas) Braswell, Lionhearted

A classic wideout build and production in just about every game made Wallace hard to miss Saturday. He's 6'3", just under 200 pounds and made plays both intermediate and down the field against solid competition Saturday. Against STE, with multiple Power 5 defenders, he scored multiple touchdowns and made contested catches on routine. Great extension and ball skills accompany one of the top pass-catchers in the tournament, though the offer list wouldn't confirm the same according to some. Wallace has zero offers to date, something we expect to change relatively soon.

Class of 2024

DB Nathaniel Washington, Miami (Fla.) Northwestern, Jaguars 305

A staggeringly long frame, in the 6'3" range, pairs with relatively fluid hips and ball skills to present one of the most intriguing young prospects in the most fertile recruiting grounds of America. Washington has a track background and moonlights as a vertical threat wide receiver, but the foundation on defense, with good instincts and feel at the point of contact, could lead to a secondary projection even as he fills out and matures.

TE/DE Xadavien Sims, Dennison (Texas), C4 

Our on-site crew had to double check on Sims' age and classification because he is so well put-together at 6'4", 232 pounds in the ninth grade. Although he plays defensive end for Dennison High School, Sims played linebacker for C4 15U on Saturday. He moved surprisingly well for a player that’s closing in on 240-pounds and is just 15-years old. Capable of moving laterally like a 210-pound outside linebacker, Sims has good open-field quickness and a frame with long arms and thick hips. Definitely an FBS frame and he has three years of high school remaining. This is a young man that should transform into a five technique defensive end over the course of the next three-to-five years.

Noteworthy

* As part of the most dominant program in pool play, C-STAT, the secondary each made rounds of plays in locking in the No. 1 seed. In the most dominant win of them all for the College Station-based program, 2023 hybrid defensive back/linebacker Harrison Robinson scored more than the opponent on his own with a pair of pick-sixes in a three-drive span. The entire defense deserve praise having somehow only allowed 22 points in three 7-on-7 contests. 

* One of the few class of 2021 prospects we saw make plays was Jalen Walthall of South Texas Elite. The wide receiver worked primarily in the slot as a vertical threat and simply ran by defenders over the top for six, on routine. It's been a big 2020 and 2021 for the Hawaii verbal commitment, who kicked off his track-and-field career as a top five triple-jumper in the state of Texas to date. Look out Mountain West. 

Brian Smith and Ryan Chapman contributed to this feature.

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John Garcia, Jr.
JOHN GARCIA, JR.

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