SI

Routes Vs Coverage Showcase Wraps Up Inaugural Tour with "The Natty"

The final leg of the Routes Vs Coverage Showcase wrapped up its West Coast tour on a sunny Sunday in Oakland, California. SI All American took notes on some of the day's top performers and caught up with one of the most exciting prospects in California's 2023 class.

SI Editorial

Routes Vs Coverage Showcase Wraps Up Inaugural Tour with "The Natty"
Routes Vs Coverage Showcase Wraps Up Inaugural Tour with "The Natty" /

Route vs Coverage (RVC) Showcase is a different type of 7-on-7 tournament. Whereas most 7-on tournaments have team-based enrollment, RVC Showcase teams are formed on the fly. In addition to an electric atmosphere established by RVC director Brandon Younger and his coaching staff, the players are actually drafted, by the coaching staff, onto teams that then compete for the camp's title. SI All American caught up with Younger after the event.

“From my understanding, it’s the very first showcase of its kind… You come in as an individual, but ultimately at the end, you end up on a team. It challenges players; Not only their physical ability but it also tests their ability to play on a new team and how fast they can acclimate.” 

One coach at the event described RVC's unique camp format as challenging not only from a chemistry and timing perspective but also challenging a player's ability to be coachable and have trust in their coaches right out of the gate.

After a combine-style camp on Saturday, the RVC staff selected teams and announced them via Twitter Sunday morning. The teams then each held an AM practice period, and midway through the day, it was go-time. 

San Jose, Calif. Wide Receiver Jurrion Dickey has officially entered the chat.

Just last weekend, SI All American labeled Dickey a top performer at The Opening in Los Angeles, and his performance at RVC’s Natty was just as impressive.

From the moment he stepped on the field, Dickey played head and shoulders (literally) above the competition. The 6-2 (and growing), 205-pound 2023 pass-catcher out of Valley Christian High School holds offers from Oregon, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Arizona, and ASU amongst others. We caught up with Dickey after he won the RVC’s offensive MVP award in addition to leading his team to victory in the single-elimination tournament. 

"There were a lot of people I know, so good competition. People bringing good energy, I love that... On the field, we all ball out so all that energy goes out. But at the end of the day, we all got love for each other." 

We asked Dickey how he feels about playing a 5-game spring season and then turning around and adding another 10-to-15 games this fall. He answered confidently "I feel great! I'm trying to put up num-bers! I want over 1,200 yards this season." 

Dickey named UCLA and Cal, a school with which his family has ties, as the programs from which he currently holds offers that are capturing his attention the most. He has no official visits locked in yet but plans to take an official to ASU sometime this summer. 

Offensive MVP 2023 WR Jurrion Dickey

 

Defensive MVP 2022 Safety Christopher Murray

 

Winning Team "BTA"

 

The Natty Trophy

 

Jurrion Dickey was the crown jewel of "The Natty", but there were plenty more individuals that turned heads Sunday. 

Top Performers from around "The Natty"

Despite the absence of across-the-board blue-chip talent, the RVC staff did a great job providing a platform for lesser-known/younger recruits. 

Sailasa “Sai” Vadrawale is a 2023 cornerback out of Rancho Cotate High School (Calif.) who was one of the lone prospects who could keep up with Dickey. Vadrawale was called upon to pretty much shadow Dickey for the entirety of the camp when their two teams played each other. Vadrawale had a crunch-time pass breakup in the endzone on a jump ball versus Dickey, and he displayed great hips and footwork throughout the camp. He currently holds one offer from the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Jahari Johnson was flying around the field all day Sunday, putting on display a size-speed combination that had coaches' heads turning. The 2023 6'3 defensive back out of Enterprise High (Calif.) looked silky smooth in his backpedal and made a ton of high-point plays on the ball. 

2023 Linebacker Miles Tucker out of Amador Valley High just down the road in Pleasanton showed good range and great eye discipline while dropping into coverage. Tucker made life difficult for anybody that ran a crossing route on him, not letting a receiver through the middle without molestation. 

Palma High School is where 2024 slot receiver Logan Saldate made his prep debut this spring. Saldate was one of the quickest slots on the field Sunday, and his performance was even more impressive given he has only a handful of high school games under his belt. Saldate is one prospect Bay Area prep fans should keep an eye on for the next couple of years, as he fills out his 5'10 frame. He's already got solid fundamentals and ran every single route at full speed. 

While Saldate has a couple of high school games under his belt, class of 2025 quarterback/athlete Jaylen Johnson from Redding, Calif. has none. Johnson displayed above-average arm strength (when you compare him to players two, even three years older than him) and he processes information much faster than other middle-school-aged quarterbacks. He made throws all over the field, even ones that nobody expected him to make. The 14-year-old Johnson tells SIAA he should be transitioning into Enterprise High School's QB1 at some point this fall. 

Class of 2022 quarterback Chase Vehmeyer (Windsor, Calif) was the most developed quarterback at the camp and he had some nice deep throws. 6'3 linebacker Drew Cunningham is a 2024 prospect out of powerhouse De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) that RVC coaches spoke very highly of. Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif) class of 2022 Safety Chris Murray took home camp defensive MVP award after showing off his range in the defensive secondary. 

Class of 2022 safety Xavier Gutierrez out of Livermore High displayed fantastic recovery speed and batted down a dime after initially being beat on a seam route. Menlo-Atherton class of 2022 product Johnnie Barbie played wide receiver at this event, and was one of the best at it on the field Sunday, too. He'll be another exciting player to watch on a loaded MA team this fall. 

Published
SI Editorial
SI EDITORIAL

Home/Football