Under Armour Dallas Offensive Players, First Impressions

There’s a lot to unpack from Under Armour Dallas, as it was a tremendous group of prospects in attendance at Arlington Martin High School.

Brian Smith | Mar 13, 2022

ARLINGTON, Texas - Located at Martin High School, the cold morning wind did not change the attitude of the players that came to compete. From the DL/OL group that started it off all the way through the DB/WR group that worked with quarterbacks, it was outstanding.

Just going to touch on a few of the players from across the board before going back and watching the videos further. There will be more individual evaluation articles and/or position group articles over the course of the next couple of days. In addition, some recruiting tidbits will be mixed into the equation below.

Quarterback

Only watched the quarterbacks for a little while, but a few notes about a couple of up-and-coming prospects with high upsides follow.

Cole Welliver, Marcus (Texas) - 2024 - He’s already 6’6”, so Welliver will fit the profile that many think of when seeking a pro-style signal caller. More importantly, Welliver is accurate and knows when to zip a pass or lay it in there so his target has a catchable pass. The transplant from the state of Washington is a high ceiling prospect that has also been coached well. His mechanics, especially for a quarterback just finishing his sophomore year of high school, looked quite good.

Keldon Ryan, Keller Central (Texas) - 2025 - Saw him just one week ago at the DR Sportz seven-on-seven tournament in Houston. Same big arm, same great frame. Ryan is just learning the position, but he’s definitely a player that has tremendous upside. He’s also a mobile signal caller so that’s going to help as well. He has a chance to compete for national top 25 status once his senior year comes along. Just needs to work the process like any other young quarterback. The tools are there for Ryan.

Kelden Ryan is well on his way to being a national recruit. ⁦@KeldenRyan⁩ ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ ⁦@matt_galatzan⁩ pic.twitter.com/akvKeLdv7Z
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Running Back

Lots of really quick and athletic running backs were in attendance. Picking from a bunch of players, the one that stood out for following directions, looking crisp with his cuts in drills, and just being a humble player actually goes to a freshman.

Deondrae Riden, Jr. DeSoto (Texas) - 2025 - Playing for one of the best Texas programs, Riden looked like a veteran. He’s definitive with his cuts, provided good balance with all the bag drills, and he’s absolutely explosive, especially for his age. He will be a player that picks his school. National top 50 player all the way.

How many FR running backs are as good as Deondrae Riden, Jr? The answer….few. ⁦@riden_jr⁩ ⁦@matt_galatzan⁩ ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ ⁦@TheUCReport⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ ⁦@GPowersScout⁩ pic.twitter.com/XbuBvU2oks
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Wide Receiver

Absolutely loaded group. Spent a very high amount of time watching this collection of talent because it’s so diverse. Cannot even begin to narrow it down to a few players. This group was impressive. Keep in mind there could have been several more players added

Jaxson Lavender, Lovejoy (Texas) - 2023 - Quick as can be, this young man has been coached. He was recognized by the UA staff and rightfully so. Likely best suited to play in the slot, few defensive backs stuck with Lavender. He’s going to make SMU fans very happy, as he’s committed to the Mustangs.

Caleb Smith, Reedy (Texas) - 2023 - Talk about smooth. That’s Smith. He easily transitioned from a straight line to hitting a 45-degree cut during post routes (see video), and he has natural hands. This is the type of receiver that has a chance to see his stock rise after Under Armour Dallas. Speed is there, so are the moves and hands.

Zoom zoom‼️ ⁦@__KalebSmith⁩ during Dallas Under Armour. ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ ⁦@matt_galatzan⁩ pic.twitter.com/N3Oid6daK8
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Kaleb Mathis, Grace Prep (Texas) - 2023 - Another player in the mold of a slot receiver, Mathis showed his ability to run good routes during drills and during one-on-ones. Any defensive back that does not get hands on Mathis near the line of scrimmage faced a tough challenge. Really liked how Mathis caught the football away from his body as well.

Noble Johnson, Rockwall (Texas) - 2023 - Good size, catches the football away from his body, and he’s absolutely a player that’s in great shape (for a high school player) at 6’2” or 6’3”, and guessing 200-pounds . Really like the upside of Johnson. He’s legit.

Noble Johnson had a great day during ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ Dallas. ⁦@NobleJohnson_3⁩ ⁦@matt_galatzan⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ pic.twitter.com/KAfgdmZrh3
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Johntay Cook, DeSoto (Texas) - 2023 - Goodness gracious this young man can flat out fly. He’s a track kid, and that’s exactly what he should be doing when he’s not catching the pigskin. Cook ran by a few players like they were pedestrians. Every player here, mind you, was invited. He’s an absolute blur. He’s also really good in and out of his breaks. There’s a reason numerous major college programs are coming after him like Florida, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, etc.

Can’t miss the hair. What up Johntay? Congratulations on a great performance today. ⁦@_jayythegreat_⁩ ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ pic.twitter.com/tdNHHYhD5K
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Braylon James, Del Valle (Texas) - 2023 - Long and lean, James absolutely looks the part. Despite being at least 6’2”, he’s quite capable of breaking down and changing directions as well. Had a really nice one-on-one rep where he caught a really under-thrown pass and scored. National recruit, and it’s easy to see why. LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Stanford and many others are in the hunt.

Braylon James

Ernest Thomas, North Forney (Texas) - 2023 - How a young man from the greater Dallas area can be under recruited is hard to say. Thomas, however, can play for any school in the land. He’s similar to Johnson (see above) in terms of size, and he’s also much the same with catching the football with ease, doing a nice job of changing speeds, and he’s also talented at changing direction.

Ashton Cozart, Marcus (Texas) - 2023 - Built similar to James with the length and height that’s desired by many coaches, and Cozart also has soft hands. He was consistent through drills, as well as during one-on-ones. He’s yet another Texas wide receiver that’s been well coached and that was obvious. The Oklahoma commitment should make an early impact at the college level.

Tight End

There were a handful of tight ends that looked the part, as well as played the part. If a person could only take one from this group from a long-term perspective, however, a really athletic freshman was the easy choice.

Davon Mitchell, Allen (Texas) - 2025 - The only question here might be whether Mitchell eventually outgrows tight end. He’s a long-limbed and agile young man. Just how big does he become, however? He certainly looked really good in drills. Then, Mitchell found a way to consistently gain separation from older defensive backs during one-on-ones. He’s another kid that’s going to be a national recruit. That much was obvious after just a handful of reps.

Offensive Line

This is an area that’s harder to decipher because it’s obviously a football combine setting. No pads. With that in mind, the offensive line talent was really good overall. Only spent a little bit of time there watching them, but one guy stoned his defender twice and did so with pure power.

Really liked the powerful punch to thwart defenders from Ethan Fields - ⁦@UANextFootball⁩ @EFields77 ⁦@matt_galatzan⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ pic.twitter.com/N6PoKZAQxq
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 14, 2022

Ethan Fields, Dutchtown (La.) - 2023 - Not even being recruited by his hometown LSU Tigers, Fields is a really stout young man. He has some offers and will be a player to watch at offensive guard for a lucky college program. Watch out for Louisville, Ole Miss, and Purdue, as they are three of the schools that Fields holds an interest in attending.

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