Spring Practice Tour: Wharton Wildcats

The second stop on the Spring Practice Tour, the Wharton Wildcats.

Brian Smith | Apr 27, 2022

TAMPA - One of the most competitive areas for Florida’s prep football would be the greater Tampa area. From the Gulf Coast city, a team on the rise would be the Wharton Wildcats. Coming off a 9-3 campaign and several talented players returning to the roster, Wharton will challenge to be one of Tampa’s best teams.

First Look

As a team, Wharton has plenty of players that either possess size or speed. The program is definitely on the rise. There’s also a good blend of soon to be seniors and underclassmen for Head Coach Mike Williams.

Lead Wildcat

Dijon Johnson is one of the longest and most disruptive cornerbacks in Florida. His ability to pounce on a pass as soon as the quarterback begins to release the football helps to separate him from many other cornerbacks in Florida and around the nation. The intriguing aspect of Johnson, he’s still learning the nuances of the position. This is a player with quite a high ceiling.

Capable of playing man coverage or zone equally well, Johnson can be a weapon for Wharton’s defense this fall. Teams will need to know where he is during each play. Johnson can help to take away an opponent’s best receiver and do so by himself so this is a unique player. Here's Johnson in coverage from Tuesday's practice:

He’s also a physical player so there’s more to his game than just playing in coverage. Johnson will help out in the run game. Overall, the most important part for Johnson to help Wharton this year will be leadership. He needs to do more than just dominate on Friday’s. How well Johnson leads through spring and summer will help to project just how good Wharton is this fall.

Off The Edge

The athletic and wiry frame of Booker Pickett is one that shoots off the edge and provides a burst most high school edge defenders cannot replicate. With two more years of high school remaining, the 2024 prospect now just needs to gradually add weight, and continue to hone his skills as not only a pass rusher but a run defender. That’s all a part of understanding and utilizing technique.

DJ Pickett Defensive End Tampa (Fla.) Wharton - 2024 — Booker Pickett is one of the top underclassmen prospects in the greater Central Florida area / @fbscout_florida

Hand placement for block destruction, keeping his feet moving after initial contact, gap discipline and anticipating what the offensive does even quicker than he did last season, those are the finer points of being an elite defensive end. Pickett has the potential to be one of those players based on his practice performance today.

Offensive Line

There’s size, that’s for sure. The group also has some experience returning to the lineup so that will help. Finding that one standout that can be counted on to run behind during key moments in the game will be important to figure out this spring.

Skill Player to Watch

Running back against the field is generally a no-no in football. Arkese Parks says otherwise. Well, based on his sophomore film anyway. He routinely ran laterally and simply ran away from players. Seeing Parks’ burst, in person, verifies that he’s a really gifted athlete first and foremost.

After leaving ⁦@WhartonHighFB⁩ today, came away impressed with the overall team. Having ⁦@Arkese_Parks1⁩ certainly helps, too. ⁦@RecruittheW⁩ ⁦@JohnGarcia_Jr⁩ pic.twitter.com/0yBrY5S25H
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) April 26, 2022

The 2024 prospect could probably play any skill position. In fact, he was working at wide receiver on Tuesday. He’s quick enough laterally to play cornerback, fast enough to be a flanker, and he’s shifty enough to be a return man. He’s still a player with room for improvement, scary as that might be.

Parks could keep his pad level a little lower in the trash between the tackles. He’s so talented at making defenders miss, it’s hard to say just how physical he is. One thing is for sure, Parks possesses a tremendous upside.

It will be interesting to see the different ways that Wharton places the football in Parks’ hands this fall. He’s one of the most dynamic players in Tampa and probably all of Central Florida.

New Signal Caller?

Luke Sather has a big arm and the size desired by college coaches. He’s still a developing player that will need to learn Wharton’s system and gain confidence with the wide receiver corps. He does possess a fairly high ceiling, however, and it will be interesting to see if he can win the quarterback job. Need to see how the rest of his spring goes before making any projections, but Sather is a player to watch.

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