#TN2022 Spring Recruiting Risers
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The spring evaluation period is coming to a close, which means it’s time to rest up and prepare for what will be the most active and busiest college summer camp schedule that we have ever seen. Over the past several…
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Continue ReadingThe spring evaluation period is coming to a close, which means it’s time to rest up and prepare for what will be the most active and busiest college summer camp schedule that we have ever seen.
Over the past several months, prospects have been attending offseason camps, developing their games, performing in school spring practice and working at putting themselves on the recruiting map.
These players listed below have taken advantage of the spring eval period and really enhanced themselves to become a college recruited prospect.
(Players are listed in random order)
1. (S) D’Arco Perkins (6’1 190) – Stratford
– The breakout star of the 2022 class has to be Perkins as this guy has become a marked man by Power Five programs and is still adding offers as we inch closer to the summer months. A long, rangy and athletic cover guy who has a lot of secondary versatility, Perkins narrowed down his list to a Top 7 in early April but has added several big time offers (Florida, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, TCU, Texas) since and has maybe had to re-think a few things.
Perkins has set official visits to both Kentucky (June 11th) and TCU (June 18th) and should fill out the rest of official visits here soon. He may also camp at a few places as well or compete in a few college 7v7 tournaments. Look for this Nashville native to make his commitment prior to the start of the Fall football season and even possibly look to enroll early to whatever college he decides on.
Offers: Arkansas St., Austin Peay, Baylor, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, ETSU, Eastern Ky, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Miami, Michigan, Michigan St., MTSU, Miss. State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn St., Samford, SEMO, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, TSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Toledo, Tulane, UT-Martin, Va Tech,
2. (OT) Grayson Morgan Grayson Morgan 6'6" | 270 lbs | OL MBA | 2022 State TN (6’6 265) – MBA
– Morgan burst onto the scene in a big way this spring by picking up several Division 1 offers, including multiple ones from the SEC and can now be considered one of the top O-line prospects in the entire state for the 2022 class. Sporting all the physical traits you want in an offensive tackle, Morgan is still growing into his body and developing his game, so his best football is definitely ahead of him and you see why college coaches are enamored with his upside.
While the Big Red tackle has seen a big uptick in his recruitment, Morgan could still see an increase with interest and offers, especially if he hits the college camp scene next month. Morgan will for sure take multiple visits over the coming months but if he decides to attend a few camps, he could see his stock grow even further and expand his college options.
Offers: App State, Arkansas St., Army, Austin Peay, UConn, Duke, East Carolina, Eastern Ky, Indiana, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Memphis, Miami OH, Miss. State, Tennessee, Tulane, UCF, Vanderbilt, Va Tech, Wake Forest, Western Ky
3. (CB/S) Javis Mynatt Javis Mynatt 6'0" | 175 lbs | DB Knox. Catholic | 2022 State TN (6’0 175) – Knox. Catholic
– The East Tennessee region isn’t as deep as has it been in the past but one guy who has really broken onto the scene this spring is Mynatt and he is a guy that when he hits the college camps next month, could see another spike in his stock and recruitment. A versatile talent with length, Mynatt is an intriguing talent that shows signs of being able to stay on the outside at corner but easily play anywhere else within the secondary.
His recruitment finally took off over the past couple of months and it remains active as of today. Mynatt has picked up several Division 1, Group of Five offers but has yet to see the enhanced interest from Power Five programs. He is hoping to change that this summer by attending several college camps while taking in a few visits. Mynatt is a talented young man I expect to see adding many more offers as the next few months roll along.
Offers: Army, Ball St., Eastern Ky, Liberty, Navy, Western Michigan
4. (TE) Jackson Long Jackson Long 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Beech | 2022 State TN (6’5 220) – Beech
– This Buccaneers rising senior tight end is someone that was always on my radar prior to this spring season, so it’s great to see college coaches see the same thing in this high upside pass catcher. Long is full of potential as he sports the size, catch radius and athleticism to become an offensive weapon on the next level in college and possibly beyond. He still has much to learn but the ceiling is very high for Long.
His recruitment has seen an uptick over the past two months but it has yet to really reach the level that his talents warrant. Florida St. is the big offer for Long as the Seminoles became the 1st P5 school to go all in with this Middle Tennessee product. Long has yet to honestly fully break out in the recruiting world just yet but that is soon to change, especially when he attends college camps next month.
Offers: Coastal Carolina, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Ky, Florida St., Tennessee Tech, Tulane, Western Ky, Western Michigan
5. (TE) Aaron Walton Aaron Walton 6'3" | 220 lbs | TE Brentwood | 2022 State TN (6’3 220) – Brentwood
– A two sport star that is currently committed to Samford for baseball, Walton is a talented pass catcher that has picked up several Division 1 offers over the past few months and now might have to make a decision to play baseball, football or both on the next level.
The Bruins star offensive weapon jumped onto the recruiting scene late last year but really saw an explosion of offers late this winter and spring, just as he was committing to play baseball with the Bulldogs. Walton has received several solid Division 1 offers but has yet to inch his way into the Power Five area of recruiting. That could change if Walton decides to attend college camps next month. If he does, it would not be surprising to see the Bruins pass catcher see his stock rise even further as Walton is a versatile, athletic guy that can be placed in a variety of roles within an offensive scheme.
Offers: Air Force, Arkansas St., Army, Austin Peay, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Dartmouth, East Carolina, Eastern Ky, Memphis, MTSU, Samford, Tulane, Yale
6. (CB/S) LaMarion Pierce LaMarion Pierce 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Marshall Co. | 2022 State TN (6’0 172) – Marshall Co.
– Pierce came into this spring evaluation period as an unknown prospect but he is now headed into the summer camp season as one of the top defensive back prospects from the Middle Tennessee region. The Tigers rising senior is all sorts of athletic and bouncy and provides tons of versatility to the secondary where coaches can utilize his skills in a variety of ways. Pierce shows traits and the upside to possibly remain outside at cover corner in the college game.
Akron was the first school to get on board with Pierce earlier this spring and after the Zips offered, it swung the door open for others to follow suit. Several more Division 1 schools have offered Pierce since but he has yet to see that Power Five interest come his way. He is hoping to change that as Pierce plans to attend several camps over the summer months and continue working his way up the recruiting charts.
Offers: Akron, Austin Peay, Ball St., Eastern Ky, Georgia St., MTSU, Toledo
7. (LB) Trey McDonald Trey McDonald 6'4" | 210 lbs | LB Baylor | 2022 State TN (6’4 225) – Baylor School
– Tall, long and active with tons of upside on the next level, McDonald busted onto the scene earlier this spring after attending the #NCEC Combine in Nashville where he put up stellar numbers and looked fluid during positional work. All that work eventually led to college interest and an offer from the Virginia Cavaliers, where McDonald is now a committed prospect.
Since committing to the ACC program, McDonald has been focused on developing his game while competing in LaCrosse with his high school teammates. Now with the LaCrosse season being over, look for McDonald to certainly visit the Virginia campus but he may also camp with them as well. The Wahoos staff would love to see McDonald compete in person and gain a true look at how big his upside and potential truly is. Don’t expect McDonald to change his mind either as he is full on board with the Cavaliers.
Offers: Virginia (Committed), Dartmouth, Harvard, Navy, Penn, William & Mary
8. (DB) Roland McGhee Roland McGhee 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Ensworth | 2022 State TN (6’1 185) – Ensworth
– A star on the track field for his Ensworth school, McGhee is a natural athlete that has size, length and can run, so you can see why he added several offers this spring and why this Nashville native cracked this list. McGhee sports tons of traits and skills that translate well to the college game and college coaches agree. The Tigers star defensive back picked up several Division 1 offers this spring and has continued to see his stock rise but has yet to see the Power Five interest swing his way.
That P5 interest should come in time, especially when McGhee hits up the college camps next month. While attending camps, McGhee plans to take several visits as well and check out a few places of interest. Hopefully his list of schools grows over the coming months and McGhee becomes a household name that is pursued heavily by D1, Power Five programs.
Offers: Akron, Toledo
9. (WR) Andrew Paige Andrew Paige 6'4" | 210 lbs | TE Beech | 2022 State TN (6’5 200) – Beech
– Paige is a breakout star in the making and he is a long ways off from reaching his maximum potential. College coaches have taken notice of Paige and his abilities by sending several offers his way and he is not done adding options. The only thing holding Paige back from exploding on the recruiting scene is that he has been focused on basketball this winter, spring and hasn’t hit the offseason camp circuit as hard as many others, so there isn’t a lot of new film, video out there on him.
That should change soon as Paige does plan to attend several college camps and work at not just adding more offers but place his name higher on the pecking order of in-state recruits. The Buccaneers stud receiver immediately looks the part stepping off the bus, so it’s just a matter of time before you see a bevy of schools fall in love with Paige and potential.
Offers: Arkansas St., Army, Central Michigan, Eastern Ky, Navy
10. (LB) Major Newman Major Newman 6'3" | 190 lbs | LB Alcoa | 2022 State TN (6’3 190) – Alcoa
– College coaches have finally started to take notice of Newman and where his upside could be on the next level as several offers have come his way over the past several weeks. An athletic guy with range and tons of room to grow with his body, Newman is a long term upside driven prospect that could man multiple linebacker positions, so his versatility is key with his recruitment.
Service Academies and a one Division 1 program have extended offers to Newman but the Tornadoes stud linebacker is hoping to gain bigger interest by attending camps over the summer months. If Newman is able to perform well at camp, his stock could take a sudden spike and hopefully entertain interest and offers from bigger schools. I could easily see Newman being a camp star because he is a fluid moving, athletic guy that coaches could love working with and teaching.
Offers: Army, Ball St., Navy
Others Considered: (DL) Colin Stewart Colin Stewart 6'2" | 240 lbs | DL CPA | 2022 State TN (6’2 240) – CPA, (Ath) Reid Williford Reid Williford 6'2" | 195 lbs | ATH CPA | 2022 State TN (6’2 195) – CPA, (OL/DT) Jalen Brockman Jalen Brockman 6'3" | 275 lbs | DL Davidson Academy | 2022 State TN (6’3 270) – Davidson Acad., (Ath) D.J. Hill-Smith D.J. Hill-Smith 6'2" | 180 lbs | ATH Freedom Prep | 2022 State TN (6’2 175) – Freedom Prep, (OL) Carter Miller Carter Miller 6'4" | 295 lbs | OL Ravenwood | 2022 State TN (6’3 280) – Ravenwood, (Ath) Charles Ingram V Charles Ingram V 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Ensworth | 2022 State TN (5’11 182) – Ensworth, (RB) Khalik Ganaway Khalik Ganaway 5'8" | 165 lbs | RB Peabody | 2022 State TN (5’8 173) – Peabody, (LB) Ben Bolton Ben Bolton 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Lausanne | 2022 State TN (6’3 210) – Lausanne