Govs Host, Put Together 1st Class Camp
In this article:
This weekend of football activities on the campus of Austin Peay University and inside Fortera Stadium was an event that will be remembered for quite some time!
For two days straight, head coach Scotty Walden and his Governors coaching staff hosted their 1st ever hometown prospect camps that saw players from all across the country come to compete and pursue an offer from this OVC school.
Before we even get into the action of camp, it must be stated that Austin Peay has something special with Coach Walden and his staff. You could see and feel the energy all around the stadium, all weekend long and the personal approach to players and parents alike from the staff is something you don’t see very often.
This is a young and energized staff that goes about their business the right way and fully embraces the concept of teaching and developing young men into the best people they can be both on and off the field.
All the action cranked up on Friday night with a nice handful of prospects but Saturday was the main event.
Chrst. Brothers (QB) Ashton Strother Ashton Strother 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Christian Brothers | 2022 State TN was a key standout from Friday night where he displayed good arm strength along with the softest, most catchable pass of any quarterback. The Purple Wave signal caller really showed to me that he does have the skill set to run an offense on the collegiate level.
Three other prospects who stood out from Friday evening were 2023 Lebanon teammates, (QB) Jaylen Abston Jaylen Abston 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Lebanon | 2023 State TN and receiver Anthony Crowell and 2022 sleeper Lipscomb Academy (WR) Coleman Baker Coleman Baker 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lipscomb Academy | 2022 State TN .
Moving into Saturday, the Govs brought in a stellar crop of prospects and it was a deep group too. More than 200 prospects were on hand and that speaks volumes to how interested high school players are with the Austin Peay program.
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, the collection of quarterbacks were strong on Saturday with several guys standing out and possibly earning a future Govs offer.
The two top guys to mention who are squarely on the Govs radar are MUS (QB) George Hamsley and 2023 White Station signal caller Braylen Ragland Braylen Ragland 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Bartlett | 2023 State TN . Hamsley might have been one of the top overall performers of any position displaying a cannon right arm with confidence and accuracy.
Ragland looks the part, plays the part and has big time upside. He had a few struggles on Saturday but overall Ragland was impressive and you can see why multiple college programs are in pursuit.
Two youngsters to watch out for going forward are 2023 Rossview (QB) Garrett Diemel and 2024 Rockvale (QB) Brennan Mayhew Brennan Mayhew 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Rockvale | 2024 TN . Both these guys displayed great mechanics along with accuracy and timely passing.
The running back crop wasn’t as deep as other positions but still had a few guys break out with good camp performances. Those players include 2023 Maryville back Noah Vaughn Noah Vaughn 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Maryville | 2023 State TN , 2023 Father Ryan (RB) Bryshon Jackson and 2024 West Creek running back Jaisaun Ousley.
West Tennessee receivers came out strong at the Austin Peay camp this weekend and certainly established themselves as legit and guys who could see offers from not just the Govs but others float their way sooner than later.
The senior class was led by Germantown (WR) R.J. Garrison and Houston wideout Timothy Toney. Both these guys have nice, physical frames and the size to compete on the next level along with the athleticism and playmaking abilities college coaches look for.
Possibly the most impressive wideout of anyone might have been 2023 Briarcrest Christian (WR) Devin Johnson II Devin Johnson II 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Briarcrest | 2023 State TN . The Saints rising junior is a playmaker anywhere on the field with a physical body, long arms and the speed to beat defenders deep. His 1st college offer is coming soon, trust that!
Three other receiver, tight end standouts to mention are BGA (Sr) Daniel Morra Daniel Morra 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Battle Ground Academy | 2022 State TN , Franklin Co. (Sr) LaTerian Taylor and Rossview (TE/LB) Seneca Bradley, Jr Seneca Bradley, Jr 6'3" | 225 lbs | TE Rossview | 2022 State TN .
The beef in the trenches might have been some of the best action of all this weekend at Austin Peay where the Govs hosted a large group of linemen on both sides of the ball that impressed in a variety of ways.
Once again, it was the West Tennessee region that represented well on the offensive line with several seniors that took advantage of the camp and really impressed the coaching staff.
Under the radar, Whitehaven (OT/G) Branson Conner made a statement on Saturday, dominating his position and by the end of camp, this 6’8 O-lineman earned an offer from Austin Peay. Watch out for a breakout senior season from this massive Memphis area prospect.
The other senior standouts include Chrst. Brothers (OT/G) Ben Caviness Ben Caviness 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Christian Brothers | 2022 State TN , MUS and current Davidson commit, Kyler Herring Kyler Herring 6'3" | 295 lbs | OL MUS | 2022 State TN , Whitehaven (OG) Taylor Williams Taylor Williams 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB FRA | 2023 TN and First Assembly, versatile (OL) Luke Moore Luke Moore 6'2" | 285 lbs | OL First Assembly | 2022 State TN .
While the seniors had a strong day, it was 2024 Lausanne (OT/G) Luke Work Luke Work 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Lausanne | 2024 State TN who impressed everyone in attendance. The 6’6 young and developing lineman had a few struggles but overall, Work handled his business very well and showed tremendous upside as a possible Power Five prospect.
Looking at the O-line’s opposition, the monsters on the defensive line had a very strong day, including several guys from outside the Tennessee footprint that really stood out.
Among the in-state guys who put together solid performances on Saturday include seniors Oakland (DL) Caleb Cole, BGA (DT) Zion Morris Zion Morris 6'0" | 290 lbs | DL BGA | 2022 TN and Arlington (DT) Jackson Powers. Three underclassmen had good days as well and those guys were 2024 East Nashville (DT) Malik Bolling Malik Bolling 6'2" | 255 lbs | DL East Nashville | 2024 State TN , 2023 Daniel Boone (DL) Jace Dunlop and Nashville Christian (DT) Kevin Bradley Kevin Bradley 6'4" | 280 lbs | DL Nashville Christian | 2023 TN .
The next two positions groups were probably the top two among all positions at Saturday’s camp as not only were they deep with talent but several guys had strong days that really piqued the interest of the Governors coaching staff.
The first guy to mention is Father Ryan inside backer Cole Becker Cole Becker 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Father Ryan | 2022 State TN . It was a good day for the Fighting Irish senior where he showed his ability to read and react as well as show that he can drop and cover. Becker was called out at the end of the camp as a top performer, so he is clearly on the Govs radar.
White House senior linebacker Pierce Scholato Pierce Scholato 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB White House | 2022 State TN was another strong standout. He is a big guy with a frame that can take on added weight as he continues to mature and grow. Scholato can also run and show a certain intensity that you like on your defense.
Two seniors who had interesting days that worked at both linebacker and defensive end were Siegel (LB) Braden Kaiser Braden Kaiser 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB Siegel | 2022 State TN and William Blount (DE/LB) Eli Turner Eli Turner 6'3" | 230 lbs | DL William Blount | 2022 State TN . Both Kaiser and Turner are big guys with physical bodies and long arms that have the size and versatility to play inside backer or develop into a pass rushing defensive end. These guys also earned offers from Bethel by the end of the day.
Among the underclassmen standouts include 2023 Clarksville (LB) Jamar Carnell, 2023 MUS (LB) Stryker Aitken Stryker Aitken 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB MUS | 2023 TN , Northwest (LB) Derek Garis and 2024 Father Ryan (LB) Grace‘son Beach.
We left the best for last! The collection of defensive backs that the state of Tennessee has for the 2022 class is deepest ever and a lot of those prospects were in Clarksville this weekend to display their talents for the Austin Peay coaches.
It was the trio of defensive backs from Whitehaven that really took the day for me and I know the Austin Peay had their eyes on these guys as well. Ja’Quez Bradley, Cam Robertson Cam Robertson 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Whitehaven | 2022 State TN and A.J. Robinson all had bright spots throughout camp, doing so in a variety of ways.
Bradley was called out as a top cornerback performer at the end of camp. Robertson is a big, physical defender that fits best at safety but could play nickel if needed. Robinson is the most versatile of the three where he could line up just about anywhere in the secondary.
Marshall Co. (TN) defensive backs LaMarion Pierce LaMarion Pierce 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Marshall Co. | 2022 State TN and Devonte’ Davis had strong moments as well. Pierce holds a Govs offer while Davis used his height and length to impress coaches.
Two other seniors to mention are Pearl Cohn defensive backs Dewain Trotter Dewain Trotter 5'9" | 170 lbs | DB Pearl Cohn | 2022 TN and Kavon Coffee Kavon Coffee 5'9" | 165 lbs | DB Pearl Cohn | 2022 State TN .
It wasn’t just the seniors who had strong days but a few underclassmen did as well. The top guys who stood out the most were 2023 Blackman (DB) Dyson Bell Dyson Bell 6'3" | 185 lbs | DB Riverdale | 2023 State TN , 2023 Northwest (DB) Raymond Rodarte and 2024 Greenbrier (DB) Travarius Flood Travarius Flood 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Greenbrier | 2024 TN .
Bell is a star in the making. He has size, length and fluid body movements that translate all over the secondary. Rodarte is a big guy that might develop into a linebacker but handled himself just fine on Saturday at safety. Flood is a young and exciting talent with size and athleticism.
For two days straight, Austin Peay invited prospects and their families to campus for a camp setting that kept everybody involved from start to finish and provided a great look at the new and exciting staff under Coach Walden.
What the Governors coaching staff did was continue to solidify themselves as a force on the recruiting trail not only for the entire FCS level but the entire state of Tennessee.
There is a great buzz and energy being generated up in Clarksville right now and the in-state prospects can certainly feel and see it, so you better watch out for the Govs going forward!