The Garcia Awards: OT7 Finals
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Whereas the event wound up as the most recent notch on the belt for an all-time 7-on-7 run from Lo Professional, the street to Sunday night featured jaw-dropping performs, constant performances and new names to know from the nationwide occasion.
Rivals appears again and dishes out some {hardware} of its personal after taking in every day of the motion.
OT7 FINALS: Recruiting Rumor Mill | High performers from opening day | Garcia’s takeaways from Saturday
THE BREAKOUT: Derrick Baker
The South Florida native is about to kick off the autumn as QB1 at Milton (Ga.) Excessive College, however he’ll have some further momentum going into his junior marketing campaign within the Peach State. Baker is well-built at about 6-foot-1 and 225 kilos, however his tempo, precision and development in piloting the Cam Newton offense went from good storyline to constant risk towards the nation’s elite membership groups.
Baker was a real level guard on grass, directing visitors and executing to all three ranges en path to C1N’s semifinal run. Loads of provides are already in for the 2027 passer, who additionally confirmed off his wheels when blitzed, as early relationships at Florida State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and others have his consideration.
MR. COMPETITIVE: Briggs Cherry
The four-star Louisville dedication confirmed nice drive on the soccer and loads of belief in his arm expertise all weekend lengthy. Cherry wrapped up the playoff run as the one major passer within the nationwide event to have made profitable stops on the Elite 11 Finals, Rivals 5-Star and OT7 Finals.
Regardless of extra quantity of throws than simply about any quarterback within the nation throughout that stretch, Cherry was nonetheless pushing the ball deep with ease effectively into Sunday afternoon. The competitiveness and head-turning expertise has different applications checking in on the Cardinals dedication.
SNAG CITY: Devin Fitzgerald
This setting supplies loads of footballs within the air, revealing these with polish amongst those that could struggle the soccer some. The latter by no means comes up with the son of the NFL legend, who should be uninterested in listening to these comparisons at this level.
Nonetheless, the way in which Fitzgerald finishes performs is one thing his previous man would absolutely admire.
The four-star, who could also be trending to Notre Dame, plucks the ball away from his physique on routine. He can work the sideline with physique management, go up and get it, or monitor it in stride with true consistency.
SPIDEY SENSE: Joey O’Brien
It doesn’t matter what place a defensive again could occupy, the instincts one reveals when the soccer is within the air can turn out to be the distinction between a move breakup and an interception – and O’Brien had loads of every over the weekend.
The OT7 Defensive Participant of the 12 months saved a few of his finest juice for the ultimate event of the season whilst onlookers anticipated him to make that sort of impression. O’Brien’s size and set off permits him to play the seam downhill however he additionally reveals lateral vary and true ball abilities towards different ideas.
There was some cornerback speak and even offensive packages for the Notre Dame dedication, however his free vary sport as a excessive security is definitely probably the most constant on this setting.
WALK IT, TALK IT: Brysen Wright
It does not take lengthy to listen to the 2028 prospect demand the soccer on a given play but it surely additionally does not take lengthy for Wright to make a kind of ‘wow’ performs all the identical. On a Miami Uncooked roster loaded with blue-chip move catchers, it is the 14-year-old who splashed as a lot as any extensive receiver on any roster over the weekend.
Wright is open even when he does not create separation, which is not usually, and when the ball is within the air he comes down with it effectively greater than not. He performs with emotion and an edge that might not be for everybody, however there additionally aren’t many defensive backs who confirmed a capability to sluggish him down regardless of his youth.
THE TELEPORTER: A’mir Sears
The 7-on-7 setting is offense-driven and other people wish to see factors on the board, however sure prospects make it that a lot more durable to perform. Sears is considered one of them within the secondary and he reveals it in working all around the discipline for Miami Uncooked.
Elite anticipation and an much more elite wingspan enable for Sears to take actual possibilities on the soccer from each depth and beneath in protection. The freshman had the interception of the event in baiting OT7 MVP Maika Eugenio over the center earlier than tipping the soccer to himself and corralling it on the way in which again down.
Sears would get his fingers on loads of passes and even flash on offense as a receiver earlier than all was mentioned and executed.
THE CANNON: Trae Taylor
The rising-junior Nebraska dedication has had some robust showings all through the offseason circuit and he saved his hottest run for a piece of championship Sunday. Taylor has work to do from a consistency standpoint like most younger passers, however when he was requested to fireside the soccer with velocity and/or to the third degree he could have been the most effective in present regardless of a loaded discipline.
Taylor can rip the soccer by means of the air with out a lot wasted movement and he got here out of the gates with that mentality on Sunday, notably with speedy Ohio State extensive receiver dedication Jamier Brown. That may very well be among the many most dynamic duos on the circuit subsequent offseason given their youth.
BLURRRRRR: Bryan Hamilton
Pitt could have discovered one other steal within the Sunshine State with the Tampa (Fla.) Gaither star wideout. Hamilton made performs all around the discipline in serving to his workforce make a deep run within the event, however his assertion performs shared one aspect in frequent – he bought behind the protection.
Hamilton, who touched sub 4.5-seconds within the 40-yard sprint in February earlier than clocking a ten.66-second 100 meter sprint in March, confirmed it wasn’t simply offseason work and as a substitute it continues to translate.
The improved ball abilities on high of the pure velocity compelled loads of ‘who’s that?!’ moments from onlookers near our place this weekend.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH: Maika Eugenio
The top of the 7-on-7 run for one of the vital embellished gamers within the setting ended what number of would have predicted a number of days in the past – with a event crown. Lo Professional’s undefeated run was a little bit of a breeze in pool play but it surely got here with loads of competition on Championship Sunday.
Eugenio led the workforce to quarter and semi-final wins on walk-off passes. The Hawaii dedication was particularly clutch towards Uncooked Miami, the place he was as soon as down a pair of scores earlier than forcing time beyond regulation and finally firing a sudden-death dime to ship the native program residence.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Zyren Menor
There’s a notion that the OT7 champs trot out a roster that does not have a lot FBS expertise on it for these occasions however that definitely is just not the case. There’s additionally formally a brand new Energy 4 prospect on that roster in rising-sophomore extensive receiver Zyren Menor.
This system’s main move catcher was inconceivable to overlook because the occasion wore on, beating defenders down the sector with velocity as a lot as he discovered the outlet within the zone to snag a rating.
The robust route-running and even higher fingers Menor showcased led to a proposal from the Miami Hurricanes earlier than Lo Professional traveled again to the West Coast.
