ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

At the end of the March, Washington (Pa.) High running back Shai McKenzie cut his list of more than 30 offers to 15. He's just about ready to snip that list in half once again.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound back is looking to name a top seven soon, most likely after summer trips to Georgia, Georgia Tech and possibly Florida State. He knows two teams that are in great shape to make the cut already.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Hillcrest High School linebacker Keith Holcombe waited patiently for the recruiting process to begin. He received his first offer from Jacksonville State last fall, but that was it. He still wasn’t hearing from anybody.

Then, the spring rolled around, and schools began to take notice of the 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect. Holcombe added six new offers, and college coaches were coming by every day during spring practice.

“It’s been different,” he said. “At first I was kind of down on myself. My dad kept saying it would come at this point, and when this point rolled around, nothing happened. Now it’s starting to pick up. I’m trying not to let it all get to my head.”

Georgia Tech was the first BCS program to offer, followed by North Carolina State. On Monday, Holcombe picked up an offer from Kentucky, his first SEC offer.

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There was a time when news of a rising junior with an offer was reason to pause and take a second look at why college coaches thought enough of such a young prospect to extend a scholarship. Just a few years ago, summer camps and the fall season were primarily seen as opportunities for seniors to earn offers from BCS programs. Now the recruiting landscape has changed immensely, and 2016 cornerback Chad Clay (Marietta, Ga./Walton) is a prime example.

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ACWORTH, GA – The evaluation period is intended for assistant coaches to hit the road to check out potential future additions for their program. While sometimes the stops can be more about being seen than actual evaluation, that was not the case for safety Cameron Albright (Acworth, Ga./North Cobb) on Thursday.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound defensive back looked over his shoulder during warmups to see University of Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and secondary coach Scott Lakatos. The two assistants eyed Albright’s every move for over an hour.

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MOBILE, Ala. -- Murphy High School was hit by a tornado on Christmas Day, forcing students to attend class in trailers outside of a local middle school, but that hasn’t stopped college coaches from coming to see 2014 defensive end Taylor Stallworth.

On Wednesday, Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof made a stop at the new location and offered the 6-foot-3, 270-pound prospect.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Offensive tackle Dyshon Sims (Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes) awoke from a post-practice nap to find out that a longtime dreams of his had come true.

“I was actually sleeping around 9:30 when I got an alert on my phone from my Facebook account that I had gotten a message,” Sims said. “It was from the offensive line coach, Coach [Will] Friend. So I called him and he said they were offering me a full scholarship to come play at the University of Georgia.”

The 6-foot-4, 278-pound junior was taken aback.

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JEFFERSON, Ga. -- A bystander watching Preston Williams (Lovejoy, Ga./Lovejoy) warm up at the Georgia state track and field championships simply said, “Who is that guy?” Williams stood on the edge of the long jump pit -- where he was challenging for a state title as only a sophomore -- and exploded with a flat-footed jump to the middle of the pit, reaching a height and distance that turned heads.

As did his outfit. Williams wore blindingly bright yellow shoes, mismatched socks (one was a multi-colored, neon leopard print, while the other was decorated with cupcakes), cut-off camouflage sweat pants over black leggings and a Lovejoy t-shirt. The ensemble was topped off with a gray scarf that would look great on a 78-year-old retiree from Boca Raton but seemed out of place wrapped around Williams’ noggin as a headband.

“This is my look,” Williams said. “My jumping look -- I am exotic.”

While his fashion is eclectic, the true answer to who Williams is a lot more complicated.

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ATHENS, Ga. -– ESPN 150 athlete Malkom Parrish (Quitman, Ga./Brooks County) visited Georgia on Friday, talking with the coaches and trying to avoid the rain as he was shown around campus. The gloomy weather didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the Bulldogs’ program, as Georgia gave him the red-carpet treatment.

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Georgia Tech assistant Andy McCollum was at Brooks County on Wednesday to check on ESPN 150 athlete Malkom Parrish (Quitman, Ga./Brooks County).

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BUFORD, Ga. -- ESPN Watch List defensive end Lorenzo Carter (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) credits his blindingly pink socks and highlighter yellow shoelaces with helping him win the defensive lineman MVP award at the Atlanta NFTC on Saturday.

The award came with a brilliant gold dog tag that complemented his outfit. But what really caught Carter’s eye, and fashion sense, was the big gold box that he was handed that contained his invitation to The Opening.

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Editor's note: Finding the Future is a RecruitingNation feature that will appear throughout camps and combine season, ranking prospects strictly on their on-field performance at the particular event. It does not reflect where each will land when the class is ranked by ESPN.

BUFORD, Ga. -- The NFTC was loaded with top upperclassmen prospects on Sunday, but a handful of 2015 prospects showed they could compete with some of the top older competition in the state.

1. 2016 CB Khalil Ladler
5-foot-11, 175 pounds
Stephenson (Ga.) H.S.

Considering: Has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Charlotte, South Florida and Cincinnati

What we learned: Ladler could pass for a rising senior, which is why the offers are rolling in for the young freshman. His position coaches were stunned to find out that he was two years younger than most of the other defensive backs at the NFTC. Also, it is not just his size that commands attention. Ladler displayed refined techniques that prospects work for years to develop.

“Ladler is promising," ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert said. "Look at his frame: he is long and lengthy. He is very smooth. In a cornerback group that had some good 2014 guys, he was in that next level of guys jumping out. He has all of the natural tools, and with that type of size already, as well as being quick and smooth, he is certainly a guy to watch. From what I saw he was one of the better secondary players here.”

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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect what their overall prospect ranking will be when the 2014 rankings are unveiled this spring.

BUFORD, Ga. – With 276 players taking part in the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp on Saturday, there were dozens of prospects in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes who had already been offered by FBS programs. Six of the participants were awarded invitations to the The Opening later the summer.

10. Terronne Prescod
Lithonia (Ga.) Columbia |OG|6-foot-4, 320 pounds

The offensive linemen at the Atlanta NFTC were not an overly impressive group, but Prescod stood out, not just because of his hairstyle. He locked up and drove back multiple defensive tackles and showed an impressive base.

Prescod is approaching 10 offers, and has scholarship opportunities with Missouri, Ole Miss and Virginia. At the moment, Prescod says Missouri is standing out. Watch out for Auburn if they offer, as they seem to be the school he feels most at home with right now.

Craig Haubert’s take: “Prescod did a nice job in the offensive line group that was not among the strongest at the NFTC this year. He showed good bend and strong punch and he has outstanding size, both in height and bulk.”

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When recruiting a skill player from outside the Southeast, SEC coaches are going to want to know one thing: “Does he have SEC speed?”

Manalapan (N.J.) High School receiver Saeed Blacknall has it.

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When Stanford and Vanderbilt offered ESPN Watch List athlete Montae Nicholson (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), it immediately caught his attention. Both programs have the athletics, but more importantly the academics, he is looking for in a school.

“I understand there’s life after football,” Nicholson said. “If I’m blessed enough to make it to the NFL, I’ll be done by the time I’m 35 if I’m lucky. So I have 25 years after that until I retire.”

Academics will only be part of the equation for Nicholson, whose recruitment has a very local flavor despite offers from all over the country.

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