ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Everyone calls him “Pee Wee,” but not in an ironic way that you would call a big man “Tiny.” No, defensive tackle Davonte Lambert (Milledgeville, Ga./Georgia Military College) was born to that nickname.

“I was a premature baby and my auntie came up with that name when I was little, so it just stuck with me ever since,” Lambert said. “I was under five pounds.”

Now Lambert tips the scales at 280 pounds and stands 6-foot-3 atop the wish lists of a number of major college programs.

“I have offers from Georgia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State, Miami, Texas Tech -- I don’t know all of them off the top of my head,” Lambert said. “I get a ton of letters every day with a lot of handwritten ones.”

Not too shabby for a guy who didn’t get much attention in high school. Now in junior college, Lambert is enjoying the spotlight.

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It was shaping up to be an interesting recruiting battle for quarterback Brad Kaaya (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade) as Pac-12 programs eyed the 6-foot-4, 213-pound signal-caller and likely would have picked up interest this fall. But those teams won't get that opportunity, as Kaaya put an end to his recruiting process on Monday morning, as he committed to the Miami Hurricanes.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Viewers who tuned into last year’s SEC championship game were treated to an epic battle between Alabama and Georgia that was not decided until the last play of the game. It was the latest in a series of battles between schools that clash again and again on the recruiting trail, year after year. Both have targeted a sophomore defensive tackle from North Carolina. In fact, both programs offered Shy Tuttle (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) on the same day.

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JACKSON, Ala. -- The recruiting process might have started slow for Jackson High School linebacker Gavin Bryant, but it has not slowed down. This spring, he’s added offers from the likes of Florida, Miami, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, giving him close to 15 total, all in the last three months.

Still, there’s one school that stands alone at the top -- the University of Alabama.

Bryant added an offer from the Crimson Tide in February, but the staff wants to see him at camp in June before the offer becomes committable. UA assistant coach Lance Thompson came by recently and told him to be ready to compete.

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Offensive guard Tony Feo announced his signing with the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday, but he won’t be the only big man from Fullerton (Calif.) College headed across the country to play football this summer.

The Hornets will also send defensive tackle Melvin Lewis, all 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds of him, to Kentucky. Lewis held offers from Hawaii, Miami (Fla.) and Washington, but decided to take his time with the process and eventually signed with Kentucky on April 28.

The Wildcats initially made contact in late February and brought Lewis out on an official visit for their spring game April 12.

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The accolades are growing by the day for defensive tackle Garrald McDowell (Covington, La./Covington).

Becoming an Under Armour All-American, being invited to The Opening and getting ranked No. 105 in the ESPN 150 is not a bad way to start a spring.

Oklahoma has taken notice as the Sooners are the latest of many top schools to enter the race to land McDowell, who is 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds. With offers from Alabama and Florida and USC, among several others, it’s going to be a busy few months coming up for McDowell.

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Thomas Holley’s recruitment has been a lot like his most recent visit.

The ESPN 150 defensive tackle out of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Abraham Lincoln was at Penn State for the annual spring game, which was hampered by every weather condition imaginable.

“It did a little bit of everything -- rain, snow, everything -- it was crazy,” Holley said.

The first few months of his recruitment have been the same. Holley, No. 93 in the ESPN 150, has seen it all in a short time. He went from basketball prospect to first-year football player to playing just a handful of games to landing his first offer. Now he is an Under Armour All-American with more than 20 offers.

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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Ryan Davis (St. Petersburg, Fla./Northeast) came to the IMG Academy with a purpose. He was out to prove he belonged.

It didn't take too long. Weaving in and out of would-be tacklers, Davis drew some appreciation from teammates and bystanders alike.

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Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) already holds offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and a handful of other big-time programs, so he wasn’t surprised to get a new offer on Monday.

He was surprised, however, that it came from Texas. The ESPN 150 defensive tackle met with Texas offensive line coach Stacy Searels on Monday and could look into checking out what the Longhorns have to offer this summer.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 offensive tackle David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence School) has only played one full year of high school football, but the 6-foot-6, 288-pound athlete has already caught the attention of everyone in the college football recruiting world.

The No. 2-ranked tackle and No. 12 player overall said his football success has come as a surprise.

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BRADENTON, Fla. -- ESPN 150 wide receiver Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), as expected, was one of the top wideouts in attendance at the IMG 7v7 Southeast regional championships over the weekend.

The four-star wide receiver visited Michigan recently and said he enjoyed his experience in Ann Arbor.

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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 in rankings by ESPN.

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The IMG 7v7 Southeast regional championship was loaded with top upperclassmen prospects Saturday and Sunday, but a handful of 2015 prospects showed they could compete with some of the top competition in the Southeast's 2014 class.

1. 2015 CB Kevin Toliver II
6-foot-2, 183 pounds
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian

Considering: Committed to LSU

What we learned: LSU got a good one in Toliver. With the exception of Ermon Lane, the No. 1-ranked WR in the class of 2014, the Pro-Impact (Jacksonville, Fla.) defensive back dominated pretty much every receiver he went against. His long arms allow him to be physical at the line of scrimmage, and receivers have a tough time getting back into their routes. Toliver made a case for being the top defensive back in attendance, regardless of the class.

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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Some of the top prospects at the skill positions took to the fields at the IMG Academy over the weekend to participate in the 7-on-7 Southeast Regional. Here are 10 players who really stood out based upon their performances alone.

10. Kyle Gibson
Seffner (Fla.) Armwood | ATH | 6-foot, 180 pounds

The safety wasn't flashy over the course of the two-day event, but Gibson consistently seemed to be in good position to knock down pass attempts. The four-star prospect continually took the right angles on deep balls and came up aggressively on underneath routes. On day one, Gibson helped Team Tampa beat the South Florida Express Elite, which consisted of big-time wide receivers Ermon Lane and Florida State commit JoJo Robinson. Vanderbilt and Louisville are two schools standing out for Gibson. He has no timeframe on making a decision.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- ESPN 150 linebacker Tre Williams (Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s) is one of the top players in the state, so it’s no surprise that the defending national champions have made him a priority for the 2014 class.

Williams visited the University of Alabama for the their spring game this weekend.

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