Despite a location change from Elder High School to the Rivers Edge Indoor Sports Complex in Cleves, Ohio, due to weather, the Under Armour All-America Camp occurred on Sunday, involving what was scheduled to be a massive showcase of Ohio State prospects.
Offensive line commitments Jakob James and Trey Leroux both competed and led the offensive line group, while several other 2020, 2021 and 2022 targets opened eyes as well, including Princeton High School linebacker Jaheim Thomas.
These are five takeaways from the day.
Drake Maye and Braiden McGregor Honored
Like The Opening Regional in Massillon, Michigan four-star defensive end Braiden McGregor was honored with a “golden ticket” to Orlando to play in the UA All-America Game. McGregor is the No. 11 defensive end in the 2020 class and has had strong showings in both camps he’s participated in in the last month.
On two occasions, McGregor has faced top offensive tackles head-to-head and won at least one rep – a couple against 2020 No. 35 offensive tackle Grant Toutant on Sunday and a couple against 2021 No. 15 offensive tackle Blake Fisher on March 31 at The Opening Regional.
McGregor plans to visit Ohio State before he commits.
The second rep pic.twitter.com/FvLmqdDuyx
— Taylor Lehman (@TaylorRLehman) April 14, 2019
North Carolina 2021 quarterback and Ohio State target Drake Maye was invited to the Under Armour Future 50 Camp, which takes place the same week as The Under Armor All-America Game in Orlando, Florida.
Maye was one of three quarterback targets at the Under Armour All-America Camp in Cincinnati on Sunday and said he felt “great” about his performance. The high school sophomore especially excelled in the one-on-one drills, where he was throwing to wide receivers against defensive backs and running backs against linebackers.
North Carolina 2021 QB @DrakeMaye2 at the Under Armour All-America Camp in Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/eMZO8Ul9g0
— Taylor Lehman (@TaylorRLehman) April 14, 2019
The brother of North Carolina star forward Luke Maye, the No. 5 2021 quarterback stands tall in his stance and delivers the ball with good technique. His frame of 6-foot-4, 200 pounds is a bit ahead of other sophomores at his level of quarterbacking in the country, and his arm strength corresponds. Maye said he has a lot of interest in Ohio State and that it is “a great place to play quarterback.”
Jaheim Thomas
Four-star Cincinnati linebacker Jaheim Thomas was a full participant at the Under Armour camp on Sunday. He and teammate Darrion Henry were scheduled to participate, but Henry was not there.
Just a month after receiving offers from Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU and, lastly, Ohio State, Thomas showed what he can do from the linebacker position at a camp, and what was evident was his length.
Cincinnati four-star LB @JaheimThomas454 at the Under Armour All-America Camp today. pic.twitter.com/WfkjYh1yk3
— Taylor Lehman (@TaylorRLehman) April 14, 2019
The 6-foot-5 linebacker was able to move well in the position drills, but found himself using his size as a crutch in pass coverage. He said he wants to work on his hip flexibility and explosion before he graduates from Princeton High School.
In regards to where Ohio State would like to see him play, Thomas said the staff has talked to him about playing at both the defensive end and linebacker positions, depending on where he develop the most between now and when he hits the college game.
Prospects That Didn't Show
Cincinnati defensive end Darrion Henry, who was the most anticipated participant from an Ohio State perspective, did not arrive Sunday. He didn’t play in The Opening Regional at Massillon either.
Other recruits that didn’t show Sunday were Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, who is recovering from a fractured ankle last season, Groveport Madison lineman Terah Edwards and Michigan receiver Devell Washington, who both committed this weekend, Illinois quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was at an Elite 11 camp, Indiana offensive tackle Blake Fisher and Massillon wideout Jayden Ballard.
Chase Harrison Has Quite an Arm
Centerville (Ohio) High School freshman quarterback Chase Harrison has had many accolades already in his short career, and seeing him in a camp setting showed why.
The Dayton quarterback showed tremendous arm maturity, with touch that couldn’t be displayed by many of the 2020 and 2021 quarterbacks competing with him. On one occasion, Harrison threaded the ball into a receiver’s hands deep into an out route with strong defense, and on another occasion, he lofted the ball just short of the rafters – many passes were thrown to high and hit the rafters – and just long enough to fall perfectly into a running back’s hands over a linebacker.
He clearly has the trajectory to have a Big Ten-level arm by the time his graduation arrives in 2022, but he’s not quite there yet, as a freshman in high school.
Other standouts
Westerville’s Ricky Hyatt Jr. is ranked as the No. 20 prospect in Ohio, but that appears to be an underestimation. At 6-foot-2, 191 pounds, Hyatt can play the defensive back position competitively while also dropping into the linebacker spot and keeping pace with the strongest of running backs. He showed some of that athletic ability Sunday.
Hyatt told Eleven Warriors after the camp that Ohio State is talking with him and actually extended an invite to visit during the spring game Saturday, but he was preparing for the Under Armor camp, he said. The Buckeyes are approaching him as not only a safety or linebacker but also a candidate for the bullet position.
A couple other standouts include 2021 wide receiver Deion Burks out of Michigan and 2021 Georgia athlete Chief Borders. Burks showed a lot of explosiveness in and out of his releases and good body control at the end of his routes to put together one of the best receiver performances of the day.
Borders is being recruited as both a linebacker and a wide receiver, and he showed why in the one-on-one drills Sunday. Ohio State isn't talking with either of those recruits, but it's possible by the end of the 2021 cycle, the Buckeyes could reach out to at least Borders, who is expected to be one of the top athletes in the state. He said he'd be welcome to that.
