Day 2 of Atlanta Pylon 7-on-7 tournament: Top performers

EMERSON – Day two at Pylon’s Atlanta event saw some new faces come to the forefront. A few blue-chip prospects made the trip after taking visits on Saturday. A few new names stepped up as games started to count on Sunday.

We came away impressed with two quarterbacks on Sunday. We couldn’t break the tie, so we gave out a pair of co-MVPs.

On3 Co-MVPs QB K.J. Jackson (2024) and QB Christian Cotton (2023)

Montgomery (Ala.) St. James School quarterback K.J. Jackson was solid on Saturday. He continued that trend on Sunday. Jackson led multiple touchdowns and showcased his big left arm all day on Sunday.

Jackson has offers from Kentucky, Penn State, Louisville and Ole Miss among others. He doesn’t have a ranking as of now in On3’s rankings. His 7-on-7 coach Adrian Steele feels the rising junior is still underrated.

“I think he’s the most underrated quarterback in America,” Steele told On3. “His film matches everything. He drives the ball down the field. He can do everything you can imagine. I don’t understand what the question is. At the end of the day, his IQ is high and he’s a true 16-year-old.”

The other half of the two-player MVP award is also a quarterback. St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet quarterback Christian Cotton helped his ESA team to the tournament championship on Sunday.

Cotton doesn’t have any known offers but on Sunday he performed like a championship quarterback. He was consistent all day.

Cotton threw the ball deep, short, intermediately and made winning plays down the stretch. I don’t remember seeing one turnover from Cotton in the two days at the event as they battled through a strong portion of the bracket.

2. DB Bryce Thornton (2023)

Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton defensive back Bryce Thornton has been hot on the recruiting trail recently. He’s added offers from Alabama, Clemson among others in the last few weeks.

He carried that momentum and swagger to the field on Sunday. He showed up and picked off two passes before his team fell in the early rounds on Sunday.

Thornton’s Recruiting Prediction Machine leaders are Auburn, Alabama and Clemson at the moment. All three programs are tied with a 24.7 percent chance to land Thornton who is considered a three-star at the moment by the On3 Consensus rankings.

3. ATH Joseph Stone Jr. (2024)

Loganville (Ga.) Grayson rising athlete Joseph Stone Jr. showed up fresh off his Clemson visit yesterday and made a splash early in the day. Stone is the No. 64 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings for the class of 2024.

Stone scored in multiple ways on Sunday. He caused a stir with a nice stop and stutter that sent a defender tripping in the opposite direction.

Stone lined up everywhere on offense. He played running back, slot receiver and outside receiver. That versatility has been one of the traits that have got college coaches giddy about the possibilities in their offenses.

4. QB Christopher Vizzina (2023)

Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood quarterback Christopher Vizzina made a few tight throws and placed the ball well throughout the day on Sunday.

He threw the ball with pop like he did the first day. Vizzina is the No. 40 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings for the class of 2023. Clemson holds a lead in the RPM over Notre Dame with a 54 percent chance to land the four-star.

5. QB Marcel Reed (2023)

Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell quarterback Marcel Reed showcased the entire toolkit on Saturday and Sunday. He threw on the move, he showed leadership and he showed patience waiting for receivers to come open after looking through a few progressions.

Reed is the No. 350 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings. Tennessee, Florida and Georgia all have a 16.9 percent chance of landing Reed according to RPM.

6. EDGE Caleb Herring (2023)

Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale edge Caleb Herring again showcased athleticism by playing middle linebacker during Pylon Atlanta of the weekend.

He projects as an edge in college but he ran stride-for-stride with multiple running backs and slots all afternoon on Sunday. Herring is the No. 65 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings for the class of 2023. He added an offer from Georgia following Saturday’s performance in Atlanta.

Tennessee currently holds a lead in Herring’s RPM.

7. ATH K.J. Bolden (2024)

Buford (Ga.) rising junior athlete K.J. Bolden was in Clemson on Saturday and missed pool play. He, like Stone, showed up sporting Clemson gloves.

Bolden is the No. 7 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings for the class of 2024. He played strong in coverage on Sunday breaking up a few passes and picking off one after a few hands got on the ball.

Bolden’s learning to be a leader and communicator on any back in he steps into. On Sunday he and Caleb Downs manned the same back end with Bolden barking signals alongside Downs.

8. TE Jelani Thurman (2023)

Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes’ tight end Jelani Thurman was easy to spot. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame turned heads in warm-ups. Thurman scored on his first snap of the day on a long touchdown.

He is the No. 144 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus rankings. Thurman has recently seen an uptick in offers from Auburn and Florida among others. Florida State currently holds an edge in his RPM rating with a 44.9 percent chance of landing the four-star.

9. CB Christian Gray (2023)

Saint Louis (Mo.) DeSmet cornerback Christian Gray came away with On3’s MVP award on day one. He wasn’t tested much on Sunday. He did have an interception that sealed a victory in the early rounds of bracket play.

Gray’s team came away with the championship trophy in the end. Gray’s RPM leader is Notre Dame at 91 percent.

10. DB R.J. Johnson (2023)

McDonough (Ga.) Eagles Landing Christian Academy defensive back R.J. Johnson joined a loaded secondary and made plays when he got his opportunities.

He intercepted a pass late in a game to give his team a chance to rally.

Johnson has 28 offers as of now. Florida, LSU, Ole Miss are among some of the early offers.