UA Next Camp Series: Atlanta Top Performers

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Well over 100 of the top prospects in the Southeast converged on Denmark High School too take part in the Atlanta stop of the Under Armour Next Series. The event featured dozens of blue-chip prospects from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 cycles.

On3 was on hand for what was a wet and chilly event. Here are On3’s top performers from the day, headlined by a 2024 pass rusher.

On3 MVP: EDGE KingJoseph Edwards (2024)

KingJoseph Edwards earns the nod as On3 MVP after putting together what was the most complete day from start to finish. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder impressed in with quick, explosive movements in footwork drills. When the bags came out, he promptly showed off active and violent hands. Those skills crossed over to the 1-on-1 portion of the day where Edwards put together a number of impressive wins against offensive tackles. He won his first rep with a quick first step and high-level inside move. He also showed some speed to power and pop on contact in following reps. Edwards was also singled out as a standout performer by Under Armour defensive line coach Nathan O’Neal following the event. The 2024 prospect holds offers from the likes of Texas A&M, Texas, Florida State, Tennessee, Arkansas and several others. He’s transferred to powerhouse Buford (Ga.) High after playing his sophomore season at Hebron Christian Academy.

2. DL T.J. Searcy

T.J. Searcy immediately caught our eye in going through drills with the defensive line group. The Thomaston (Ga.) Upson-Lee standout stood out from a frame and stature standpoint at 6-foot-6 and around 240 pounds. Searcy is very flexible and fluid for his size. He was easily able to sit on his feet in flexibility drills. The coordination continued to show up in drills. In 1-on-1’s, Searcy showed some of the best bend and curvilinear movement of the group. He dipped his shoulder in getting around the edge for what constituted a win in 1-on-1’s. Searcy is currently ranked as a defensive lineman, but he could easily end up an EDGE at the next level. Florida State and South Carolina are among the programs in pursuit. The top 100 prospect also holds offers from the likes of Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee.

3. TE Jelani Thurman

Jelani Thurman was the tallest pass catcher on hand and showed off what was likely the largest catch radius at the event. The Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes product looked very comfortable running with the receivers at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. Thurman won a number of 1-on-1 reps against defensive backs and was able to use his long arms, size and movement skills to create mismatches. He holds a number of Power Five offers including tenders from the likes of Ohio State, Texas, Miami, LSU, Oregon, Florida State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

4. DB Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs entered the event as the top-rated prospect. Simply put, Downs lived up to his five-star status. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was an effortless mover in defensive back drills. He is very smooth in coverage drills and showed off the best backpedal of all the defensive backs we watched – particularly impressive considering Downs is a safety prospect when compared to top corners. Downs is well-built with a developed lower body and also showed natural ball skills. He would’ve been in the running for On3 MVP, but we did not catch him taking 1-on-1 reps. Downs holds offers from most of college football’s elite. Georgia currently leads in his RPM.

Five-star safety Caleb Downs going through drills @UANextFootball Atlanta camp https://t.co/qV39evQdyl https://t.co/hp9WxDbSOH pic.twitter.com/mcx23SOSLR

— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) February 27, 2022

5. WR Ayden Williams

Ayden Williams gets the nod as the top performer among receivers in large part due to his effortless ball skills. Williams had the best ball skills that we saw among all pass catchers on hand. The 6-foot-2 190-pounder is an effortless plucker of the football. He cruised through the gauntlet drill in impressive fashion and caught every ball we saw thrown his way with arms extended and soft hands. Williams also won a number of 1-on-1 reps. He is not a burner when it comes to top-end speed but showed some encouraging change of direction and quickness within his routes. In-state Ole Miss currently leads in the Ridgeland (Miss.) product’s RPM.

6. RB Kameron Davis – Florida State (2024)

The running back group was very deep. Kameron Davis separated himself in earning Top Performer status due to his showing in 1-on-1’s. The Florida State commit won the most reps we saw of the running backs. Davis as a compact, filled-out build at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds and was a natural in passing portions of the day. Davis was deadly on angle and out-and-up routes. He used his burst and change of direction to create easy separation on opposing linebackers and finished with solid, reliable hands. The Albany (Ga.) Dougherty product committed to Florida State almost exactly one year ago.

7. WR Noah Rogers

Noah Rogers entered the event as the top-ranked receiver prospect on hand and lived up to that lofty status. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder made the long drive down from Rolesville, North Carolina to compete against some of the nation’s best. Rogers had no issues with ball skills and was among the more explosive receivers throughout drills and 1-on-1’s. The top 100 prospect used his speed to get behind defensive backs for a some wins in 1-on-1’s and made a few extended grabs. Rogers has a plethora of Power Five offers with NC State currently leading in his RPM.

8. RB Justice Haynes

Justice Haynes was the top running back throughout drills and looked the part of a top 100 prospect and one of the better backs nationally in the 2023 cycle. The Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity product has a compact, rocked up build with a refined skill set. Haynes excelled in routes on air make a few impressive grabs after adjusting to poorly thrown passes. We always closely watch how top backs catch the ball in these camp settings and Haynes looked good in that regard. Similar to Downs, Haynes would be slotted higher in this order had we seen him go through 1-on-1’s. Georgia currently leads in Haynes’ RPM. He is the son of former Georgia and NFL running back Verron Haynes.

9. DB Avieon Terrell

Avieon Terrell looks to have made some progression since we’ve last seen him. The Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake product looks a little taller and continued to show a refined coverage skill set. Terrell was smooth in drills and plays with an advanced technical acuity. He also impressed in 1-on-1’s we saw, showing the ability to read receivers hips and stay in-phase on downfield routes. Terrell is the younger brother of former Clemson star and All-Pro cornerback A.J. Terrell. Clemson leads in his RPM.

10. OT Monroe Freeling

The offensive line was among the deeper position groups on hand. While offensive lineman jumped out with a truly dominant performance from start to finish, the group featured a number of big-framed athletes. Monroe Freeling gets the slightest of nods for the final spot here due to his showing in drills. The 6-foot-6, 280-pounder has a lean, well-proportioned build and showed the best feet among the group. Freeling took a pair of 1-on-1 reps as a guard against a 6-foot defensive lineman that he might want back. But we still liked his overall body of work on the day. Clemson and Notre Dame are among the programs in pursuit of the Mount Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate product.

Additional notes

*** As noted above, the offensive line group was deep with talent. Georgia commit Bo Hughley may have been the tallest and longest offensive tackle on hand. Hughley had a few solid reps in 1-on-1’s. He’s still raw technically, but the upside is apparent. On300 offensive tackle Wilkin Formby has excellent size and a big frame. Formby is a light-footed mover at 6-foot-7, 300 pounds. We thought four-star guard Madden Sanker moved better in this setting than he does on junior video. That could be due to his weight being a bit lower than the season. Sanker is a top wrestler and has to cut to get to 285 pounds. He looked noticeably lighter on his feet on Sunday. Trovon Baugh has seen his stock rise significantly over the past month with several Power Five offers coming his way. Baugh looked the part of an ascending prospect at guard during the event. Georgia commit RyQueze McElderry is not as tall as listed – he looks much closer to 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3, but had a few great 1-on-1 reps against fellow Alabama native Hunter Osborne. 2024 offensive tackle Josiah Thompson caught our eye with his footwork and movement skills in drills.

*** Dontavius Braswell and Jeremiah Cobb were two more running backs who made a strong case as top performers. Braswell may have been the fastest back on hand. His 10.75 speed in the 100 meters showed up in the camp context on Sunday. The Sandersville (Ga.) Washington County product caught the ball well in 1-on-1’s, as well. Cobb similarly looked explosive throughout the day. We saw the Montgomery (Ala.) Montgomery Catholic back use his top end speed to get vertical on linebackers on several occasions.

*** The linebacker group as a whole did not fair well in 1-on-1’s and was probably among the lighter positions when it came to top prospects on hand. With that said, we liked what we saw from On300 linebacker CJ Allen. The Barnesville (Ga.) Lamar County product is a twitched-up athlete at linebacker and runs very well. Touted 2024 linebacker Sammy Brown was also on hand and looks the part physically. Brown did not have his best day in coverage but looks to be a strong athlete.

*** Adonijah Green was among the longer, leaner pass rushers on hand. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound On300 prospect has a ways to go from a bulk standpoint but impressed with his movement skills and considerable length. The Louisville commit also drew good reviews from the Under Armour coaching staff. 2024 four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham was a standout in drills. He tapered off a bit in 1-on-1’s but moved well at his size. Four-star defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett had a few impressive reps in 1-on-1’s, showing some power in pushing the center back to the quarterback.

*** Two top two-way 2024 prospects from Alabama also caught our eye. Mario Craver worked at wide receiver and got open deep for a long touchdown in 1-on-1’s. Jaylen Mbakwe worked at corner and looked like an explosive athlete.