Under Armour Future 50: Morning session standouts

BRADENTON, Fla. – Dozens of the nation’s top prospects are at IMG Academy this weekend for Under Armour Future 50. The on-field portion of the event kicked off on Saturday with position drills and 1-on-1s. The second session will convene on Saturday afternoon and include 7-on-7 and more 1-on-1’s with the linemen.

FULL FUTURE 50 ROSTER BREAKDOWN

On3 is out in full force at Future 50 and has some initial standouts and takeaways from the morning.

Related: Future 50 Preview | Recruiting Intel from Hotel Check-In | Future 50 Check-In All Lobby Team

WR Zachariah Branch – USC

Zachariah Branch was a standout in the morning session at Future 50 from the jump. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder effortlessly moved through positional drills and was the toughest cover in 1-on-1’s. Branch has a unique combination of agility, long speed and ball skills. The USC pledge won all or nearly all the reps we saw him take. Branch had perhaps the two best plays in 1-on-1’s of the morning session. The first came on a seam route against Ohio State commit Dijon Johnson. Branch separated and tracked a beautifully thrown ball from JJ Kohl over his shoulder for a long touchdown. Later on, we saw Branch slip on his break, get off the ground and make a diving grab on the sideline. The Las Vegas Bishop Gorman product has a complete game  is certainly among the top prospects on hand, if not the top prospect. 

EDGE Adepoju Adebawore – Oklahoma

Adepoju Adeboware was an immediate eye-catcher along with Zachariah Branch. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is the twitchiest athlete on hand. Adebawore flies through drills at full speed with palpable explosion. He has elite length with a wing-span over 7-feet and showed some highly encouraging bend and curvilinear movement in the morning session. Adebawore won most if not all of his 1-on-1’s, which is a scary proposition considering he’s still relatively new to football. We also clocked Adebawore in the 6.90 second range in the 3-cone drill. That’s an elite mark for a NFL EDGE prospect, let alone a rising senior in high school. On a field with loads of elite athletes, the new Oklahoma commit stuck out like a sore thumb. 

S Peyton Bowen – Notre Dame 

The safety group at Future 50 is absolutely loaded and looks to be most talented position at Future 50. With that said, we thought Peyton Bowen showed the most complete skill set among the group. Some of the safeties are smooth and fluid while others are explosive in their movements. Bowen is both. The 6-foot, 185 pounder has a stout build and delivered strong coverage in 1-on-1’s. He flashed some next level long speed in the fastest man competition, finishing second behind Kansas State running back commit Dylan Edwards, despite being significantly taller and heavier. The times were more than likely under 4.40 seconds. Bowen’s showing is a continuation of what we’ve seen from him on Friday nights at Denton (Texas) Guyer, where he’s a playmaker on the back end. 

EDGE Dashawn Womack – LSU

Dashawn Womack was another standout in the defensive front group that largely had its way with the offensive linemen. Womack is one of the more physically-developed EDGEs on hand, looking to be around 250 pounds. The recent LSU pledge pairs that ready-made size with explosive movements and burst off the edge. He won the majority of his 1-on-1 reps, flashing burst, speed to power and a deliberate approach with his pass rush.

OT Cayden Green – Oklahoma 

Cayden Green had the best overall morning session, particularly 1-on-1’s among the offensive linemen at Future 50. The Missouri native has a barrel-chested build and moved well at his size. Green showed some encouraging reactive quickness in 1-on-1’s en route to winning his fair share of reps. We saw Green take snaps both at tackle and on the interior – pointing to some potential positional versatility down the line. 

QB Jackson Arnold – Oklahoma

The afternoon 7-on-7 play should be most telling relative to the four quarterbacks on hand. With that said, Jackson Arnold showed the most juice on his throws in drill work. The future Sooner signal caller drove the ball to all levels of the field, similar to what saw at the Elite 11 Finals a few weeks back. Arnold has a live arm and the ball comes out hot. His consistency on a throw-to-throw basis was the best of the four quarterbacks this morning.

TE Jelani Thurman 

Jelani Thurman was the top tight end on hand in the morning session at Future 50. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder was dominant in 1-on-1 reps and made easy work of the linebackers on hand. Thurman is more smooth than explosive. He was able to separate within his routes both over the middle and down the seam. His considerable stature and length also provides a large catch radius. The son of NFL and WNBA players also has considerable room for physical growth once he gets in a college strength program. Thurman is set to announce his commitment and Ohio State is trending in his On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

DL Jordan Renaud

Jordan Renaud flashed considerable power in 1-on-1’s. He showed the strongest punch of every defensive lineman or EDGE on hand. The Tyler (Texas) Legacy product stunned opposing offensive linemen on contact with his hand strength. We saw Renaud rock back the big-bodied linemen on essentially every rep, despite being around 100 pounds lighter than each. Renaud could play anywhere from 5 to 3 technique at the college level pending his physical development and looks to have some dominant qualities as a run defender. Alabama leads in Renaud’s On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

S Javien Toviano

Javien Toviano impressed with with his fluidity and instincts both in drills and in coverage. The 6-foot, 180-pounder is super smooth in his  movements We saw Toviano effortlessly flip his hips to turn and run in drills. He later impressed with his reactive quickness and instincts in 1-on-1’s, showing the ability to anticipate and jump routes. Toviano’s On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine is split between Texas A&M, Texas and Michigan.

2024 CB Desmond Ricks

The rising junior was perhaps the top corner on hand throughout the morning session at Future 50. Desmond Ricks is technically advanced for a 2024 prospect. He’s smooth in drills and has a readymade coverage skill set. The IMG Academy corner lost a few reps but largely held his own in 1-on-1’s showing the ability to stay in-phase with some smaller, quicker receivers. 

Additional notes

+ We thought all four quarterbacks threw the ball relatively well in the morning session. Granted, it was on air, but this was perhaps the best we’ve seen five-star USC quarterback commit Malachi Nelson throw at a major event this summer. The ball was coming out of his hand cleanly with good zip and accuracy. Iowa State commit JJ Kohl was not as white hot as he was at the Elite 11 Finals, but picked it up some in 1-on-1’s and delivered a few beautiful throws. 2024 prospect Michael Van Buren more than held his own and won the accuracy competition. 

+ Clemson wide receiver commit Noble Johnson is the most muscular pass catcher on hand and impressed with his hand strength. 

+ There are not many developmental bodies among the offensive line group. The majority of the offensive linemen on hand are well over 300 pounds. Miami offensive tackle commit Francis Mauigoa looks like the clear top prospect among the bunch and carries the weight the best with his unique movement skills.

+ Texas commit Johntay Cook II is highly technical in his route-running and showed the ability to separate within his routes, including downfield. We saw Cook beat several defensive backs deep. While the separation was there, Cook had some issues with concentration, dropping a few balls including one that would’ve been for a touchdown.

+ Ayden Williams and Makai Lemon were among the best route-runners on hand. Both showed the ability to break off defensive backs in coverage. 

+ Top 50 safety Joenel Aguero has a case as the twitchiest defensive back on hand along with Peyton Bowen. Aguero may not be quite as smooth as Bowen in coverage, but the Massachusetts product is highly explosive showing a burst that carries over to the field where he’s one of the more vicious hitters in the cycle. 

+ Michigan commit Collins Acheampong has considerable upside given his 6-foot-7, 250-pound frame and movement skills. He is still in the early stages of development given his very limited experience, but was able to win reps solely off of his physical traits. 

+ Penn State defensive back commit Elliot Washington had a few strong reps in 1-on-1’s. Washington is one of the more physically-developed defensive backs on hand.

+ There’s no real way to sugarcoat it, Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Cormani McClain did not have a great morning session. The 6-foot-1.5 165-pounder had some issues staying attached in 1-on-1’s and was not as explosive getting in and out of his breaks both in drills. 

+ Miami tight end commit Riley Williams showed strong, natural hands. The recent IMG transfer lumbered a bit in his routes and may not have the largest catch radius due to arm length. 

+ Ernest Willor was a standout among the 2024 prospects, winning a number of reps in 1-on-1’s. Willor was explosive and powerful off the snap and gave four-star lineman Olaus Alinen and others issues with his pass rush.