Dawgs answer the call at Showcase Football in Houston
Showcase Football pulled up to Houston, TX May 1st and 2nd- again the event didn’t disappoint. Numerous athletes from the Southwest participated in hopes of impressing America’s Top Scout with the goal of bolstering their recruitment.
Little Rock (AR) WR Jalon Smith tweeted, “Thanks for the opportunity/invite to show my skills. It really boosted my confidence for the season.”
Showcase kicked off with Saturday’s Quarterback Challenge. 50 signal callers worked under the watchful eye of Executive Director- Keith Miller and were tutored by long-time QB gurus Vince Passas and Andrew Banua. Denton Ryan (TX) ‘23 QB Khalon Davis emerged as the Top Dog in attendance.
Davis showed anticipation, accuracy, and aptitude way beyond his years, while also displaying high character traits and leadership qualities. Davis was followed by a couple ‘24 prospects that flashed during Saturday’s session.
McKinney (TX) QB Owen Fann was consistent delivering the ball on time and on target. Fann was deadly on the move and showed-off a sick off-platform game. Another ‘24 that caught the attention of coaches was ‘24 Garland (TX) dual threat Godspower Nwawuihe; he was easily the most explosively athletic QB in attendance but also threw the ball well in drills.
Abilene (TX) ‘25 QB Keegan Anderson started off slow but found his groove later in the day and ended making the top performers list. All the way from Alabama ‘27 QB Vernon Slaughter displayed rare poise and mental toughness. Although undersized and overmatched compared to the competition, Slaughter battled his way into two day with consistent effort and improvement. Harker Heights (TX) ‘23 QB Amontae Allen deserves mention as well with his dual threat capability,
Sunday’s Showcase started off with a bang as the OL/DL phase kicked off first. Players were measured and tested before amping up the energy in individual and group drills. The offensive line was led by Red River (LA) ‘22 OL Ashanti Cole Jr. The versatile prospect didn’t lose a rep, showed great foot speed and flexibility and competed with a hard edge. Cole Jr. can play all 5 positons on the offensive line if need be but if he kicked inside could be the top center prospect in the country or a Top 10 OG.
Woodlands of College Park ‘22 OG Cobe Williams was a man inside. He mirrored interior rushers and punched them out of their pass rush lane. Tomball Memorial ‘22 OL Anthony Crease flashed big-time potential- a jumbo athlete with good movement ability and physicality.
The top underclassmen came from Jenks (OK) in ‘25 Jesse Jones Jr. He was physical at the point and used his length to keep pass rushers at bay. Dutchtown (LA) ‘23 OL Ethan Fields was the top testing performer of the group measuring a verified 6’4 318 with 80-inch wingspan and running 5.57 in the 40.
The defensive line had a great day and it started with the energy and intensity of coach Jashaun Gillam, a local line coach in Houston that played alongside Miller in the SWAC at Alabama State University.
The Most Outstanding Player award went to McCalla (AL) ‘22 DT Curtis Weatherspoon. He was a man inside using power, quickness, finesse, hand moves and everything else to whip the opposition.
Spring (TX) ‘23 Elijah Fields was also very dominant. Fields plays with natural leverage but also has the length and upper body strength to create separation at will. Fields also has a nice burst off the edge and tested very well.
Summer Creek (TX) ‘22 interior DL Armantie Lockhart highlighted the session with his toughness and power as he bulldozed multiple players in 1on1 drills. Ouachita Christian (AL) ‘22 DL Casey Cobb was also selected as a top performer.
The LB/RB portion of the event came second and there was no shortage of highlights from this group. Riverside Academy (LA) ‘23 RB Elijah Davis was named M.O.P at the running back position. Davis tested well, was slippery in “cat & mouse”, showed good quickness, speed and change of direction in drills and was a tough cover in 1v1 receiving drills using his speed to separate from linebackers. Davis was also physical and stout during 1v1 pass protection drills.
The biggest shock of the weekend came at the hands or feet of ‘29 RB Layden Blye Guerra. The 4th grader was adamant he wanted a chance to compete vs. the middle school competition that was at the event but ended up putting on a show during the competition portion drawing roars from the crowd. Guerra was shifty in drills and showed the advanced footwork. The Linebackers were led by M.O.P out of Atascocita (TX) ‘23 playmaker Jadon Ducos who was sideline to sideline on Sunday making an impact with his size, speed and physicality.
The day ended with the WRs and DBs in a dual event where Showcase ended and the inaugural 1v1 Challenge took center stage. Top performers include Woodlands of College Park (TX) ‘22 WR Alex Brigman who ran 4.52 and made some great plays down the field as well as Harker Heights ‘22 WR Marcus Maple who ran 4.54, St. Charles Catholic (LA) DB Kaden Foster, Alamo Heights (TX) ‘22 WR Diego Reynolds, San Antonian (TX) ‘23 WR Ricky Gonzalez, Westside (TX) ‘22 DB Josiah Scott, Dickson (TX) ‘24 DB Nicholas Peace and the nation’s top ‘24 WR MacArthur (TX) Jason Robinson lll.
The inaugural 1v1 Challenge featured new saucy uniforms for the players and the WRs took that drip and dominated the event. The DBs lacked in numbers and fatigue definitely got the best of them. Multiple WRs got open and finished through contact but most notably Harker Heights (TX) duo Xavier Ramos and Zechariah Sample, the aforementioned Ricky Gonzalez and Jason Robinson lll.
The winner of the 1v1 Challenge for underclassmen was ‘25 WR Jadyn Robinson. The younger Robinson was in his bag all day long and brought out his best vs. the top competition. Robinson used a plethora of hesitations and head fakes to put DBs on their toes as he came out of his breaks to snag balls or simply run by people. The 8th grader was very impressive and will definitely be a force at the High School level in a matter of months.
The upperclassmen looked great and competed well as the event concluded. Ponchatula (LA) ‘22 WR Kody Finley walked away as the Winner of the 1v1 Challenge. Finley was basically unguardable the entire event and when he was guarded he went up, over the top of defenders. He used creative footwork in his releases to keep defenders off balance and showed off his long stride in the open field.
Clear Springs (TX) DB Keelan Morgan was outstanding in coverage. He challenged routes from off-coverage, separated wideouts from the ball and came away with his fair shares of interceptions on the day.
