Bootleggers Invitational: Standouts from a loaded event at Pelican Park
MANDEVILLE, LA | On Saturday, just outside of New Orleans at Pelican Park in Mandeville, nearly two dozen teams took part in one of the hottest tournaments of the Pylon season. With a spot in the national championships in June on the line, teams were fighting for their chance to make it to Atlanta.
In the end, Air Raid defeated the Louisiana Bootleggers in their home state, clinching their spot in the finals. There were several standouts. Here are the top 20, listed in alphabetical order.
Team: Fast Houston
The Latest: Benjamin is still looking for his first offer. After seeing him in person, I'm not sure what the in-state schools in the Lonestar State are waiting for.
Benjamin was solid in both zone and man-to-man coverage, fighting through several pick plays, and making plays on the ball. His first offer can't be far away, especially now that the evaluation period has begun.
Team: Mississippi Grind
The Latest: Black was the best player at the tournament prior to injuring his shoulder on multiple occasions. Black, who committed to Ole Miss earlier this month, was dominant on both sides of the ball.
Whether or not he is able to remain fast enough to play safety at the next level, he definitely has the instincts and closing speed to do so. If not, he'll end up at OLB, where Ole Miss should never feel uncomfortable leaving him in coverage.
Team: Louisiana Bootleggers
The Latest: Burdine was impressive all day in coverage, and his offer list is just as impressive 8-10 months away from signing day. Burdine was consistently around the ball, and at times had opposing quarterbacks thinking twice before throwing in his direction.
He's got offers from Kansas and Mississippi State, among others, and Ole Miss might not be far from joining them.
Team: Fast Houston
The Latest: Caldwell, who has been committed to Oregon for quite some time, showed why the staff in Eugene is so thrilled about having him as a leader in this class on Saturday. Caldwell was all over the field, and made opposing offenses pay when throwing his way.
Team: Louisiana Bootleggers
The Latest: Where to start with Jordan Clark? First, he's celebrating a birthday today, just hours after helping lead his team to the championship game. Clark's skillset was on full display, and he's also one of the better "noise" talkers in the country.
Clark's got offers from all over the country, and has taken recent trips to both Pitt and Arizona State. Expect a full update on Clark later this week.
Team: Louisiana Bootleggers
The Latest: Douglas is listed as a QB on his Rivals profile, but I will be the first person to tell you that he won't play behind center at the next level. Douglas is someone who's stock is expected to rise dramatically between now and the kickoff of his senior season. He's as explosive as they come, and made defenders miss all day.
Toledo, Tennessee, Tulane, and Southern Miss have all offered thus far.
Team: CoastLine Stars
The Latest: Jonavan, who is cousins with fellow 2020 George County (Miss.) DT McKinnley Jackson, is making a name for himself more and more every time I see him. Jonavan has the ability to high-point the ball that you don't see as much from WR in that area, and has an advanced knowledge of a route tree for someone who is only a sophomore in HS.
CoastLine didn't have the performance they were hoping for, but Jackson put on a show when he was given the chance.
Team: Burch Sports
The Latest: Burch Sports, a team from Jacksonville, was extremely impressive in pool play, but lost early on in bracket play. Logan was one of the more aggressive players of any team on Saturday, and his final stats speak for themselves. He, like Clark, was a very good trash talker. Logan's physicality would transfer well in the ACC, but I could also see an SEC school getting into the picture before too long.
Logan's offer list includes Miami, Boston College, and Minnesota among others currently.
Team: Mississippi Grind
The Latest: Mason is probably the best player in Mississippi on the offensive side of the ball in the class of 2020, and he continued to show progression on Saturday. Mason has the size needed to play in the SEC, and continues to improve as a route runner as his Jr. season approaches.
It's not everyday you see a recruit as talented as Mason is at Jackson Academy.
His early offer list includes Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas. He'll be a 25+ offer guy.
Team: Louisiana Bootleggers
The Latest: Moore is one of those recruits, that he's been so talented for so long, that sometimes you begin to take it for granted. He's been on the radar at some schools for years, and he never lets his team down. Saturday was no different.
Moore's early offer list includes Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee, as well as Ole Miss.
Team: Dominate the Day
The Latest: Moses was the most impressive performer from Dominate the Day, and it wasn't particularly close. Moses excelled in coverage, and at some points teams were avoiding his side of the field entirely. His size makes me think he ends up at safety at the next level, despite being listed as a corner.
For someone with his size, he possesses good speed, and will make some coaching staff very happy come NSD 2019.
South Alabama and SMU are the two man offers for Moses right now, with interest coming from LSU, Arkansas State, and Tulane.
Team: Team Texas Elite
The Latest: Omeire has the type of frame and body that coaching staffs around the country covet.. he's finishing up his sophomore year at Austin HS in Texas. Omeire abused opposing defensive backs with his size all day. It wouldn't be shocking to see him end up with the body of a TE by the time his senior season rolls around. He was a treat to watch.
His offer list includes Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M among several others.
Team: Air Raid
The Latest: Coming into the weekend, I had heard Price's name mentioned, but it wasn't in the same stratosphere as what his performance on Saturday warranted. Air Raid won the championship, and Price was a key piece in that victory. His ball skills are second to none, and it's not like he wasn't doing it on a big stage against elite competition.
Price holds offers from Kansas and Boston College, but other offers can't be far away, especially from the local schools.
Team: Mississippi Grind
The Latest: Rogers continues to get better every time I see him throw. Compared to when I saw him last season as a sophomore at Brandon, his mechanics are night and day 100x more effective.
While he's still waiting for his first offer, with the evaluation period getting underway and Brandon beginning spring practice this coming week, He might not be waiting much longer. Currently, he's the best 2020 QB in the state of Mississippi.
Team: Mississippi Heat
The Latest: Short is the latest Callaway ATH to begin making his name known early on in the process. He made several plays on the ball, and though they weren't able to advance as far in bracket play as they would have liked, Short stood out on a consistent basis.
Mississippi Heat is in its first year of existence, but they held their own in Mandeville.
Short has interest from schools like Southern Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, and LSU.
Team: Mississippi Grind
The Latest: Stanley committed to Ole Miss as a hybrid LB/S and he showed the ability to play that against some of the region's best. The thing with Stanley that wasn't fully known (at least imo) until this weekend, was that Stanley has the ability to perform all over the field, and as he continues to think faster, his upside will continue to shine brighter.
While his home at the next level is on defense, Stanley will have a chance this season at Brandon to make an impact on the offensive side of the ball.
Team: Air Assualt
The Latest: Wolfe's grown a lot since he first committed to Ole Miss back before his junior season. Wolfe is now nearly 6-foot-3, and he uses his height to his advantage in coverage. While I'd like to see him in press coverage more often, Wolfe looked very comfortable in zone coverage.
Wolfe has an official visit to Colorado coming up next week, and is planning on taking his time before making his next (and final) commitment.
Team: Southern Xpress
The Latest: Yowe is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential, and he continued to show the flashes of a future SEC player, despite the team struggling for the most part on Saturday. He made several plays on the ball, and he has the versatility needed to excel in the 7v7 setting.
Mississippi State is his only offer currently, but Alabama, Auburn, and LSU are all showing interest. Not a bad group of schools.
Other names who impressed, but do not have a Rivals Profile-
2021 Miss. QB Jackson Allen (CoastLine Stars)
2019 McAdory (Ala.) ATH Damarius Agee (Southern Xpress)
2020 Kentwood (La.) CB Cornelius Dyson (EPS Blaze)