Football Recruiting 2013: Star Recruits Shine At Orlando Nike Camp

Caleb Brantley is one of the top defensive tackle recruits not only in Florida, but in the country. Out of Crescent City (Fla.) High School, Brantley holds offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, USC and, of course, Florida, the school to which Brantley committed in late January.

But as Brantley recently told Zach Abolverdi in DT Brantley now a soft verbal to UF, will take visits, he may have rushed his decision to commit during junior day:

The recent Orlando Nike Football Training Camp (NFTC) was loaded with top prospects, including many from the class of 2014. One of those underclassmen was tight end recruit Milan Richard, of Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day School. Calvary is a small school in Georgia’s 1A football classification, but it has produced top recruits before, including former Georgia Bulldog Demarcus Dobbs.

Richard measured in at 6’2.5” inches and 227 pounds at the NFTC. I noticed Richard almost immediately, and was quickly informed by another recruiting analyst that Richard was the nephew of Georgia great Herschel Walker. Richard has excellent size for the tight end position, and is 16 years old, meaning that he is now one of those 18-year-old junior types.

Ryan Green of St. Pete (Fla.) Catholic is one of the top running back recruits in the country. The consensus four-star measures in at 5’10” and 195 pounds. After showcasing excellent speed, quickness and fluidity in winning the running back MVP award and an invite to Nike’s The Opening at the Orlando Nike Camp (NFTC), Green spoke with SB Nation.

“The competition was great. Everyone is out here giving it their all trying to make it to the opening. It definitely pushed me to work harder,” Green said of the other top players at the event.

The recent Orlando Nike Football Training Camp (NFTC) brought out many of the top stars in the state. Previously, I profiled the top members of the class of 2013. Now the attention turns to the underclassmen.

A pair of 2014 offensive linemen stood out in Tampa Catholic’s Corey Martinez and Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake’s Mason Cole. Martinez is 6’4 and 290 pounds, and he physically looks college ready. He projects as a guard at the college level, and showed good strength in one-on-ones and drills. Martinez already claims an offer from USF.

Leon McQuay III of Seffner (Fla.) Armwood High School is rated as one of the better defensive backs in the country. He is a consensus four-star recruit and holds more than 20 offers.

And on Sunday at the Orlando NFTC, McQuay backed up that ranking with an impressive performance, earning the defensive back MVP award and an invite to Nike’s “The Opening,” an all-star event held in July at the Nike facilities in Oregon. McQuay spoke with SB Nation after the event.

Laremy Tunsil is one of the top recruits in the country at any position. The 6’6”, 295 pound tackle out of Lake City (Fla.) Columbia High School holds offers from almost every major BCS program in the country and is a consensus five-star prospect. Tunsil is both a very good football player and a very promising recruit, with lots of impressive athleticism and plenty of room to pack on additional strength in a college weight program. After an impressive showing at the Orlando NFTC that earned him an invite to Nike’s The Opening, Tunsil stopped to chat with SB Nation.

“They made me work, they really made me work,” Tunsil said of the competition at the NFTC. He was defeated a handful of times, but did win most of his reps. “Devin Washington got me once or twice. He said he studied my film and knew my outside game was weak. I was like, ‘yeah, you got me on that’,” said Tunsil of the 2013 Orlando Jones High defensive end recruit. “[Jumbo defensive end recruit] Demarcus Walker got me once as well,” Tunsil said.