Coaches Impressed at UA Combine

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Under Armour Combine defensive line coach Kennard Lang couldn't wait.

Of the 150 or so participants in Saturday's combine, Lang expected a talented group of D-linemen.

He wasn't disappointed.

"Man, this was a good group," Lang said. "It was exactly what I thought and I was impressed with these guys."

Leading the way were tackles Deadrin Senat (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee) and Derrick Calloway (Bradenton, Fla./ Manatee) and end Dee Liner (Muscle Shoals, Ala./Muscle Shoals).

Liner, 6-foot-3 and 255-pounds, was quick and powerful off the edge and was rarely stopped all afternoon.

"It felt real good out here," Liner said. "First, to get the invite and opportunity and to work in front of ESPN was just amazing for me. I think I performed really well and I learned a lot."

Liner, an Auburn commit, isn't worried that the Tigers are looking for a new defensive coordinator.

"Hey, I grew up an Auburn fan and I am fine with them as long as they keep their defensive line coach [Mike Pelton]," Liner said. "I love those guys and that school."

Senat and Calloway were tough in the middle and dominated opposing offensive linemen all day.

"This was a great experience for me," said Senat, who's being recruited by Miami, Oklahoma, FSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson and others. "I just told myself I had to come out here and play my best. I am just a little disappointed with what I did in the bench press but that's okay."

Senat, 6-foot-1 and 310 pounds, bench presses 400 pounds, squats 600 pounds and power cleans 315. He was hoping to break the bench press record for Under Armour combines but fell short by his own doing.

"I stopped at 32 reps [of 185 pounds]," Senat said. "I thought that was the record and I was trying to save myself. It was our first station. The other day I did 48 reps. I am real down on myself about this. Other than that I did great."

Calloway was equally impressive, showing why he will be one of the top defensive tackles in the Class of 2013 from the Sunshine State.

"This was a great opportunity to show what I could do," Calloway said. "The one-on-ones were great and there were a lot of things that I learned that I can take home with me."

They were good enough to even impressive the UA offensive line coach.

"Those guys were really good," said George Hegamin, a former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman. "That No. 246 [Senat] is a man among boys. Wow."

Other defensive line standouts were Jason Hatcher (Louisville, Ky./Trinity), sophomore Gerald Willis (New Orleans, La./Edna/Karr), Jaylen Miller (Gaffney, S.C.), Dan Rogers (Shelby, N.C./Crest) and Keith Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./Atlantic).

"Those guys all showed great leadership qualities, which I love to see," Lang said. "They were quick learners and they all had that 'dog' in them."

Harris, Hargreaves, and Ellis shine

There were plenty of talented 2013 DBs in attendance, led by safety Marcell Harris (Groveland, Fla./Southlake) and cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) and Noel Ellis (New Orleans, La./Edna Karr).

"Marcell is the ultimate free safety," said UA defensive backs coach Don Cox. "He's that hybrid safety that can cover the tight end or slot guy. He has great hips. He's a guy that can play cover two and get to the alley. He sees everything so well just hesitates slightly."

Harris, 6-2 and 210 pounds, was excited to match-up with some of the nation's top wideouts.

"I expected to come here and do well and I think I did just that," Harris said. "Some of those receivers were really good and I think I did well. But I always expect myself to perform at a high level."

Cox also had glowing things to say about Ellis and Hargreaves.

"The kid from New Orleans [Ellis] reminds me of Tyran Mathieu because he plays with that swagger. He's a cover guy all the way and he does well in zone. Sometimes he's a little too aggressive out there and he's a smaller corner. But he can really play.

"Hargreaves is going to be your prototype lockdown corner. He has the speed, hips and ball skills. He's going to be a great one."

Hargreaves came here already with a big league reputation. Fellow Tampa standout wide receivers Richard Benjamin (Tampa, Fla./Middleton) and Alvin Bailey (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) starting the trash talking yesterday at registration, especially Benjamin.

"I am the talker," Benjamin said. "But it's all in good fun. He did well. I did well. That's what it's all about."

One diamond in the rough, according to Cox, is safety Kris White (Groveland, Fla./Southlake).

"That kid has size and instincts," Cox said. "I think he's a sleeper who could really emerge."

No shortage of receivers

There's never a shortage of wide receivers and that was certainly the case Saturday. Stacey Coley (Oakland Park, Fla./Northeast), Levonte Whitfield (Orlando, Fla./Jones), Richard Benjamin (Tampa, Fla./Middleton), Alvin Bailey (Seffner, Fla./Armwood), James Onwualu (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Durham), Mark Barr (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and Jordan Cunningham (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./University School) were just some of the camp standouts.

"The coaching was awesome," said Onwualu, who close to getting offers from teams like Stanford, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Florida. "The competition was high and there were some great defensive backs here. It was nice because you could kind of see where you stood with these guys."

Benjamin stood out at both receiver and cornerback like he does for his high school team.

"I learned that offensively, I have to be more aggressive at the line of scrimmage and use my hands," Benjamin, who has two dozen scholarship offers at this point, said. "On defense I learned that you can't just get by on athletic ability and you have to play with some technique."

There were several tight end prospects that showed their skills. The main two were Alabama commitment, O.J. Howard (Autuaga, Ala./Autuaga Academy) and Standish Dobard (New Orleans, La./Edna Karr). Then there was 6-5 and 190 pound Marcell Ateman (Wylie, Texas/East).

"Most schools are recruiting me as a receiver," said Ateman, who has offers from Baylor, Tennessee and Arizona. "It was great to see what you can do against competition like this."

QB Mitch shows off

Connor Mitch (Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield) had a good day throwing and impressed several on-lookers, including former Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke.

"He's a good solid player," said Weinke, who coached the quarterbacks at the combine. "You can tell he has all the physical tools. He has a good arm and a bright future."

Mitch, 6-3 and 215-pounds, has scholarship offers from North Carolina, N.C. State and East Carolina.

Big guys make big impression

Hegamin really liked two offensive linemen -- junior D.J. Parks (Dillon, S.C./Dillon) and sophomore Jordan Poland (Lajolla, Fla./Country Day).

"The thing I loved about D.J. is that he's very coachable," Hegamin said. "You can tell he wants to get better, really listens to what you say and tries to apply it right then and there.

"Poland really has a chance to be something special. I didn't realize he was only a sophomore. He just needs to get with someone and keep working at it."

Hegamin has a simple philosophy at events like this. He tries to get across all the kids he coaches on the offensive front.

"For me, I stress three basic things," Hegamin said. "Its stance, start and finish. There's a lot in between, but those are the three things I focus on with these kids and that helps them compete within what we are doing."

Some RBs to watch

There were several running back standouts in attendance like Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Pete Catholic) and A.J. Turman (Orlando, Fla./Boone). Green impressed by showcasing his speed and pass catching ability.

"That was fun for me," said Green, who has offers from Notre Dame, FSU, Florida, Virginia Tech and others. "And the combine competition was outstanding. I learned a lot and am a better route runner today then before I came here."

Top times

40-yard dash
1. Levonte Whitfield (Orlando, Fla./Jones) 4.43
T-2. Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) 4.45
T-2. Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./Catholic) 4.45 4. Shelton Gibson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) 4.48 5. Jacquille Veii (Gaithersburg, Md./Avalon School) 4.49

3-cone drill
1. Stacey Coley (Oakland Park, Fla./Northeast) 6.65
2. Ryan Switzer (Charleston, W.V./George Washington) 6.73
3. Noel Ellis (New Orleans, La./Edna Karr) 6.86 4. O.J. Howard (Autuaga, Ala./Autuaga Academy) 6.93 5. Jalyn Judkins (Manvell, Texas/(Manvell) 6.93

5-cone drill
1. Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) 4.12 2. Levonte Whitfield (Orlando, Fla./Jones) 4.15 3. Ryan Switzer (Charleston, W.V./George Washington) 4.20 4. Alvin Bailey (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) 4.21 5. Vequan Jones (Wylie, Texas/East.) 4.22

Vertical jump
T-1. Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./Catholic) 35.5
T-1. Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) 34.5

Broad jump
1. Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) 125 inches
2. Raheem Falkins (New Orleans, La./Carver) 122 inches
3. Jevonty Smith (Greensboro, N.C.) 121 inches

Jamie Newberg has been covering recruiting both in the Southeast and nationally for 19 years. He can be reached at jamienewbergbw@yahoo.com.

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