Ten standouts from EdgyTim/EFT annual MLK camp

CROWN POINT, Ind. – The annual EdgyTim/EFT Martin Luther King Jr. Day Underclassmen Camp had to be moved out of Chicago to northwest Indiana due to Illinois’ current restrictions. The event still drew a ton of talent from the Windy City, as well as several surrounding states. Here are the prospects whose performances stood out.

*****

CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series

*****

This was my first time seeing Allen live, and he immediately jumped off the field when the defensive linemen started their position drills. Physically he looked unlike almost everyone else there, and he was also noticeably quicker than almost every other defensive linemen in attendance.

During the one-on-one session of the camp, Allen worked all across the defensive line. He currently looks like a defensive end, but could grow into a defensive tackle, where his skill set would be more unique.

The top performance I witnessed all day was from Palatine, Ill., 2022 wide receiver Jacob Bostick. It reminded me of the first time I saw current Cincinnati Bengal Tyler Boyd. Both are tall, fluid receivers who look like they glide across the turf. Bostick left defensive backs in his wake all day long, and he has the size, speed and ball skills to play at the Power Five level. Currently his only offer is from Indiana State, but Bostick is hearing from the likes of Penn State, Northwestern and Central Michigan.

Boyd was one of the better receivers I saw at The Show 7-on-7 in Florida a few weeks back, and he was again one of the best at Monday’s MLK Underclassmen Camp. The wide receiver position at East St. Louis in the classes ahead of Boyd has been stacked, so the sophomore has been biding his time, waiting for a chance to break out. That could happen if Illinois plays a season in the spring, but at the latest, expect to start hearing Boyd’s name regularly starting next fall because he has a complete game for the receiver position.

The son of former NFL wide receiver and Nebraska Cornhusker Chris Brooks Sr., the younger Brooks is starting to establish himself as one of the best receivers in the St. Louis area for 2022. A big, physical receiver, Brooks will have to stay mindful of his speed and quickness to stay on the outside in college, but he had no issues creating separation from defensive backs on Monday. On poor throws when Brooks had to battle the defender, he always came away with the football. Brooks is awaiting his first offer.

The postponement of the fall season in the state of Illinois significantly hurts a prospect like Brown, who played behind former four-star safety Antonio Johnson during the 2019 season. Johnson has gone on to find his way into Texas A&M’s defensive rotation as a freshman, but Brown has not had a chance to play since, and a spring season in Illinois is looking unlikely. A tall, solidly-built safety prospect, Brown was physical and outstanding in man coverage, not too unlike his East St. Louis predecessor at safety.

This was my second time in the last four months seeing Brown in-person, and he continues to impress. A big, physical safety prospect, Brown had no trouble hanging with wide receivers in man coverage. Akron and Iowa State offered last off-season, but without the opportunity to play a junior season and put new tape out yet, Brown has not been able to build upon those early offers. Once coaches get a chance to see what I have seen from Brown in the past few months, those offers will come.

It was a solid group of offensive linemen that performed Monday. One of the biggest names coming into the event was three-star 2022 offensive tackle Valen Erickson, and he did not disappoint. Erickson checks a lot of boxes for the offensive line position, including size, footwork and technique. He also showed a healthy competitive drive and was the offensive lineman most called out by top defensive linemen who wanted to test themselves. Erickson holds early offers from Illinois and Purdue.

I almost did not include McVay on this list. The well-traveled 2023 offensive tackle made such quick work of his opponents, you could have easily missed his reps. McVay has been dominating events from the Midwest on down to Florida over the last six months. On Monday, defensive linemen would try to beat the East St. Louis standout, but quickly realized their efforts were in vain. McVay’s size, footwork, hands and discipline are so well-tuned at this point, he is nearly unbeatable.

It was this weekend a year ago when Robinson first broke out. He had just transferred from Cardinal Ritter over to East St. Louis, and put on breakout performances in back-to-back appearances with BOOM Football and the EdgyTim/EFT camps. When I saw him last summer coming out of quarantine, though, Robinson did not look like the same player. However, Monday was a return to form for Robinson. He has knocked a lot of the rust off from the summer and was lockdown in coverage again.

Another big, physical safety prospect, Shaw is listed as an athlete because he also has shown abilities as a wide receiver. On Monday, though, Shaw focused on defense and turned heads with his ability to stick with receivers throughout their routes at his size. Considering his size now, it would not be a surprise to see him grow into a linebacker for college, but Shaw has the athleticism and ball skills to play safety. He has received early interest from Iowa, Michigan State and Notre Dame, but has not been able to play a junior season yet.