PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – USC class of 2015 quarterback David Sills was the talk of the PA Swag Athletics 7-on-7 Passing Camp held in the Philadelphia area, but the Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy signal-caller had a lot of help in the Delaware Flash's run to the tournament championship.
Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy RB Wendell Smallwood is high on his offers from Rutgers and West Virginia.
Sills was able to spread the ball around to fellow Eastern Christian Academy receivers Daikiel Shorts and Dhameer Bradley, as well as running back Wendell Smallwood.
When asked, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound Sills couldn’t name a go-to guy among the group. It was evident why all three of his weapons have at least one BCS offer to consider.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Smallwood rushed for roughly 1,300 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. This past Saturday, he often found himself open down the middle of the field with a linebacker that couldn’t keep up in pursuit. Holding offers from Auburn, Boston College, Connecticut, Rutgers, Temple and West Virginia, Smallwood says it’s the Scarlet Knights and Mountaineers making the biggest impression.
“I’m very comfortable with West Virginia,” Smallwood said, adding that he’d like to make a decision during the summer. “I haven’t been up there yet, but the coaches have been down here a lot. I’m cool with all the Rutgers coaches and I’ve been up there more than five times.
“The Mountaineers program is moving forward,” he continued. “They just went into the Big 12. They’re going to be playing tough teams I want to compete against. And they won the Orange Bowl last year, so I like the way the program is moving and that they’re picking it up.
“Rutgers, I’m so familiar with the place. It feels like home when I’m up there. They always welcome me with open arms.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Shorts had a big tournament, as Sills found him time and again on streaks down the sideline for touchdowns. After catching around 45 passes for 900 yards and eight touchdowns during the fall, he’s landed offers from Boston College and Temple. Shorts added that Penn State may be close to offering and that he’s also been in contact with Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and North Carolina State.
If it wasn’t Shorts, it was the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Bradley finding holes in the defense for Sills to get him the football. He had close to 40 receptions for over 500 yards and four touchdowns as a junior, and has offers from Connecticut and Temple. Shorts thinks West Virginia may be the next program to offer, and Maryland has interest as well.
Middletown (Del.) High 2014 QB Darius Wade already has two offers and will camp at six BCS schools during the summer.
Quarterbacks Highlight The Day
Sills wasn’t the only quarterback destined for a Division-I future spinning the football on Saturday.
-Reading (Pa.) Exeter quarterback Kyle Yocum and Enola (Pa.) East Pennsboro signal-caller Austin Wilson shared reps for the Central PA Wildcats. Yocum holds an offer from Buffalo, and the strong-armed senior-to-be has also been talking with Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse. Wilson has an Eastern Michigan scholarship and is also hearing from Rutgers along with Maryland and Pittsburgh.
-Another Delaware quarterback that’s emerging on the national radar is Middletown High’s 2014 prospect Darius Wade. Massachusetts and Delaware have offered, and he thinks Boston College could soon be next. Clemson, Georgia, Rutgers, South Carolina, Temple and Virginia Tech will all be camp stops during the summer. Wade helped lead Team Delaware to the quarterfinals where they lost to Sills and company.
-Camp Hill (Pa.) Cedar Cliff 2014 passer Andrew Ford is a very accurate trigger man that reads the field well. His velocity will only increase as he continues to add muscle to his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame. A teammate of the nation’s top tight end Adam Breneman, Ford is receiving personal interest from the coaching staffs at Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State. The Nittany Lions are the team to watch if they offer.
-One of the quarterbacks for the Western Pa Swag team was Michael Keir. Kent State has extended a scholarship to the Philadelphia (Pa.) Roman Catholic senior-to-be.
-At the controls for the Western Pa Swag 2014 squad was Bangor (Pa.) St. Pius X quarterback A.J. Long, who has already thrown for 6,552 yards through two seasons and is on pace to break the state record for career yards passing. He reports an offer from UCLA, and says he’s been talking with the coaches at Miami, Penn State, Rutgers, SMU, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia. The 6-foot, 170-pound Long already has plans to camp with Penn State and Syracuse.
-Perkasie (Pa.) Pennridge quarterback Alex Krivda (6-6, 195) was throwing darts all over the field. He’s still looking for his first offer, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him add a Division-I scholarship or two before it’s all said and done.
-A couple other 2014s that have bright futures are Colar Kuhns who takes over the starting duties at Maryland power Calvert Hall and Philadelphia (Pa.) Germantown’s Cedric Wright, who started as a sophomore. Kuhns helped lead the Maryland Dream Team to a third-place finish, securing the final qualifier spot to the IMG Madden 7-on-7 National Championships in Bradenton, Fla.
-Sills landed his USC offer when he was in middle school, and the Delaware Flash may be grooming the next phenom. Quarterback of their B Team was Kasim Hill, a seventh grader that was in complete command throughout the day. He made several big throws and helped his team to a first-round playoff win. A few of his passes going to USC commit Kenny Bigelow.
Quick Hitters
-Springfield (Pa.) Cardinal O’Hara 2014 receiver Thadd Smith has an offer from Rutgers and feels Syracuse will be next.
-Aliquippa (Pa.) Senior High 2014 running back Dravon Henry picked up his first offer from Rutgers on Friday.
- Steve Wiltfong
- National Recruiting Writer - 247Sports