Recruiting News

McFadden Looks To Help 2024 Prospects At Blanche Ely

While Terrence McFadden takes over Pompano Beach Blanche Ely with plenty of excitement, he knows that there is still some work to do before he looks into the future.

With spring getting ready to start in the next month – and his attention will be directly on the 2025, 2026 and 2027 prospects, the Tigers still have several student/athletes from the Class of 2024 still searching for a home.

With a tremendous program the past few seasons, this is a team that was loaded with quality football talent. As many have moved on and will attend college next season, there are five major contributors to the success still without a college to attend.

Gab Almonord Jr., CB, 6-0, 180. One of the prospects who has been on the radar the past two years. He brings plenty to the table as an athletic secondary performer, who has plenty to offer. While colleges have shown interest, nobody has taken a chance, and that is surprising. Watch his film and you will see what everyone has been missing.

TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15280410/6503d2463df5c709043e4990

Quincey Classeus, DE/OLB, 6-3, 215. Here is one of those impressive football players that then head coach Mike Bailey and his staff all bragged about before the start of the 2023 season. His size and ability to make plays has separated him from so many who play the same position. His work ethic in the weightroom and on the football field has certainly paid off.

TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16348478/655b85e602bc3812a00fa58d

Marquis Harry, CB, 5-10, 175. Talk about an instinctive player who is always around the ball – whether on passing downs or in pass coverage. It is indeed surprising, after watching him perform, that all schools would want this impressive talent on campus. The one thing that must impress you is the way he can blow plays up from the start.

TAPE: http://www.hudl.com/v/2M3nVq

Deon Wiggins II, CB/S, 5-10, 175. When you talk about a versatile football player, here is certainly the definition. Not only does he can lineup anywhere in the defensive secondary, but he is lethal on special teams as a returner, who can take one back at any time. His speed is way underrated!

TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15357731/655b745c2ab0e70a00dc114e

Edward Macintosh III, RB/LB, 6-0, 180. It’s a shame when college coaches watch a student/athlete like this play, and they don’t come away impressed. This is a quality football player who runs the ball out very well, has tremendous vision and the quickness to get those tough yards. He is physical and versatile enough to also play linebacker. While he’s getting it done on the football field, he is also making positives happen in the classroom – where he carries a 3.5 GPA.

TAPE: http://www.hudl.com/v/2MbwJU

MCFADDEN JOINS A GROUP OF NEW COACHES

When the Tigers start spring practice, McFadden will join a group of coaches who will guide their new teams in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

Here is a look at those coaches:

Fort Lauderdale Stranahan – Jacky Candy

Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy – Jase Stewart

Homestead Everglades Prep – Jermain Kelson Sr.

Miami Belen Jesuit - Nicholas Oyarzun

Miami Carol City – George Stubbs

Miami Dr. Krop – Vernon Wilder III

Miami Jackson – Max Edwards

Miami Killian – Rudy Trevino

Miami Northwestern – Teddy Bridgewater

Parkland Douglas – Christian Baldwin

Pembroke Pines Somerset – Nitro Baker

Plantation – Daryl Strong

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Fresh Faces Embrace Spring In Miami-Dade and Broward Counties

If you follow high school football in south Florida, you already know that many of the same names continue to surface throughout the year.

Because many fan websites need to promote and mention the elite prospects, many very good prospects go unnoticed in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
 
You know that our objective is to put every prospect out there for college coaches and fans to know about – and that comes from attending just about everything.
 
If you don’t attend games, camps and combines, you often miss out on some football players who need to be recognized and work as hard as those who are on everyone’s radar.
 
Today, as we continue to countdown to spring, we bring some players – some you may have heard of while others are looking for that spotlight that helps attract college attention.
 
Among today’s group includes rising seniors (2025):
Dante Alexander Jr., Athlete, 6-4, 205, Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace. Transferred from Miami Springs.
 
Christopher Canidate, DB, Homestead. Transferred from Miami Killian.
 
Kaelem Collins, WR/LB, 6-1, 170, Homestead. Transferred from Miami Southridge.
 
Erick Hernandez, OL/LS, 6-5, 270, Doral Academy.
 
Franklyn Johnson Jr., TE/DE, 6-2, 220, Pembroke Pines West Broward. Transferred from Pembroke Pines Flanagan. 3.0 GPA. Baseball Player.
 
Ethan Rowe, OG/OT, 6-3, 290, Miami Northwestern. Transferred from Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna.
 
Ethan Silva, K/P, 5-10, 170, Miami Northwestern. Transferred from Miami Archbishop Carroll.
 
The rising junior (2026) class also has some fresh faces that we will start seeing this spring. Here are some prospects that we will keep an eye on and check their progress:
 
Mason Chapman, QB, 5-11, 170, Coconut Creek North Broward Prep.
 
Jakari Johnson, DB/WR, 6-0, 180, Plantation.
 
Thomas Jones, CB/WR, 5-11, 163, Miami Carol City. Transferred from North Miami.
 
Elan Mills, CB, Pembroke Pines Flanagan. Transferred from Miami Lakes Barbara Goleman.
 
Sushanth Mortala, OL/DL, 6-3, 255, Weston Cypress Bay.
 
Keyon Smith, DE, 6-2, 175, Homestead. Transferred from Homestead South Dade.
 
Wilson Smith, CB, Homestead. Transferred from Homestead South Dade.
 
Corey Swint, WR, 5-10, 165, Miami Palmetto. Transferred from Homestead South Dade.
 
Isaac Tanis, OL, 6-3, 240, Plantation American Heritage. Transferred from Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons.
 
 
Even the rising sophomores (2027) will have some talent that you will want to keep an eye on throughout the spring and summer.
Kaleb Groomes, CB, 6-0, 185, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. 3.67 GPA.
 
Kai Moore, QB, 6-0, 180, Miami Norland. 3.5 GPA.

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spring Break College Tour Promotes Football Prospects

For the past five plus years while many students take cruises or vacations, there are groups of high school football players that use that week to plan their future.

With high school coaches and parents helping to organize college bus tours, athletes have a unique opportunity to visit colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and all over the state of Florida.

These trips not only provide an opportunity for these young men to see schools, meet coaches and watch spring practices, but experience the opportunity to be on the road, sleep in motels and eat together as a group. Things that at the age of 16 and 17, many have never had the chance to do before.

That week on the road takes many student/athletes to places they have never been before. Seeing states and historical places they only read about in textbooks.

The experience is something that many 7-on-7 programs have been doing for a better part of a decade – seeing places such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to name a few destinations as well as visiting major colleges and universities along the way.

6th ANNUAL FOOTBALL HOTBED SPRING BREAK TOUR

One of the groups that has been able to make use of the week is Brandon Odoi and his Football Hotbed organization that covers high school and college football throughout south Florida and in the state of Florida.

Odoi also helps promote high school football players – with a pre-season media day and photos that capture many big games and events throughout the year.

This spring, Football Hotbed once again took off on another tour that brought several area high school football players to such places as Miami, FAU, FSU, Florida, Alabama, Georgia State University of Georgia, Troy State University, Clark University (Atlanta) and the University of Central Florida.

While at those schools, the group toured the campus, watched practice, and met college coaches as well as reaching out to players who are at those schools that many know.

In addition, the tour also included seeing many historical landmarks that these young men read about in class throughout the years, providing an educational part of the spring journey.

MONARCH GETS THEIR PROSPECTS EXPOSURE.

As Football Hotbed and other groups took advantage of spring break over two weeks, Coconut Creek Monarch and coaches Calvin Davis and Roberto Montanez also provided their players with an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Knights had the opportunity to visit Mississippi, Mississippi State and Syracuse.

PLAYERS AND COACHES MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR TIME OFF

While we already know that high school coaches – in all sports – are vastly underpaid – giving up their spring break to expose their athletes is yet another thing that many have no clue about.

In addition to the schools mentioned, high school coaches and players from south Florida also went to FIU, St. Thomas University, Keiser University, Stetson, University of West Florida as well as make stops at places such as Warner, Webber International, Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, University of Fort Lauderdale, FAMU, Bethune Cookman and Southeastern University in Lakeland.

Having so many colleges in the state of Florida provides a huge opportunity for these young men who are searching for an education and opportunity to continue playing the sport they fell in love with at a very early age.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOOTBALL HOTBED

If you had a group that visited colleges this spring, please let us know and send the information and photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


For the past five plus years while many students take cruises or vacations, there are groups of high school football players that use that week to plan their future.

With high school coaches and parents helping to organize college bus tours, athletes have a unique opportunity to visit colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and all over the state of Florida.

These trips not only provide an opportunity for these young men to see schools, meet coaches and watch spring practices, but experience the opportunity to be on the road, sleep in motels and eat together as a group. Things that at the age of 16 and 17, many have never had the chance to do before.

That week on the road takes many student/athletes to places they have never been before. Seeing states and historical places they only read about in textbooks.

The experience is something that many 7-on-7 programs have been doing for a better part of a decade – seeing places such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to name a few destinations as well as visiting major colleges and universities along the way.

6th ANNUAL FOOTBALL HOTBED SPRING BREAK TOUR

One of the groups that has been able to make use of the week is Brandon Odoi and his Football Hotbed organization that covers high school and college football throughout south Florida and in the state of Florida.

Odoi also helps promote high school football players – with a pre-season media day and photos that capture many big games and events throughout the year.

This spring, Football Hotbed once again took off on another tour that brought several area high school football players to such places as Miami, FAU, FSU, Florida, Alabama, Georgia State University of Georgia, Troy State University, Clark University (Atlanta) and the University of Central Florida.

While at those schools, the group toured the campus, watched practice, and met college coaches as well as reaching out to players who are at those schools that many know.

In addition, the tour also included seeing many historical landmarks that these young men read about in class throughout the years, providing an educational part of the spring journey.

MONARCH GETS THEIR PROSPECTS EXPOSURE.

As Football Hotbed and other groups took advantage of spring break over two weeks, Coconut Creek Monarch and coaches Calvin Davis and Roberto Montanez also provided their players with an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Knights had the opportunity to visit Mississippi, Mississippi State and Syracuse.

PLAYERS AND COACHES MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR TIME OFF

While we already know that high school coaches – in all sports – are vastly underpaid – giving up their spring break to expose their athletes is yet another thing that many have no clue about.

In addition to the schools mentioned, high school coaches and players from south Florida also went to FIU, St. Thomas University, Keiser University, Stetson, University of West Florida as well as make stops at places such as Warner, Webber International, Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, University of Fort Lauderdale, FAMU, Bethune Cookman and Southeastern University in Lakeland.

Having so many colleges in the state of Florida provides a huge opportunity for these young men who are searching for an education and opportunity to continue playing the sport they fell in love with at a very early age.

If you had a group that visited colleges this spring, please let us know and send the information and photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There Is Nothing Certain About The Current NIL Structure

With the NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) dictating the landscape of college sports, it is indeed tough to plan ahead and predict the future of any program.

On the football field, as it is in every other sport that is played in colleges and universities across the nation, the task has not only come down to recruiting future classes but to make sure that everyone on your current roster will stay around from year to year.

As we have said in the past, nobody is against student/athletes making money from a sport where they fully contribute to the financial success, but what is coming under fire by the majority is there are no rules – and it is the proverbial tail wagging the dog. The athletes and NIL make their own rules.

While Nick Saban recently made his points in Washington D.C., he is correct when he talks about guidelines and equality. Most believe that there should be some rules in place, but nobody, including the NCAA, who currently does not mandate reasonable guardrails governing the relationship between colleges, their coaches and scholarship players, the result will be a permanently uneven playing field favoring even more exclusively the most gifted athletes and wealthiest programs. The virus will continue to spread and eviscerate one of America’s treasures — competitive collegiate athletics.

The supposed bodyguard of “amateur” collegiate athletics, the NCAA, so far has done little to fight back. It’s bad enough that the most successful coaches and players are lured away from their schools by staggering offers that are impossible to resist. What’s worse is they can leave abruptly and without meaningful restrictions, not even staying long enough to coach or play in coveted post-season tournaments and bowl games. Coaches who eventually jump ship are also free to entice players from their former programs to come with them, leaving behind loyal teammates and fans to a stunning and cruel fate.

Corporate America, the NFL and the NBA have anti-tampering and poaching rules that restrict access to executives, coaches, and athletes while under contract. The NCAA has no such rules. In the new world of major college sports, when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent, it’s now basically an annual bidding war and everyone is a free agent. For student athletes, the honor of playing your heart out to earn a no-cost degree, and maybe a shot at the pros, is being replaced by the lust for earning big bucks before you even graduate.

With that said, and much of the current 2024 class already set to make an impact this coming season, the Class of 2025 comes into focus.

At the University of Miami the football program recently landed its fourth commitment for the 2025 class. Some nine months before they can sign these athletes are pledging that they will attend Miami. But unlike the past when you figured to have an athlete for a minimum of three years – sometimes four – the guarantee is only for one season.

With the NIL very much in play, the second year may very well be spent somewhere else that is paying out more money.

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent plenty of time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..