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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — With three practices under their belt, Team Phantom is nearly ready for the Under Armour Next All-America Game on Tuesday. Sunday’s practice brought increased intensity from the players on both sides of the ball. Here are the main takeaways from their practice.
Hicks continues to dominate
It’s fair to say David Hicks has been the top overall performer on either team so far. The Texas A&M signee is an absolute bully and it doesn’t matter who lines up across from him. Hicks has no problem getting into the backfield, showing off a variety of speed and power moves. He doesn’t have to dip too far into his bag of tricks though because most of the time he has been able to win with a quick first step and a power move. It would be surprising if Hicks didn’t have a big game on Tuesday.
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Johntay Cook backing up his elite status
The Phantom receivers have a chance to be the stars of the game on Tuesday but Johntay Cook could steal the show. The future Texas Longhorn had another really good day of practice. Cook’s combination of elite speed, route running techniques, and strength made it really difficult for any defensive back to keep him in check. Cook is almost as explosive as five-star and Team Phantom receiver Zachariah Branch but is probably three inches taller than the speedy playmaker.
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Nyckoles Harbor steps it up
Sunday was probably Nyckoles Harbor’s best day of practice so far. The five-star’s elite athletic traits really shined as he used his great size and world class speed to blow by defensive backs. During 1-on-1s Harbor was open on multiple deep routes and the quarterbacks were able to connect with him a few times. What’s more impressive is the success Harbor had on shorter crossing routes. Running crisp routes isn’t his forte but he was able to use his strength and big catching radius to bring in a couple catches.
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Linebackers get their chance
Linebackers don’t get much of a chance to shine during all-star game practices but Sunday was our best look yet at the talented Phantom linebackers. Georgia signee Troy Bowles and Ole Miss signee Suntarine Perkins stood out in various portions of practice. Bowles had a few nice reps during 1-on-1s where he was in phase with the receiver and broke up the pass. Perkins flew around the field during team drills and was quick to recognize the play. It will be interesting to see how big a role the linebackers play in the game on Tuesday.
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Quarterbacks settling in
JJ Kohl and Avery Johnson seem to be much more comfortable with their receivers after a few practices but it’s hard to imagine they’ll consistently be able to get them the ball after seeing how the offense worked during team drills. There was a stretch of plays where the center snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head. When the quarterback could reach the snap, the play was already out of sync and he either missed the handoff or was late on the throw. Landen Hatchett (Washington signee) and Jonathan Slack (former Michigan State commit) have been rotating at center and there isn’t much time left for either of them to iron these issues out.
