Big Dawg Camp top performers part III
Mississippi State hosted some of their top prospects Friday night under the lights at Davis Wade Stadium for their invitation only Big Dawg Camp.
The Bulldogs turned their big weekend into commitments landing four over a four-day span. Rivals.com was on-hand with four staffers for the camp and brings you the final installment of a three part series of some of the night's top performances in alphabetical order.
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Position: Cornerback
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
School/ Hometown: Clinton/ Clinton, Miss.
Offers: Committed to Mississippi State
Logan's take: It may have just been because they were standing side by side but Jiles reminded me a little of former MSU and NFL corner Fred Smoot Friday night. Jiles has the height to be an effective corner but might need to put on a few pounds before he's ready to bring down an SEC running back in the open field. He moves well forwards but is also exceptional in backpedal. Jiles seems to have natural corner instincts and locates the ball quickly in flight.
Position: Running back
Height: 6-0
Weight: 205
School/ Hometown: Powell/ Powell, Tenn.
Offers: Toledo
Logan's take: There wasn't an overly impressive backfield group this year but Mobley may have been the best of that crop. He has that nice blend of size and speed that you like from a back. He appeared to have good vision and made some good cuts. Has a strong lower body and had a frame to continue to add weight and become more of a power back in the future. With his compact size I would imagine he is hard to bring down in pads.
Position: Athlete
Height: 6-2
Weight: 170
School/ Hometown: Winnfield Senior/ Winnfield, La.
Offers: Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Logan's take: Moore is an impressive looking athlete and certainly looks a lot bigger than the 170-pounds we have him listed at on Rivals.com. He has a muscular upper body which would only aid him if he is used on the defensive side of the football. I feel like he could line up at receiver, corner or safety at the next level and excel at any of those three positions. Moore is building a pretty impressive list of offers and it will be interesting to see where he lands and which position he will play.
Position: Center
Height: 6-2
Weight: 295
School/ Hometown: Fairhope/ Fairhope, Ala.
Offers: East Carolina, Florida International, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Northern Illinois, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, UAB, Western Kentucky
Logan's take: Samuels worked his tail off at camp trying to earn a scholarship offer but unfortunately it did not happen - at least not for now. While he showed a strong work ethic you simply could not overlook how short his arms which were a definite disadvantage against high caliber guys like Channing Ward. Being the nephew of former NFL offensive lineman Chris Samuels, you know he has good genes. Samuels has a lot of mid-level offers right now but will have to showout as a senior to land offers from larger schools.
Position: Strongside defensive end
Height: 6-4
Weight: 270
School/ Hometown: Smackover/ Smackover, Ark.
Offers: Louisiana-Monroe, Missouri State
Logan's take: Savage is a cousin of MSU defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Chris Wilson, who would be his position coach if he attended school there. He is a very athletic defensive end and has pretty good speed for a player his size. Without pads he appeared to be a little smaller than his listed size but not but too much. Savage has a good first step off the ball and also a great last name for a defensive lineman.
Position: Kicker
Height: 5-9
Weight: 185
School/ Hometown: Oak Grove/ Hattiesburg, Miss.
Offers: None
Logan's take: As many athletes as were on-hand it might be surprising I chose a kicker as one of my top performers. But Sobiesk showed me a strong leg while he was working with Dan Mullen prior to Big Dawg Camp beginning at Davis Wade Stadium. He needs to work a bit on his accuracy but the leg strength is definitely where it should be. Sobiesk clanked a few off the uprights so the adjustments aren't too much to overcome.
Position: Inside linebacker
Height: 6-3
Weight: 250
School/ Hometown: Gulf Shores/ Gulf Shores, Ala.
Offers: Committed to Georgia Tech
Logan's take: Anytime you can get another school's commitment to come and visit it's a bonus. Stargel is a guy who could just as easily play linebacker as he could on the defensive line like he does in high school. He's a high motor guy that is going to be aggressive from the time the ball is snapped until the whistle blows. Stargel is a bit stiff when he runs but tackling ball carriers to the ground doesn't have to be pretty.
Position: Tight end
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220
School/ Hometown: Greene County/ Leakesville, Miss.
Offers: Committed to Mississippi State
Logan's take: Walley was a man on a mission Friday at Big Dawg Camp hoping to earn a scholarship from the Bulldogs. He was the first one in line for seemingly every drill with the tight ends. Walley has come a long way with his body since I first saw him in February. He packed on some good weight and continues to have great hands. He would not fit in every offense but he appears to be well-suited for Dan Mullen's spread.
Position: Strongside defensive end
Height: 6-4
Weight: 230
School/ Hometown: Aberdeen/ Aberdeen, Miss.
Offers: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tennessee
Logan's take: Ward was hands down the best athlete among the hundreds of prospects that showed up Friday. He dominated every drill no matter what it was. Ward was an absolute beast during one-on-one drills winning each matchup he faced. I've had the opportunity to see him play several times over the past two years and he's an absolute freak. Ward is quite possibly the best high school defensive player I've ever covered.
Position: Athlete
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
School/ Hometown: Oak Grove/ Hattiesburg, Miss.
Offers: Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss
Logan's take: Every year Oak Grove seems to produce a solid crop of prospects. This year may not have any headliners but Woods along with several other Warriors are some of the most talented this state has. Woods looks like he has the ability to play a variety of positions but might be suited best as a cornerback. He has speed to burn so it might be hard for teams to resist playing him on offense or at least as a returner.