The 2020 edition of the College Gridiron Showcase got underway on Saturday, kicking off the 2020 NFL Draft scouting all-star game circuit. What makes CGS a unique event, is that it is broken up into 3 different groups: Wranglers, Desperados and Marshals. The latter is mainly your small college group, who are given a chance to play into the aforementioned two groups. So, on Saturday and Sunday over 100 prospects competed in a practice on Day 1, and a scrimmage on Day 2.
We took a look at what to expect here this week in Fort Worth with our 2020 CGS Preview
Here are some of the highlights and takeaways from the 1st two days worth of practices
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Marshals Group Standouts
DE Marques Ford – 6’2 248, Bethune Cookman: Ford was excellent throughout both days here, as he was disruptive in both 9-on-7 drills and in the scrimmage. He is one of the 14 players who earned a call-up to the Wranglers/Desperados group.
OT Jake Marotti – 6’6 290, Lafayette: During the OL/DL 1-on-1 period, I thought Marotti had a solid performance. I liked how his technique was able to stay consistent each time.
OT Jaylen Flye – 6’6 329, Lindenwood: Flye had himself a day in OL/DL 1-on-1. Tremendous punch, even was able to put a guy on the ground during one rep.
OL Zach Sammartino – 6’3 319, Dartmouth: Sammartino looks to be more of a guard than a tackle, even working on some snaps at Center to further add to his repertoire.
QB Jacob Park – 6’3 232, Missouri Southern State: The football just fires off of the hand of Park, who had the strongest arm out of the QB group. He was able to put the ball in very tight windows at all levels of the field. 7-on-7 is where he was able to shine.
QB David Tammaro – 6’1 210, Johns Hopkins: I thought Tammaro was able to quickly develop the timing with the receivers, which is very tough to do at an all star game. His placement on his passes were also consistent, giving his receivers a great chance to make a catch.
Other Players who Stood Out with their Play
RB Domenic Cozier – 5’8 181, Holy Cross
RB Jaquan Hemphill – 5’9 179, Hardin-Simmons
QB Donovan Isom – 6’3 250, Texas Wesleyan
QB Connor Kaegi – 6’7 221, Ottawa University
FB Case Robinson – 6’1 251, Lamar
TE Shawn Clark – 6’7 230, Monmouth
WR Joseph Gause – 6’2 220, IUP
WR Richard McCauley – 5’10 190, Kansas Wesleyan
WR Daylon Person – 5’10 176, Langston
WR Kentrez Bell – 6’2 173, NW Oklahoma State
CB Arthur Sherman – 5’10 178, Friends
LB Chris Hoad – 5’11 229, UT-Permian Basin
LB Nickolas Pridgeon – 6’3 234, Winona State
LB/S Jamal Ware – 5’11 199, Maryville College
DL Nick Wheeler – 6’2 255, Colgate
DL Tomas Wright – 6’1 238, Bryant
S Jarey Elder – 5’9 193, West Chester
S Artevius Smith – 5’9 179, East Tennessee State
Day 1 Practice Highlights: OL/DL 1-on-1
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Day 1 Practice Highlights: WR/DB 1-on-1
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Day 1 Practice Highlights: TE/RB vs LB 1-on-1
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Over the past two seasons, Florida A&M’s 12 conference wins is on par with both A&T and Alcorn. This year, they have widely been recognized as the best D1 HBCU team in the country, but they still are not in Atlanta. That is because they self-imposed a ban for infractions that occurred at the university before most of the athletes on the team was even there. As a result, their 7-1 conference record this season does not yield a recognized championship. Instead they have to watch that title go to the Aggies between the Aggies. The Rattlers also have to watch their Celebration Bowl birth be claimed by a team they defeated 34-31 in overtime.
Yes, while A&T has represented the MEAC in four of the five Celebration Bowls, it could have easily been a different team.
easy for the Braves. Fellow SWAC frontrunner Grambling, has been the conference representative twice. Last season, the Braves barely squeezed by a Southern team that was hungry to make their first Celebration Bowl appearance.
The MEAC is a grinder. There are legitimately 4-5 teams that can win the conference every season. FAMU has no intentions of going backwards with Head Coach Willie Simmons leading the way. South Carolina State, with legendary Head Coach Buddy Pough, was just knocking on the door this season. And Head Coach Terry Sims at Bethune-Cookman is always hovering, proving to be a constant nuisance to both A&T and Florida A&M. North Carolina Central knows what it takes to get there, having played in the game 3 years ago and 2nd year Head Coach Trei Oliver had an impressive 1st season at his alma mater. Norfolk State Head Coach Latrell Scott has quietly developed a solid program, and his Spartans took both FAMU & South Carolina State to the brink this season. Also, don’t sleep on the Morgan State Bears, who are a sleeping giant in the conference, with Tyrone Wheatley at the helm, building a bully in Baltimore; And Delaware State is in good hands under Head Coach Rod Milstead, who has done fantastic work on the recruiting front for the Hornets.
Dawson Odums, and Prairie View A&M, with Head Coach Eric Dooley, joining Broderick Fobbs and Grambling as legitimate contenders in the West Division, as well as Alabama A&M, who has the Top QB in the SWAC, Aqeel Glass, who is also an NFL Prospect, returning next season. Quietly, Jackson State, along with Alabama State, continues to get better in the East Division and played with a lot of youthful talent in 2019, will make getting to Atlanta in 2020 a daunting task for Alcorn St.
For those who did not support the move, they pointed to the limitations of just one bowl game. It’s only an award for two teams, despite the fact that multiple teams might be worthy of some type of post-season play. Others wondered why HBCUs would eliminate the opportunity to play in the FCS playoffs. It is already difficult enough to garner the same level of respect as Predominantly White Institutions on the field, this bowl game essentially eliminates the chance to play PWIs in the FCS and prove their equality.
the inaugural game was over 35,000 fans. In 2016, the attendance was 31,000, proving that year one was not just an anomaly. The following year, in 2017, saw the attendance dip to 25,873. But in 2018, that number was back over 31,000. These numbers dwarf the average SWAC or MEAC home game attendance combined! The 1.6 rating the game received last season, according to www.sportsmediawatch.com, drew over 50% more viewers than the FCS National Championship Game.
You can pencil in Clemson and Oklahoma unless something crazy happens. Clemson’s sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence is experiencing a slump to begin the season, and it hasn’t phased the Tigers. In fact, losing a bevy of defensive talent to the NFL doesn’t seem to phase them either. They just keep rolling along. Unless NC State or Wake Forest are able to catch them slipping or looking forward to their rivalry game with South Carolina, they will not be challenged for a seat at the proverbial playoff table.
With respect to undefeated Penn State and Iowa, this conference is a two-horse race. Both the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes control their own destiny, but that destiny includes a date with Ohio State for Penn State and a matchup with Wisconsin for Iowa. Neither team seems likely to emerge victorious.
We get it, the SEC is good, again! But if the scenarios I laid out above play out, there is no room for two SEC teams this season. So, despite having so many undefeated teams in the conference, one loss spells doom unless everyone loses. LSU and Alabama seem to have what it takes to represent the conference when the smoke clears.
won a Superbowl, but lead his team to another Super Bowl appearance. He also boasts a higher completion percentage and 20 less interceptions, despite playing a full season more than Luck. WIlson has never enjoyed the shine of Luck, he has been constantly questioned throughout his career, even when it came time to pay him. The Colts just dropped a bag of money in Luck’s lap without giving it a second thought.
This group of Tide receivers may be the most talented collection of receivers on one team…ever! With all due respect to the ’96 Florida Gators, ’99 Florida State Seminoles, ’00 Miami Hurricanes, and the ’12 Clemson Tigers, who all had ridiculously good receiving corps, the Tide possess a level of depth, aptitude, and refined skills that has never been seen in college.
possesses first-round potential and is most likely using this season as a coming out party, similar to Jeudy and Tagovailoa after 2 quality seasons for the Tide.
American honors. He was second on the team in receiving yards (848) and third on the team in receiving touchdowns (7). He also proved to be a weapon on special teams, averaging 14 yards per punt return and scoring one touchdown.