The Wolverine was back on the trail this weekend and kicked things off in Dallas with one of Michigan’s biggest targets in the 2021 class.
Five-star running back Camar Wheaton and his Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial team took on North Garland (Texas) in a big district clash on Thursday night.
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Wheaton, who had missed two games due to an ankle injury, showed a flash of why he’s ranked as a Top 10 prospect in the country on his first carry of the game.
At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Wheaton has a rare combination of size and speed that separates himself from the pack. Wheaton ran a 10.62 100m in the spring and is hard to stop when he finds a hole.
Wheaton’s most electrifying run came late in the second quarter when he exploded for a 14-yard touchdown.
While Wheaton has all the tools to be special, there are still a lot of areas of his game that he must improve. Right now, Wheaton looks more like an intriguing physical specimen than he does the next Adrian Peterson.
Wheaton needs to work on his vision and patience as well as his ability to make defenders miss in short spaces. I would also like to see Wheaton power through defenders and gain more yards after contact.
Again, Wheaton has the skillset to be a five-star back, but I want to see more production from him this season.
After spending time in the Lone Star State, I made my way to Seattle for a huge clash in the Pacific Northwest. No. 11 Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic played host to Arizona powerhouse Pinnacle and 2020 Michigan quarterback commit JD Johnson.
The four-star prospect opened up the game with a short completion followed by this impressive throw while rolling out to his right. Johnson put just enough on it to get it over the top of the defender and allow his receiver to make a big play.
Johnson looked comfortable when on the move. He faced constant pressure throughout the game but was still able to deliver accurate passes. In fact, Johnson thrived outside of the pocket.
At times, Johnson had flashes of brilliance as he made a couple of ‘wow’ college level throws. Johnson has a strong arm with great touch, and he does a tremendous job of placing the ball where only his receiver can go up and get it.
As mentioned, Johnson’s ball placement and touch caught my attention the most. He actually engineered a scoring drive late in the third quarter that put Pinnacle in a position to pull off the upset.
This beautiful 16-yard touchdown pass capped off the drive.
However, Pinnacle couldn’t find much offense in the fourth quarter and ultimately fell to Eastside Catholic, 21-19.
My biggest issue with Johnson was consistency. While he made some elite level throws, Johnson also struggled during stretches of the contest as the offense sputtered as whole.
Johnson needs to continue working on his overall mechanics. He has the arm strength, but he could unlock more power by utilizing his lower half. Johnson needs improve his feet as well and be more accurate on a consistent basis.
It should be noted that Johnson was under duress for most of the night as he faced off against an uber talented defensive line, headlined by J.T. Tuimoloau, the nation’s No. 3 ranked recruit in 2021. It seemed the overwhelming pressure wore him out late.
Overall, Johnson didn’t make a statement against Eastside Catholic, but he did play a very solid game against one of the best teams in the country. He is one of the better quarterbacks in the 2020 class and could exceed expectations with proper development.
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