Road To The Crown Plano: Wrap Up

By Marc Henry

The Road To The Crown marched through Plano, Texas and there was a wealth of talent. Several players had great performances and left a lasting impression. Here several prospects to keep an eye on.

Kingston Anderson | Class of 2026 | Athlete| Euless Trinity | 7v7 : 940 Elite

Anderson is playmaker no matter where he lines up. As a defensive back, he is aggressive at the point of attack, he makes it a point to get hands on receivers in press-man and shows good on ball technique, which enabled him to have multiple PBUs. He is a natural route runner as a receiver, he gets in and out of his breaks quickly and snatched the ball out of the air when the football comes his way. Kingston plays with a swagger and is a player to keep an eye on.

Jacob Bly | Class of 2027 | Athlete | Seguin High School | 7v7: 940 Elite

Bly is a versatile athlete, who can get it done on both sides of the football.  At defensive back, he transitions into his backpedal smoothly, he has great eye discipline, which lead to several PBUs. When Bly lines up at wide receiver, he can cook defenders with the best of them. He is shifty in space, he runs crisp routes and his phone booth quickness, allows him to win off of the line of scrimmage early consistently. Bly is a big play waiting to happen. With the game on the line in the 14U Championship Game, Bly exploded through the defense to make the game winning catch. He has the skill set that game changers possess.

Zayden Snapp | Class of 2025 | Wide Receiver | Savannah High School (Missouri) | 7v7: Stretch The Field

Snapp has a long, lean build, he has an extended catch radius, that allows him to win frequently on contested catches. Zayden has large hands that engulf the football and he tracks the football in flight extremely well. Snapp was a reliable target for his quarterbacks in Plano all weekend. Look for Snapp to get more eyes on him this spring, he is a playmaker that definitely rose to the occasion.

Daniel Anderson | Class of 2025 | Running Back | Bryant High School (Arkansas) | 7v7: Arkansas Elite

Anderson made plays on the field wherever he lined up in Plano. Daniel by trade is a top flight running back, who runs with speed and power, he has excellent burst when gets to the second level and he has the wheels to make a house call. Watching his 2022 fall film, Anderson shows off the skill set to run with great pad level between the tackles, he extends plays by gobbling up yards after contact and he is a weapon in the screen game, displaying strong, soft hands. His pass catching skills were on full display when he lined up on defense with Arkansas Elite in Plano. On one defensive series in particular, he stepped in front of a pass and exploded up field for a pick six. Anderson has the frame the college coaches seek out in next level running backs.

Eric McGehee | Class of 2024 | Athlete | Parkview High School (Arkansas) | 7v7: Arkansas Elite

McGehee has a long, lean frame, he is twitchy, with excellent short area quickness and this allows him to win early at the line of scrimmage routinely. Eric runs crisps routes, he understands how to stack defenders and he gets in and out of his breaks quickly. McGehee is a hands catcher of the football, he has the body control to contort his body in traffic to make contested grabs and absorb contact. Eric has the speed to stretch the defense and gets vertical quickly. College programs should definitely get eyes on McGehee between now and his fall season.

Gary Rideout Jr. | Class of 2024 | Athlete | Benton High School (Arkansas) | 7v7: Arkansas Elite

Standing 6’1 175 pounds, Rideout Jr. has the ideal length and size that college coaches covet at the defensive back position. He has fluid hips, he transitions smoothly into his backpedal, his extended length and violent hands enables him to reroute receivers off of their axis and he sticks to them like glue in press-man coverage. Gary has excellent ball skills and his high on ball production lead to multiple interceptions and PBUs. Rideout has great eye discipline and his ability to plant, attack and drive on the football, shut down passing lanes. During the 2022 season at Benton High School, Gary used his athletic skill set at quarterback and led his conference in interceptions from his defensive back position.

Jeremy Murphy | Class of 2025 | Athlete | Allen High School (Texas) | 7v7: Gridiron Giants

Murphy made plays at The Road To The Crown Plano tournament from the first snap to the end of the weekend. He plays with great suddenness at the receiver position, he has an explosive, deliberate first step, he runs crisp routes and he won routinely off of the line of scrimmage. Standing at 6’1 165 pounds, Murphy uses his length to make contested catches in traffic. His strong, stout frame enables him to absorb contact. When he lined up at safety, his ability read and diagnose plays quickly enabled him to make multiple interceptions. His clean footwork and the skill to plant and cut on a dime, enabled him to have multiple PBUs. Murphy is an explosive playmaker and he is a player to watch coming out of the DFW area in 2023.