The Next Level Football combine series quickly has become the top event in Ohio

for high school football prospects hoping to take their games to the next level.

With three well-attended combines in the books this spring-Massillon,

Steubenville and Rocky River-Next Level is ready for another event this

Saturday. Grove City Christian High School is the setting this weekend where

over 270 registered prospects will be tested in a laser-timed 40-yard dash,

shuttle run, vertical jump and broad jump. After the testing portion of the

event the athletes move into position-specific skill work and the event concludes

with the highly anticipated one-on-ones.

Here's a position-by-position breakdown of some of the top registered

prospects and those to keep an eye on this weekend.

Nearly two-dozen quarterbacks have registered for this weekend's event

with several other big name prospects not yet confirmed. Of those who have

indicated they will compete on Saturday three prospects stick out. Of that

group look for Austintown Fitch rising junior Demitrious Davis to

have the best shot at pulling out the MVP award for this group and compete

for overall honors. Davis attended both the NLF Combines in Steubenville and

Rocky River and was among the top performers at each event. Because of his

5-foot-10, 183-pound frame, Davis likely projects at another position in college,

but at the high school level he's adequate under center. He possesses

the rare athletic attributes that turn an average player into a great one.

He excels in a combine setting.

Beechcroft rising senor Sheldon Akin battles the stigma attached

to smaller quarterbacks. At 5-foot-11, 170-pounds he's not going to wow

college scouts with his size, but if they watch him throw they'll be

impressed with his mechanics and ability to get the ball where it needs to

go in a hurry.

Westfall rising junior Trent Williams comes in at 6-foot, 175-pounds and already

he's drawn interest from Miami (Ohio), Ohio University and UCONN. Look

for him to shine in the one-on-ones.

Nearly 50 running backs have registered for Saturday's event and this

group should provide many of the overall MVP candidates. The top MVP candidate

in this group is a toss-up between Warren Harding rising senior Demond Hymes and Austintown Fitch's William Mahone, both Next

Level Football Combine veterans. With a 4.72-second time, Hymes finished among

the top ten competitors in the event at Rocky River and he shined in the one-on-ones.

Mahone, a rising junior who already has collected a verbal offer from Cincinnati,

turned in strong testing performances in Steubenville and Rocky River and was

among the best in position drills and one-on-ones.

Beechcroft rising senior Dai'Ron Glover excelled at the NLFC

in Rocky River earlier this month. In fact, based on his testing performance-he

finished among the top 10 in three of four events-Glover earned the combine's

top performer award (the overall MVP award went to Austintown Fitch's

Chris Davis. But considering only testing, Glover was the best.

Hilliard Bradley's Jeffie Johnson was a late scratch for Rocky

River and if his track injury is healed he should factor in any discussion

of the event's top performers. At Steubenville he claimed top honors

in the 40 and vertical jump and finished in the top 10 in the broad jump.

A wildcard here is Indiana rising senior Chris Riley. The 5-foot-11,

166-pound athlete recently moved back to Indiana after a year at Merrill Island

in Florida. Riley has plenty of speed and athleticism and has drawn interest

from several major college programs.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Terry Smith is an athletic guy that could

excel either on offense or in the defensive backfield. But, he's listed

as a running back for this event and should excel in the testing portion of

the camp. His athleticism could make him a factor in the overall MVP selections.

He rushed for 400 yards and five scores in five games as a running back for

the Lions.

Trenton Edgewood rising junior Jeremiah Turner rushed for 424 yards and six

scores last season. That performance helped him land interest from programs

such as Urbana, Brescia, Tiffin, Seton Hill, Southern Alabama and more.

With 62 wide receivers registered for Saturday's event, this is one of

the deepest position groups. But, don't let the depth fool you. The heavy

favorite to claim the position MVP, and a leading candidate for overall MVP,

is Fitch's Chris Davis. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound rising junior

claimed top honors earlier this month at Rocky River and was one of the top

performers at Steubenville. Look for Davis to again be in the discussion for

overall MVP.

Martell Clark of Lew Wallace High in Gary, Ind., enters the event with 590

receiving yards and eight touchdowns to his credit. He's also a capable

rusher and defensive back, having run for 120 yards and picked off three passes

last season. At 6-foot-2, 174-pounds, Clark should have an advantage over most

defensive backs.

LaSalle rising senior Rodriguez Coleman is an interesting prospect.

At 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with 4.6 speed, Coleman has the potential to rise above

the crowd on Saturday. Last season he caught 30 balls for 466 yards and scored

six times.

Girard rising senior Landon Smith is one of the event's most

highly recruited prospects. Already he has garnered an offer from Syracuse

to go along with a host of offers from the Mid-American Conference.

Kokomo, Ind., rising sophomore Matt Riley has tons of potential and already

has caught the attention of college coaches nationwide. He's the brother

of running back Chris Riley.

For some reason offensive linemen tend to pass on the opportunity to attend

combines. That leaves a group of about 19 to 20 linemen ready for competition

on Saturday. Of that group, Toledo Whitmer rising senior Chris Reaper is the favorite for MVP honors. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder has drawn interest

from several BCS programs and mid-majors.

Grove City rising senior Zach Seagle is no stranger to the combine

circuit. He attended the 2008 National Underclassmen Combine and now he turns

his attention to Next Level Football. At 6-foot, 260-pounds he has the frame

to play on the interior of the offensive line at the next level.

Whetstone rising senior Willaim Nargang (6-foot, 240) has drawn interest from

several smaller programs. A big-time performance could increase that interest.

With 32 defensive linemen registered competition should be fierce for MVP honors.

Count Bishop Watterson rising senior Hunter Maynard, a late addition

to the roster, as the favorite. The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder holds an offer

from

Ball

State

and

interest

from several major programs. He'll want to test well, but his success

certainly should come in the one-on-ones where he should dominate.

Another defensive tackle pushing the scales near 300 pounds, Hilliard Darby

rising senior Blake Clowes has attracted plenty of college attention

but still waits for his first offer.

Warren Harding rising senior Shaquille Diggs claimed MVP honors at

Rocky River and there's no reason he can't do it this weekend.

But, at 5-foot-10 and just over 190 pounds, his future probably lies at another

position.

Brunswick rising senior Kendrick Dobbins has a long frame (6-foot-4,

210-pounds) but needs to add some weight to really become a viable defensive

line prospect. He has the skill, as he showed earlier this month in Rocky River.

Austintown Fitch rising senior Steve Zaborsky was the top defensive

linemen at Rocky River, at least where testing was concerned. He also performed

well in one-on-ones. His athleticism should again allow him to be one of the

top performers.

Look out for Pickerington Central rising junior Adam Cole. The 6-foot-2,

295-pounder racked up 53 tackles as a sophomore and last July he was one of

the top performers at the National Underclassmen Combine Midwest Ultimate 100

camp.

Northmont rising junior Jeremy Campbell recorded 36 tackles in his

seven starts in 2009. He's undersized at 5-foot-10, but at 230 pounds

he should be able to hold his own. He's drawn interest from Michigan

State and Idaho State.

Forty linebackers are registered for Saturday's event and many of them

make the watch list for MVP honors. Leading the way is Portsmouth West rising

senior Trevon Pendleton. The 5-foot-11, 231-pounder doubles as a linebacker

and it's that versatility that earned him an early offer from Ball State

and interest from several major programs. A combine warrior, Pendleton has

impressed at every stop this spring.

Sylvania Southview rising junior Jay Fisher was the top testing linebacker

at Rocky River. He posted some very strong numbers and was equally impressive

in one-on-ones.

Mason rising senior Erich Myers racked up 50 tackles and a pair of

sacks in 2009. That performance has drawn interest from several MAC programs,

Syracuse, Kansas and Army, among others.

Bryan rising senior Jeremiah Dietrich totaled 65 tackles as ajunior. The 5-foot-11,

229-pounder has heard from several Division III programs.

Middeltown rising junior Dylan Rowe comes in at 6-foot, 200-pounds. He has

drawn early interest from Ball State, Michigan and Stanford.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The unique skill set required to play cornerback and safety lands many top

athletes in the defensive backfield. Of the 46 registered defensive backs

many are returning Next Level Football Combine participants. Look for Aurora

rising senior Terrence Pegram again to have a say in the MVP voting.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder was the defensive backs MVP at Rocky River and

he was among the top 10 in two of the four testing events. His performance

didn't go unnoticed as college coaches intensified their recruiting

efforts with him.

Caledonia River Valley rising senior Taylor Gundy also is an accomplished

receiver but will work out with the DBs. An injury limited him to just two

games in 2009 but still he drew attention from Miami (Ohio), Ohio University,

Purdue, Pittsburgh, UCONN and Tulsa.

Beechcroft rising senior Dominik Mensah comes in at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds.

With 26 tackles and 10 pass break-ups last season, Mensah is solid in coverage

and could excel in one-on-ones. His 4.6-second time in the 40-yard dash at

Massillon was that event's top score.

Pickerington North rising senior Tony Traylor, a 5-foot-10, 177-pounder,

racked up 44 tackles and seven pass break-ups last season. He's drawn

interest from schools such as Cincinnati, Kansas, Indiana, Purdue, NC State

and several MAC programs.

NOTE: The prospects listed above are Ohio Varsity's best bets for winning

MVP honors at their respective positions. The top performers, which will be

posted following collection of all testing scores, are different from the positional

MVPs. The top performers only consider testing performance whereas the MVPs

are awarded based mostly on performance during position drills and one-on-ones.

As mentioned earlier, Next Level Football Combines quickly have established

themselves as the top events in the Buckeye state. A quick glance at this

weekend's registrants shows a lot of talent will be on hand at Grove

City. That collection of talent lends itself to a very competitive environment

with many top scores and performances expected.

Running Back

Defensive Line

Linebacker

Defensive Back

Wide Receiver

Quarterback

Offensive Line

Chris Davis, Austintown-Fitch

Terrence Pegram, Aurora

Trevon Pendleton, Portsmouth West

Demitrious Davis, Austintown-Fitch

Demond Hymes, Warren Harding

Landon Smith, Girard

Included among the combine's participants are over 50 out-of-state participants.

Most of those prospects were not included in this preview, not as a slight

to them but because covering Ohio we just don't have the information we needed

to

include them in our preview. Should they perform at a high level we'll

definitely include

them in our post-combine coverage.

Follow all the Next Level Combine-Columbus coverage on OhioVarsity.com by

subscribing for a free

30-day trial (enter the code: ohiocombine10 in the space

for the coupon code). You'll need to be a subscriber to receive all the great

coverage following the event

including

top performers,

player

features, position-by-position analysis and more. Also, recruiting is heating

up, even for you underclassmen, you'll want to keep your profile up-to-date

so college coaches keep seeing your name in the news.

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