Quarterbacks

(Copied from the main article) Ike Whitaker (West #11, listed as #1, 6-5 205), from Northwest High School in Gaithersburg, MD, was the biggest-name player in the game and he showed that he deserved the publicity, despite sub-standard statistics. The future Virginia Tech Hokie was selected as a captain for the West and finished the game 4-23 for 88 yards, 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Not a great performance by Whitaker, but he was under constant pressure and, frankly, his receivers were seldom open. Of Whitaker's incompletions, about 6 were catchable and another 6 or so were thrown away. Also, the East was called for 3 or 4 interference penalties, negating potential big plays.

Whitaker has all of the physical tools needed for a D-1 quarterback - great size, athletic ability, and arm strength. He has the ability to scramble and shows some decent speed, though he is not overly elusive. He has a strong arm and shows good touch when he sets himself. In the first quarter Whitaker made a nice pass to Scot Riddell on a deep out, showing good touch while still having some zip on the pass. He also throws a nice deep pass, barely missing a couple of long throws. However, Whitaker tends to throw the ball into a crowd too much and needs to improve his decision making. He is a competitor and he tried to make plays even when nothing was available, though generally he tried to keep the ball away from defenders.

When pressured, Whitaker throws the ball off of his back foot and his passes tend to hang. All of his interceptions came on touch passes he underthrew because he didn’t set himself properly. Whitaker reminds me somewhat of Chris Rix from Florida State in that both are big, athletic quarterbacks with good tools, but sometimes they make questionable decisions and tend to throw off their back foot when pressured. Whitaker will need to work with Kevin Rogers on his mechanics, but all of these problems are correctable. You could see that he is a competitor and showed good toughness and leadership ability, so I believe he has the potential to be an excellent quarterback after a couple of years of coaching.

Running Backs

Both teams used single-back sets with three wide receivers and the focus was more on the passing game. When given a chance, the backs showed some talent though most of their work was done blocking. The East squad did establish some running game in the second half and the West had some success on the ground on occasion.

Morgan Green (East #20, 5-11 210), from Lackey High School, is a solid running back with good size and speed. He signed with Maryland and was selected a captain in this game. Green had a 2 yard touchdown run and showed some quickness and strength on some sweeps. He looked more comfortable running outside and will need to lower his pad level on runs between the tackles. He plays physically and shows a willingness to block. While not exceptional in any particular area, Green has good overall skills and should be a contributor for the Terps.

The offensive line play was generally not that strong with no dominant lineman playing in the game. Both teams had some tough, scrappy players that would battle, but the talent level was not up to par with the defensive lines. The West squad, in particular, struggled with their line play and could not keep the pressure off of their quarterback. The East squad had some size and did a better job of pass protection. A number of players went both ways and I will discuss each player at the position they will most likely play in college.

Marcel Marshall (West #77, listed as #78, 6-3 270), from Gonzaga High School, played right guard and will try to walk-on at Boston College. He looked solid at run blocking showing good aggression and getting some movement. The two TD runs by Castor were behind him. He needs to set a stronger base in pass protection and use his hands better. Marshall will need some work in the weight room, but he seems to have a good attitude and displays good leadership as evidenced by his selection as a captain.

The East defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage making it difficult for the West to consistently move the ball. The West, on the other hand, was undersized at a couple of spots and could not provide the consistent pressure that the East did. The East also benefited from having the best prospect on the field at right defensive end in Melvin Alaeze who demanded constant attention.

Melvin Alaeze (East #10, listed as #90, 6-3 270), from Randallstown High School, was clearly the most dominant defensive football player on the field and he has the physical tools to become a dominant college player. The Maryland signee has exceptional speed and quickness for his size as well as the strength to overpower blockers. The West team had to double-, and even occasionally triple-, team Alaeze to even slow him down. He had one sack for a 16 yard loss and probably close to 10 hurries. He almost single-handedly took the West out of their offensive game plan. Alaeze shows a variety of pass rushing moves but he is most effective when he takes a speed rush off the edge. While he has the size to play inside, his future looks to be defensive end where he can utilize his speed and athleticism. He also plays the run well, but generally the West stayed away from him on running plays. Alaeze even saw a little action as a second tight end on short yardage situations. I have little doubt that Alaeze will be starting at defensive end for Maryland as a freshman.

Kevin Crawford (West #71, 6-4 280), from Gar-Field High School, played defensive tackle and showed good physical skills. He looks strong and has decent agility, but he needs to use his hands better to release from blocks. He is aggressive and can get a push up the middle on his bull rush. At times he can be overly aggressive as evidenced by a key rushing the passer penalty called on him that negated a big interception and return. He was also involved in an incident with Augustus Parrish at the end of the game, but I could not be sure what exactly happened and who was at fault. Crawford certainly has the physical talent to be a defensive end in Virginia’s system, but he might he develop into a nose tackle with some additional work in the weight room. He has a big frame and looks like he could put on some more weight. Crawford is fairly raw in football skills, but he has potential.

Other defensive linemen that saw limited action:

Alex Field (West #50, listed as #88, 6-7 262), from Broad Run High School, was listed as a TE/DE though I don’t recall seeing him on the field. I have not heard why the Virginia signee did not play.

The secondary for the East was clearly superior to the West and the ability of the East to blanket the West receivers made passing difficult for Ike Whitaker and Keith Ricca. The East was particularly deep in the secondary and played two complete squads throughout the game. The West had more depth in the secondary than any other position and could also play two complete squads. The defensive secondary was probably the strongest position on the field overall in terms of talent.