Atlanta, GA — On a bright and toasty Saturday afternoon in Georgia, the future of football proved to be even brighter at the Football Hotbed Middle School All-American Combine Atlanta Regional at McEachern High School.
23 of the top middle school athletes from across the country put their talents on display for the chance to earn an invitation to the National Invitational Showcase at the University of Miami and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida.
After a close evaluation of each player in the 40 yard dash, position drills, shuttle drill and 7-on-7 play, the Football Hotbed coaching staff selected 15 athletes to compete in the national showcase in sunny South Florida.
Check out some of the standout performers from each class:
2023
Despite being the only two lineman at the regional, Trevor Gutierrez and Orie Dubre made the most of their experience. Both players went after each other in one-on-one drills and each impressed coaches with their competitiveness.
Coaches love to stress the importance of size at the quarterback position but don’t tell that to 2024 QB Deuce Burr. Despite being one of the smallest players at the regional, the fifth grader wowed coaches with good decision-making, fearlessness and great anticipation on his throws.
Another little guy who turned heads was 2023 RB Mason Hamilton. The young runner blazed through his 40 yard dash and was electric out of the backfield in 7-on-7 play which included a nifty open field juke that dropped a linebacker to the turf and got the coaches excited.
2022
On the seventh grade level, the skill position players came ready to ball. 2022 CB Karill Mearidy missed the regional in his home state of Louisiana but he made his presence felt in Atlanta. Mearidy ran the fastest shuttle of all the middle schoolers at 4.41 and created a virtual island at corner after picking off the first pass of 7-on-7’s.
Chicago QB Tyler Turner was a can’t miss player with his looks and his play. With a big, blond and black curly afro, Turner also stood out with his performance on the field and earned an invite to South Florida.
At wide receiver, Cade Roberts and Andre Stewart were the cream of the crop. Roberts impressed coaches with exceptional route running ability and surefire hands, while Stewart ran a blazing 4.8 in the 40 yard dash good enough for the fastest middle school run Saturday.
2021
At the eighth grade level, the quarterback battle was one to watch. Corbin Lafrance, Andrew Butler and Dylan Zervous looked to separate themselves from the pack but for the coaches it was too tough to call, so all three were deemed worthy of an invite to South Florida.
Here are the results from Saturday’s combine. Names marked in bold have earned an invitation to the National Invitational Showcase at the University of Miami and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida.
| Name, Position | Year | 40-yard dash time | Shuttle Time |
| Deuce Burr, QB | 2024 | 6.6 | 5.84 |
| Orie Dubre, DL | 2023 | 6.97 | 5.8 |
| Trevor Gutierrez, OL/DL | 2023 | 6.6 | 6.0 |
| Mason Hamilton, RB | 2023 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
| DaMichael McPherson, RB/LB | 2023 | 5.28 | 4.9 |
| Name, Position | Year | 40-yard dash time | Shuttle Time |
| Kaleb Cost, QB | 2022 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| Kam Hill, QB | 2022 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
| Clint McKee, RB | 2022 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Karill Mearidy, CB | 2022 | 5.0 | 4.41 |
| Cade Roberts, WR | 2022 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| Andre Stewart, WR | 2022 | 4.8 | 4.44 |
| Tyler Turner, QB | 2022 | 5.78 | 5.25 |
| Hunter Tomes, RB/WR | 2022 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| Macere Walker, QB | 2022 | 5.5 | 4.9 |
| Name, Position | Year | 40-yard dash time | Shuttle Time |
| Bobby Barnes, Jr., DB | 2021 | 5.00 | 4.6 |
| Andrew Butler, QB | 2021 | 5.66 | 4.93 |
| Mekhi Crawley, RB | 2021 | 4.98 | 4.5 |
| Ese Dubre, WR | 2021 | 5.11 | 4.8 |
| Cameron James, DB | 2021 | 5.65 | 4.6 |
| Corbin Lafrance, QB | 2021 | 5.7 | 4.85 |
| Ezekiel Minier, LB | 2021 | 5.2 | 4.63 |
| Fabian Njika, LB | 2021 | 5.2 | 4.8 |
| Aidon Williams, DB | 2021 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| Dylan Zervous, QB | 2021 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
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