Recruiting Wrap Up: Week 1


Rankings of all kinds give us an idea of who is superior to others, but as a wise man said, “this is why we play the games.”  The same goes for recruiting. A team deemed as number one at a particular time for a prospect may not be the final choice of a star high school player when it’s all said and done.

St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) in a feature game televised on ESPN, established themselves as the best team from South Florida…for now. And in the game against St. Frances (Baltimore, MD), quarterback Zion Turner solidified himself as the best QB in the sunshine state.  Turner passed for nearly 300 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the win. The senior is uncommitted and does not have a clear front-runner for his future college. However, the (6-2, 185) dual-threat quarterback likes the appeal of the west coast at UCLA.  

Zion Turner, Quarterback, St. Thomas Aquinas

“We’ve been building a relationship more and more,” said Turner.  “I’ll soon take a visit and see how things are like on the west coast.”  


Turner says not many other schools have reached out at this time, but I would imagine that will change after his big performance against the then 8th ranked team in the country according to MaxPreps. 

Turner has offers from LSU, Texas A&M, Miami, and Arkansas.

Another Raider gaining some notoriety this week is junior cornerback King Mack.  Mack pursues the ball well and will seemingly be the difference-maker for St. Thomas all season.  It was fitting for Mack to get an interception on the final play of the game against St. Frances.  Mack (5-11, 180) nearly took it the distance and would consider traveling a great distance for college.  

King Mack, defensive back, St. Thomas Aquinas, on the tackle, versus St. Frances Academy

“Right now Notre Dame is the one team that has contacted me the most so far,” said Mack.  


Mack visited Notre Dame in July and also holds offers from South Carolina, Florida, and Miami.

Another notable playmaker that stood out last weekend was sophomore Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, FL) running back Davion Gause.

Colleges better jump on him early because he will be a highly sought-after player come his senior year.  Gause, (5-10, 200) often referred to by his nickname “Bullet,” rushed 16 times for 127 yards scoring two touchdowns against 8A state title contender Western Friday night.  

Davion Gause, Running Back, Chaminade-Madonna

Louisville, Miami, and Georgia Tech are talking to me right now,” said Gause.  They are the top three right now.”

Gause talked about playing for the hometown Hurricanes and would highly consider staying home.

“Me and the running back coach have a good bond and if everything’s looking right I would definitely commit there if they gave me the offer.”

 

Marcus Benjamin works as the senior writer and editor for FootballHotbed.com. He attended Florida A&M and Florida Memorial University completing a bachelors degree in communications in 2010. He's covered high school football in the South Florida area since 2010 for the Miami Herald, Miami Sports Tribune and ShawSports.net. He is married and lives in Fort, Lauderdale, FL.

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