Battle 7v7 New Orleans preview
NEW ORLEANS — The star-studded Battle 7-on-7 circuit makes it back to The Boot for one of the best competitions of the spring.
Tucson Turf captured gold on this same field a year ago and already has one tournament win under its belt in Miami. The loaded group of West Coast skill players also made a deep run in Las Vegas last month. However, the defending champs are out of the pool this time so there will be a new champion crowned on Sunday.
Some other teams of note include the host Louisiana Bootleggers and F3 Elite, which is littered with home-state talent. The Miami Immortals, Fast 7on7 and the OG Ducks. are among the other teams expected in New Orleans this weekend.
Louisiana talent runs deep
There’s a strong likelihood that one, if not several in-state recruits make some noise this weekend playing on their home turf. Louisiana talent is well-represented between the Bootleggers and F3 Elite.
The host Bootleggers are headlined offensively by Texas A&M commitment Eli Holstein, the No. 101 player in the On3 Consensus. Four-star LSU commitment Omarion Miller and four-star St. James (La.) athlete Khai Prean highlight the receiving corps.
The defense is headed by four-star La Grange (Tex.) cornerback Bravion Rogers and Fulton (Miss.) Itawamba safety Isaac Smith, both top-100 prospects on On3. Additionally, Ryan Robinson and elite 2024 corner Wallace Foster are others to know.
Five-star Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. headlines F3 Elite’s offensive nucleus, which also includes 2024 four-star East Feliciana (La.) tight end Trey’Dez Green. Defensively, On300 standouts Jordan Matthews and Kylin Jackson are standouts in a very deep group.
Additionally, EPS is represented by On300 cornerback Curley Reed from Lake Charles (La.) College Prep. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder who visited LSU last weekend ranks as the No. 14 cornerback nationally. New Orleans-based Hot Boys is headlined by 2024 Marrero (La.) John Ehret defensive back Wardell Mack, who picked up his first offer from Alabama in January.
The in-state Tigers offered earlier Mack this month.
Notable QBs to watch
Holstein is a returning starter for the Bootleggers and was the MaxPreps Player of the Year in Louisiana last season after leading Zachary (La.) to a perfect season capped with a 5A state title. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Holstein completed 65-percent of his passes for 3,200 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to six picks a season ago. He added another 500 yards and 14 scores rushing.
The early Aggies pledge is also generating strong interest from Alabama, Oregon and Stanford, among others.
F3 Elite will turn to Columbus (Miss.) three-star quarterback Mack Howard, who’s coming off a visit to Miami. Howard has also visited South Carolina and Louisville and recently added new offers from Utah and Pitt.
Fast Houston based out of Houston will lean on one of the best Class of 2025 passers in the country in Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard quarterback Davi Belfort. The Sunshine State product recently picked up overtures from Texas, Texas A&M and TCU. Belford also recently saw Miami.
Another 2025 quarterback the commands the spotlight is Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity’s Colin Hurley. Hurley has an elite collection of pass-catchers around him with 24K. Florida, Arkansas and Louisville are among early offers.
Additionally, Florida-based 24K will turn to a local product in Vanderbilt commitment Reese Mooney. The Denham Springs (La.) three-star is also a standout baseball player.
Standout underclassmen to play
Some of the best from the Class of 2024 and even 2025 will take the field in New Orleans.
Desmond Ricks will suit up for the Miami Immortals. Ricks, who’ll visit LSU before the Battle tournament, ranks as the On3 Consensus’ No. 2 overall player in 2024. He’ll be joined in the secondary by Texas transplant Jaydan Hardy, also from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day tailback Anthony Carrie should see action out of the backfield for Fast 7v7. Defensively, the No. 66 player in the On3 Consensus, Aaron Butler, headlines the secondary.
Butler is an early USC pledge out of Calabasas (Calif.) High School.
Fast 7v7 also features talented Saint Louis (Mo.) University wide receiver Ryan Wingo, the nation’s No. 1 player at the position in the On3 Consensus. Florida-based pass-catcher Bredell Richardson, who holds a deep list of early SEC offers, is another player to watch.
Another West Coast standout to watch is 2025 Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei athlete Jordon Davison, who’ll be lining up for OG Ducks. Davison has added offers from Texas, Penn State, Georgia and USC in the past week. Davison is joined on the Ducks by early Pac-12 commitment Kobe Boykin. Boykin, a Utah verbal out of Orange (Calif.), picked up a Penn State offer last week.
Florida-based 24K features a slew of some of the nation’s best young defensive backs, including four-star Naples (Fla.) Palmetto Ridge safety Kensley Faustin, a top-100 prospect in the On3 Consensus. Sunshine State product Jaylen Heyward is another defensive back that’s commanded Power 5 attention.
On300 Consensus prospects expected to attend
No. 16 WR Shelton Sampson Jr., Baton Rouge (La. Catholic
No. 23 WR Jalen Brown, Miami (Fla.) Gulliver
No. 32 CB Bravion Rogers, La Grange (Tex.)
No. 36 S Joenel Aguero, Danvers (Mass.) St. John’s
No. 65 EDGE Caleb Herring, Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale
No. 69 WR DeAndre Moore Jr., Los Alamitos (Calif.)
No. 86 WR Aidan Mizell, Orlando (Fla.) Boone
No. 101 QB Eli Holstein, Zachary (La.)
No. 107 WR Omarion Miller, Vivian (La.) North Caddo
No. 114 CB Aaron Williams, Corona (Calif.) Centennial
No. 120 CB Curley Reed, Lake Charles (La.) College Prep
No. 132 S Kylin Jackson, Zachary (La.)
No. 153 WR Robby Washington, Miami (Fla.) Killian
No. 161 CB Jordan Matthews, Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn
No. 164 S Isaac Smith, Fulton (Miss.) Itawamba
No. 177 WR Daquayvious Sorey, Chipley (Fla.) Graceville
No. 256 ATH Khai Prean, Belle Rose (La.) St. James
No. 300 CB Daniel Harris, Miami (Fla.) Gulliver
No. 336 WR Justin Brown, Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Blackman