Instant reaction: 4-star RB commit Dwight Phillips' scrimmage
Mableton (Ga.) Pebblebrook four-star running back Dwight Phillips is fast. I could end this story right here.
I attended my first high school game (I use that term lightly) on Friday night. McEachern hosted Pebblebrook, the program home to the four-star running back commit, Phillips.
I took a few notes as the night went along. I watched Phillips very closely throughout the evening. I came away with a few instant reactions.
Speed is speed until it’s so fast that it’s lightning?
Phillips has been timed at 10.26 on a track. He’s run a 4.2 also in shorts and on turf. That’s speed. Phillips threw on an extra 10-15 pounds of pads to play in a game on Friday night.
I caught myself holding my breath every time the football touched his hands. That’s what I’ve come to call, lighting in a bottle.
It’s harmless miles away and then it strikes. That’s the feeling when Phillips has the football. If he gets a crack, the band starts playing a few seconds later.
Phillips is also football-fast. Track speed and football don’t always align. It’s clear that in this case, they do.
That was showcased as his first touch of the game was a kickoff returned nearly 100 yards for a score. Phillips didn’t immediately explode, he probed and found a crack and then kicked into high gear. The acceleration is obvious.
As soon as Phillips got to green grass he outran everyone in the stadium and scored nearly untouched.
Dwight Phillips, the offensive weapon
Pebblebrooks’ coaching staff is getting to be as creative as they want with the No. 109 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings.
In one-quarter of play (Phillips went down with an injury), Phillips lined up at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and kick return. He’s a threat from all positions. The endzone is reachable from all of those positions for Phillips.
There are some things to clean up. He fumbled twice on the night. But that tightness in your chest when he has the football is why speed is important.
As he develops physically and adds a little more weight over the next few years, we could see Phillips become more of a traditional running back. As of today, he can do a little bit of everything because his ability to break away in space is so dynamic.
Young RB turned heads as well
McEachern’s young running back Jayreon Campbell turned heads in his first two series of the night. He scored twice in the first few snaps of the game.
Campbell camped at Georgia this summer. He had nearly 1,000 yards last season as a freshman backup. It appears he’s set to be the bell cow for McEachern in 2023 at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.
