New Raw7v7 team ready to make a statement with several Miami recruiting targets
The new kids on the block have arrived in Miami, and they’re ready to make a statement.
Raw7v7 is the newest 7-on-7 team in South Florida, loaded with targets for Miami and other colleges, and founder Jose Duasso has high expectations for his new squad.
“National championship or bust,” Duasso told CaneSport. “We had a nice turnout of top-tier talent (at tryouts), and we’re excited about what this program’s future holds. We’ll be working over the course of the week to get ready for Battle Miami.”
Duasso and his Raw7v7 team will feature some of the best talents from across the country, including some top local South Florida stars, as they look to dominate this year’s 7-on-7 circuit.
“7-on-7 is kind of going the AAU basketball route, and the best of the best want to come play for me; they’ve got a spot on my roster,” Duasso said.
South Florida Express, Fire and Immortals are the other three South Florida teams in what has become a crowded landscape.
Julian Sayin, a five-star Alabama commit from Carlsbad, California, and Michael Van Buren, a four-star gunslinger from Baltimore, Maryland, will lead Raw7v7’s offense this season and are excited to be a part of the team’s inaugural season.
Van Buren is one of the many members of Raw7v7 who is being pursued by Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.
“It’s definitely exciting to be with a new team,” Van Buren said. “New kids on the block type of thing with a bunch of ballers out here, so it’s exciting.”
Both Van Buren and Sayin will have an elite core of receivers at their disposal as Duasso has brought some of the best wideouts in the nation to South Florida, including 2024 prospects Mazeo Bennett and Brandon Winton.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ellis Robinson, the No.1 defensive back in the 2024 cycle, leads the group, which also features five-star 2025 DB Anquan Fegens, who’s the No. 1 safety in his class.
“Neshaun Montgomery, Brandon Winton, KJ Duff, the list goes on,” Duasso said. “We’ve got a fully loaded clip over here.”
Raw7v7 is distinguished by the tools it provides to its athletes off the field. The team has partnered with Miami-based trainer Sean Casey, who works with a handful of elite NFL and NBA stars.
“We’ve partnered with a gym, and our program offers training with Sean Casey, who trains Tyreek Hill, Eddie Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Kyle Kuzma, and a few others,” Duasso said. “He partnered with us to train our kids for free that play on the team, so we’re trying to take this to the next level and develop the youth.”
Raw7v7’s on-field staff will be led by former NFL running back Sedrick Irvin, who will be joined by former collegiate stars Rakeem Cato and Tommy Shuler as well.
With their first tournament less than two weeks away, expect big things from Raw7v7 as they look to establish themselves as the premier 7-on-7 team not only in South Florida but across the country.
“You’ve got the South Florida Express, the Florida Fire, and Defcon; they’re all great programs,” Duasso said. “Everyone brings their A game when we play each other. With everyone going to the top, we have one mission, and that’s to win it all. Down here you’ve got to run the gauntlet before you go out nationally, so we’ll see at Battle Miami who’s the best out here.”
