Many interesting prospects at the Miami NIKE Camp

The first major national camp was held over the weekend in Miami as NIKE SPARQ hosted it's first camp of 2009. A number of prospects who have received Vanderbilt interest, attended the camp and a number of them impressed those in attendence. Here's some notes that can be found at various sources including Rivals.com, South Florida Recruiting and ESPN:

RB. Darnell Kirkwood- Atlantic High, Delray Beach, Florida
5-foot-10, 197-pounds.

Kirkwood checked in a bit bigger than listed but showed some impressive feet to go along with that frame. Ran with power and solid elusive ability in one-on-ones against running backs. Vanderbilt offered Kirkwood after seeing him play while recruiting Jayron Hosley last year. He's also got offers from Wake Forest and Virginia. Strong lower body. May need to improve hands.

QB. Stephen Morris- Monsignor Pace High, Opa Locka, Florida
6-foot-2, 186 pounds.

Morris impressed many with his live-arm, touch and solid footwork. Morris is a true dual-threat type QB in the fact that his mobility makes him a better passer as he can keep plays alive by moving around in the pocket and taking his game to the perimeter, opening up passing lanes downfield. He currently has an offer from FIU but Vanderbilt and others are very interested and he plans to visit VU this summer.

QB. Michael Strauss- Gulliver Prep, Miami, Florida
6-foot-2, 195-pounds.

Strauss and Vanderbilt have been interested in each other for a while, so perhaps when word gets back to the Commodores about Strauss' showing at the Nike camp, VU will "up the anty" a bit. FlaVarsity.com's Mark Langston commented recently that Strauss could've been the QB MVP of the camp had it not been for Alonso's CJ Bennett. Nonetheless, Strauss showed improved footwork and great zip on his passes. I was able to see Strauss perform in December when Gulliver played Bolles and VU signee Mason Johnston in the state championship game. Strauss was very impressive in defeat, and he actually received little help from his receivers, especially Duke signee Conner Vernon. He's probably one of the top QB's on VU's list that they haven't officially offered yet.

DB. Gilbert St.Louis- Plantation, Florida
5-foot-10, 172-pounds.

St.Louis impressed everyone with his athleticism, fire to the ball, change of direction and aggressiveness. He already holds an offer from U-Conn and Vanderbilt and a few others are very interested. He will definitely be someone to follow this summer and if VU can get him on campus for a camp, he could become a big target for VU.

WR. Rashad Lawrence- Olympia High, Orlando, Florida
6-foot-2, 195-pounds.

Lawrence already has an offer from Duke and has received attention from VU and several others. Impressed people with his smooth route running and solid change of direction skills. Labelled a gazelle-type by Rivals.com's Barry Every. Sounds like he's on the verge of landing more and more offers. It will be very interesting to see how hard Vanderbilt pursues Lawrence as they are in search of receivers this recruiting period.

DB. Peniel Jean- Palm Beach Central, Wellington, Florida
5-foot-11, 185-pounds.

Jean is one of the most impressive looking non-offered prospects in the Sunshine state, in my opinion. He impressed many with his hips and pedal while at the camp and should be receiving D1 offers shortly, if not BCS level offers. Vanderbilt has been looking at Jean for a while and may be close to making a move on the PBC star.

LB/S. Isaac Dixon- Monsignor Pace High, Opa Locka, Florida
5-foot-11, 185-pounds.

Dixon has already picked up a Ole Miss offer and is getting looks as both a outside linebacker and safety. Dixon displayed excellent feet during linebacker drills and was solid in one-on-one's against the running backs. He will likely need to display his talents at safety at some college camps to get more offers. If he was 2 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, he'd probably be a high three-star level linebacker prospect, right now.

OL. David Delsoin- Sheridan Hills Christian, Hollywood, Florida
6-foot-6, 256-pounds.

Delsoin is a big time sleeper prospect at this point but his camp performance should land him more and more attention. Impressed many with his fluid mobility and his length. Had a strong showing in the one-on-ones against the defensive linemen.

Other noteable VU possibilities who impressed according to those who were present:

QB. Trevor Siemien- Olympia High, Orlando, Fla.
RB. Brandon Bennett- Charter, Pembroke Pines, Fla.
WR. Denzel McCullum- McArthur High, Hollywood, Fla.
WR. Willis Wright- Miami Springs, Miami, Fla.