Author’s Note:  Ty Xanders runs the web site Recruiting Rundown and is probably the sport’s foremost expert on the recruiting world in general, as well as willing to put himself on the line when it comes to giving his opinions on the best players he sees in his travels.  Ty is seen frequently on the Lax Sports Network as their recruiting guru and we are looking at expanding his presence on FLN, as he is someone who the Florida readers need to pay attention to, as well as the players and their families. We already carry the Recruiting Rundown Twitter feed on our Recruiting Page so I would suggest that parents, players and coaches might want to check in with his feed and his web site weekly to keep up to date on the world so many of you are interested in.  This past weekend Ty travelled to Tampa for the Future Phenoms College Combine, which we noted before.  After reading Ty’s recap we asked permission to publish the entire article instead of an excerpt and he graciously gave us the go ahead . . . thanks Ty, as the readers will see!

  Taking A Look At The Top Players at the Future Phenoms College Combine in Florida  (LINK HERE) A second-year event, the Future Phenoms College Combine took place this past weekend in Tampa, welcoming a wealth of talent and a loaded list of top college coaches. It was a teaching-based camp, spanning two days with heavy instruction and drills as well as three rounds of scrimmages. As I mentioned on Twitter earlier this week, this differed from so many other events that I’ve attended where it’s just a dizzying amount of games rather than instruction. With just two teams for each graduating class, the coach to player ratio was strong and the college guys were able to leave the weekend with a really good sense of every player in attendance. Head coaches from Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Michigan, Jacksonville, Mercer, LeMoyne, Binghamton, Tampa and Monroe CC were on site, while the assistant coaches from Notre Dame, Virginia, UNC, Colgate, Brown, UMBC, Boston U., Albany, Rollins and Maryland also attended. Overall, I was really impressed with the work and coordination out of the ML8 Events crew, and I know that we’ll be back as long as they’ll have us. Head coaches Have a look below at the top players in attendance, ending our 2017 coverage with a bang. Carter Parlette ’20, M, Ponte Vedra (Fla.) The more I watch Parlette, the more I realize that he will likely become the best pure midfielder out of Florida in the eight years that I’ve been doing this. He’s just incredibly fluid across the board, playing both ways, flying up and down the field with his motor and quicks, and stinging beautiful shots into the corners. While he could certainly bulk up in the next few years to prep for Syracuse, Parlette is extremely effective at this level, especially in transition. Noah Cash ’18, LSM/D, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) Wearing a bulky brace on his left knee after tearing his ACL, Cash seems to be slowly working his way back towards full strength. Standing 6’3 with a lot of athleticism and 1-on-1 ability, it was clear that he impressed enough, committing to Maryland as a 2018 this past week (he was originally planning on potentially PGing) after showing well in front of a Terps assistant. I loved his play on the crease in addition to his off-ball prowess – once he’s playing with confidence in his knee, I’d expect him to be a contributor down the road in his career in College Park. Ben Hull ’20, A, Kennesaw Mountain (Ga.) The Michigan commit continues to dazzle with his overall consistency and fundamentals, getting to 5×5 with regularity and a strong arsenal of moves. He’s a fleet-footed and confident dodger who went hard in drills with top college coaches, taking pointers in stride and seldom making mistakes. Hull may not wow you with his size but he’s an excellent carrier who changes direction well and also has an innate unselfishness. Logan McNaney ’19, G, Salisbury (Conn.) Recruiting Rundown’s No. 70 junior and a recent transfer from Corning (N.Y.), McNaney showed the best of the 2019’s at the event. He had some excellent goalies – particularly John Galloway – clean some things up about his game, which bodes well going forward. He needs to stop guessing at times, but that’s due in part to the fact that he has ridiculously quick hands and stops just about everything. Bound for Maryland, I love his activity out of the cage, picking off passes and getting the ball out of his stick in the blink of an eye. Kaden Brothers ’20, D, St. Edward’s (Fla.)  I’ve only evaluated Brothers sparingly since he had a stellar performance two summers ago at Maverik Showtime, committing to Hopkins shortly after. He’s built extremely well for his age, making him hard to get around and allowing him to bully attackmen both big and small. Brothers showed off some strong checks here and there but is generally just an outstanding position defender who had the good fortune of working with his future college head coach over the weekend. Max Schalit ’19, LSM/D, Ponte Vedra (Fla.)  I’m a huge fan of this kid’s game, even if there are aspects of it that are raw. Of course, he’ll play for famed defensive coordinator Gerry Byrne and the Fighting Irish, so it’s easy to love his trajectory. A high energy player who is smooth off the ground and quick to start breaks, Schalit roams and makes plays, providing so much for each team he plays for. He’ll need to get reigned in a little considering the system he’ll play for at the next level, but the pieces are there for the No. 35 junior. J.P. Jackson ’20, A, Cardinal Mooney (Fla.) Quick as a hiccup and savvy with the ball in his stick, Jackson has impeccable hands, which allowed him to constantly freeze defenders before putting the ball in the back of the goal. While undersized, he seemed to have little trouble creating offense, even if he forced things here and there. In general, I was impressed with his knack for moving off-ball to generate opportunities, whether it was a pretty quick stick, mid-range finish or a dip and dunk. OTHERS WHO IMPRESSED Kevin Justice ’18, M, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) – Fairfield Thomas McIntire ’19, A, Salisbury (Conn.) – Holy Cross Parker Junod ’19, M, Winter Park (Fla.) – Mercer Jack Brennan ’19, A, Irondequoit (N.Y.) – Maryland Griffin King ’19, M, Niskayuna (N.Y.) – Brown Casey Kelly ’19, M, St. Joseph’s (N.Y.) Marcelo Arteaga ’20, M, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) – Hopkins Michael Lizzio ’20, M, St. Andrew’s (Fla.) – UNC Jax Popovich ’20, F/O, Salisbury (Conn.) Matthew Pounder ’20, FO/LSM/D, Nease (Fla.) Ryan Sheehan ’20, M, West Genesee (N.Y.) – Penn State Hudson Bohn ’20, F/O, Bishop Moore (Fla.) – Holy Cross Ryan Badour ’20, D, St. Mark’s (Ont.) Patrick McIntosh ’20, A, Salisbury (Conn.) Trey Scotti ’20, D, Salisbury (Conn.) William Upchurch ’21, A, Lawrenceville (N.J.) Marcus Colaco ’21, A, Salisbury (Conn.) Yavin Stefano ’21, M, Irondequoit (N.Y.) Freddie DiMarzo ’21, M, Ponte Vedra (Fla.) Zachary Antoniou ’21, D, H.P. Plant (Fla.) Trey Landolfi ’21, G, Grassfield (Va.) Barrett White ’21, M, Cardigan Mountain (N.H.)