COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Most of the rosters on hand for the eighth annual Hotbed 7-on-7 classic in south Florida over the weekend were Sunshine State-laden, so there was plenty of competition throughout the event.
It also means there are some breakout performers to highlight, with new names spanning the spectrum of adding scholarship offers to working towards the first one. Rivals takes a closer look at several who turned heads despite not carrying a current rating on our network.
A transfer in to national power St. Thomas Aquinas this year, D’oleo was the alpha target for a Reign roster that made a run to the tournament semifinals. A lengthy prospect at 6-foot-2, it was the junior’s route-running, hands and overall competitiveness that stood out most. He can pluck the football away from his body in traffic, and he’d let an opponent know about it along the way. D’oleo, who starred at Pompano Beah (Fla.) Ely in 2023, is also a rock solid high-jumper in the offseason. Temple became his first scholarship offer in late January, but it surely won’t be the last.
Somehow quietly, the Ocala native has amassed double-digit scholarship offers and it didn’t take long to realize just why. Patterson is an instinctive player who works well while manned-up or in space on defense, looking like a true corner or even a potential nickel type at the next level, with great closing quickness and ability to play the football on display. West Virginia recently got him on campus and all appeared to go well in Morgantown.
The most unknown recruit who made an impact was the two-way talent from Delray Beach. Cooper helped Palm Beach Elite reach the tournament final against heavy favorite South Florida Express by making plays at both wide receiver and defensive back. He got behind most defenses during the run and worked well at both corner and safety otherwise. With broad shoulders and some length to his frame, Cooper could be a riser to track through the offseason and into the fall.
Akande had a big 2023 season at South Broward High and already holds six offers to his name, including LSU and Maryland, and we can see why programs are betting on the sophomore early on. He is a legitimate 6-foot-1 or better with great technique and leverage-discipline to his name at a young age. On the flip side, he’ll need to find a quicker trigger when covering elites like Jaime Ffrench, but the top 20 rising-senior recruit made many look even more foolish on the outside. Akande works a clean pedal and comes out of it with plenty of pop for a cornerback.
One of the prospects who garnered the most talk at the event was Hughley, an intriguing young talent with a legitimate case to work at quarterback or wide receiver at the next level. Already holding several scholarship offers to his name as an athlete, Hughley spun the ball with ease to all three levels — with plenty of juice when he needed to crank it up to 10. On the hoof, he has a developmental WR1 type build at a lean 6-foot-2. The sophomore is expected to get the reigns at QB for Cardinal Newman High, one of the most talented rosters in Palm Beach County, so there could be a lot to be said in this recruitment going forward. Hughley has added offers from Pitt, Boston College, Indiana, Tulane and others early this year.
The younger brother of Raul Aguirre, a.k.a. ‘Popo’ at the University of Miami, Markel is looking to make his own mark as a secondary player instead of at linebacker like big bro. He is nearly taller than his older counterpart despite being just a sophomore in high school, so the prospects of being a versatile defensive back are what Aguirre has bought into. He has good range and physical traits to his name relative to the class, part of the reason both Miami and Tennessee jumped in with early scholarship offers.
It’s rare for a standout performer at South Florida Express to sit offer-less after multiple tournaments, but it’s the case at the moment for Santiago. Working the slot and running back spots, the sophomore has looked shifty out of his breaks and he finishes with strong hands along the way. Santiago, who caught 69 passes for 790 yards and nine touchdowns in the fall, also has enough top-end speed to get behind the defense. As he adds weight to his frame we would expect attention from programs running pass-first and/or wide open offenses. Santiago also plays defense and runs track.
