THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The 2012 Nike Football SPARQ Combine tour landed in Texas on Saturday as just under 1,000 participants were tested and competed at Woodforest Bank Stadium in the suburbs of Houston. A new SPARQ Rating leader for this year's Nike Combine tour emerged from a surprising standout while a defensive lineman's star performance saw the third official invite to The Opening handed out.
Alief Taylor (Houston) defensive end Torrodney Prevot came into Saturday's event as the headliner, and for good reason; the 6-foot-3 ½, 205-pound defensive end had seen his stock shoot through the roof in the past month after a huge junior season. Prevot's strong junior campaign inspired offers from power programs like Texas, Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.
Prevot, who arrived early and was one of the first athletes through the testing process, backed up the buzz with a 102.81 SPARQ Rating Saturday, the highest for a defensive lineman on this year's tour. Prevot ran 4.67 in the 40-yard dash, 4.28 in the 20-yard shuttle, jumped 31.9 inches in the vertical and threw the power ball 39 feet. Thanks to his outstanding film from his junior season and a strong showing on Saturday, Prevot was awarded with a coveted invite to The Opening.
"All I can say is thank you for this great honor," said Prevot. "I got my first offer only three weeks ago and since then it has been hectic, but awesome. I can't wait to compete in Oregon this summer."
While Prevot was the day's early headliner, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) cornerback Colin Spencer, not a prominent name on many recruiting lists prior to Saturday, stole the show late. All the 5-foot-9 1/2, 174-pounder did was post the third-highest SPARQ Rating of all-time with an amazing 141.12. His performance only trails Texas commit Daje' Johnson and his 146.52 performance and the 143.76 number that Bama-bound Landon Collins posted this past summer at "The Opening."
Spencer, who recorded a 103.35 SPARQ Rating a year ago at the Dallas Nike Combine, had the day's top shuttle at 3.87 and also the combine's best vertical jump at 41.7 inches. He also blazed a 4.42 40 and threw the power ball 39.5 feet.
Spencer was a solid performer last fall for Wilson; blocking six kicks and returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. Spencer says he's been to Tulsa's Junior Day and feels that Baylor could be close to offering. He'll be back at the Dallas Nike Combine in three weeks with an eye on the all-time SPARQ Rating record.
Top Class of 2013 Performer
Colin Spencer, DB, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas)
This Wilson standout came into Saturday a bit under the radar, but his 141.18 SPARQ Rating should open some eyes. The 5-foot-9 ½, 174-pounder showed tremendous explosiveness in recording the top SPARQ Rating on the 2012 Nike Combine tour so far. He is hearing from Baylor, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech and deemed Arkansas as his dream school.
Class of 2013 Honorable Mention Performers
Kendall Beckwith, LB/DE, East Feliciana (Clinton, La.)
Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss have already offered Beckwith, who checked in at a sturdy 6-foot-2 ½, 225-pounds and ran 4.83 in the 40, 4.44 in the shuttle and jumped 31.7 inches on his way to an 87.87 SPARQ Rating.
Parker Davis, RB, Dodge City (Dodge City, Kan.)
Davis will open some eyes after a big day, as the 5-foot-11, 198-pounder ran a 4.61 40, 4.09 shuttle and threw the power ball 36 feet to finish with a 105.93 SPARQ Rating.
Christian LaCouture, DL, A&M Consolidated (College Station, Texas)
LaCouture posted a strong 95.37 SPARQ Rating on Saturday. He ran a solid 5.04 40, a 4.44 shuttle and threw the power ball 41 feet. Despite backing off of his previous commitment to Texas A&M this past week, he is still considering the Aggies and also likes Michigan, LSU and Missouri, all of whom have offered the talented defender.
Torrodney Prevot, DE, Alief Taylor (Houston)
Prevot earned the third invite of the year to The Opening after backing up his terrific film with a strong day of testing. His 102.81 SPARQ Rating is tops so far for the year by a defensive lineman. Prevot didn't have a single offer three weeks ago, and now has 15.
Robert Sylvester, WR, Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas)
If not for Spencer's late heroics, Sylvester's 110.64 SPARQ Rating would have been the combine's best. The 5-foot-11 ½, 163-pound wideout ran a 4.54 40, a 4.27 shuttle and jumped a whopping 41 inches in the vertical.
Top Underclass Performer
Zach Vaughan ('14), DE, McNeil (Round Rock, Texas)
Vaughan was stuck on a 1-9 team a year ago, so some of his exploits went unnoticed. But the 6-foot-4 ½, 202-pounder showed tremendous athletic ability and a long and lean frame Saturday that should have coaches salivating about his upside. Vaughan ran a 4.78 40, 4.15 shuttle and threw the power ball 40 feet, finishing with a 101.58 SPARQ Rating.
Other underclassmen who impressed
DB Arrion Springs ('14), 5-10.5, 188, Roosevelt (San Antonio, Texas)
RB David Hamm ('14), 5-11.5, 201, Klein (Klein, Texas)
WR Bobby Hartzog ('14), 5-10, 171, Westside (Houston)
DB Tyler Lindsey ('14), 5-8, 164, Owasso (Owasso, Okla.)
Below is a list of top five performers from each testing category. Stay tuned to ESPNHS.com and the Nike Football SPARQ Combine homepage the rest of the week for more coverage from the Houston Nike Combine.
Houston Nike Combine Top Fives
SPARQ Rating
1. Colin Spencer, DB, 5-9.5, 174, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) -- 141.12
2. Robert Sylvester, WR, 5-11.5, 163, Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) -- 110.64
3. Parker Davis, RB, 5-11, 198, Dodge City (Dodge City, Kan.)-- 105.93
4. Nichorian Mardis, DB, 5-10, 195, Westbury (Houston) -- 104.70
5. Hank Dutton, DB, 5-11.5, 191, Barbers Hill (Mont Belvieu, Texas) -- 103.95
40-yard dash
1. Hakeem Deggs, WR, 5-7, 149, Plaquemine (Plaquemine, La.) -- 4.41
1. Shakeir Ryan, WR, 5-8, 148, Vermilion Catholic (Abbeville, La.) -- 4.41
3. Colin Spencer, DB, 5-9.5, 174, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) -- 4.42
4. Jeremy Jordan, WR, 5-9, 156, Magnolia West (Magnolia, Texas) -- 4.43
5. Jacoby Davis ('14), RB, 5-8, 169, Vermilion Catholic (Abbeville, La.) -- 4.47
20-yard shuttle
1. Colin Spencer, DB, 5-9.5, 174, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) -- 3.87
2. Parker Davis, RB, 5-11, 198, Dodge City (Dodge City, Kan.) -- 4.09
2. Brad Watson, DB, 6-0.5, 166, Westwood (Round Rock, Texas) -- 4.09
4. Trevor Cotter, LB, 5-10, 191, Tomball (Tomball, Texas) -- 4.10
4. Carter Odenweller, DB, 5-11, 164, Northland Christian (Houston) -- 4.10
Kneeling Power Ball toss
1. Reagan Greer, RB, 5-11.5, 226, Conroe (Conroe, Texas) -- 42.5 feet
1. Kennedy Usoro, LB, 5-8.5, 233, Dulles (Sugar Land, Texas) -- 42.5 feet
3. Jonathan Huckins, OL, 6-3, 307, The Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas.) -- 42 feet
3. Jordan Prentice, LB, 5-11, 215, Cypress Creek (Houston) -- 42 feet
5. Robert Leday, RB, 5-9, 190, La Grange (Lake Charles, La.) -- 41.5 feet
5. Nick Mills ('14), TE, 6-3.5, 189, Tuttle (Tuttle, Okla.) -- 41.5 feet
Vertical Jump
1. Colin Spencer, DB, 5-9.5, 174, Woodrow Wilson (Dallas) -- 41.7 inches
2. Robert Sylvester, WR, 5-11.5, 163, Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) -- 41.0 inches
3. Terrell Brown, DE/LB, 6-0, 188, Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) -- 39.4 inches
4. Andrew Aneke ('14), DB, 5-11, 161, Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) -- 38.0 inches
5. Ronnie Jackson, DB, 5-8, 149, Madison (Houston) -- 37.8 inches