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Norfolk

Five-star headliner for the GAME Academy weekend camp

States are starting to ease restrictions on outside sporting events, and one of the first two-day east coast camps will be held this weekend.

The GAME Academy will host the event at the Virginia Beach (Va.) Sports Complex and introduce one of the best players in the country.

Five-star cornerback Tony Grimes will visit the camp. The # 1 cornerback and # 7 player in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite will announce their college pick on Tuesday. Its finalists are North Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Ohio State.

According to the camp’s director, Virginia Beach (VA), Princess Anne’s assistant coach Deon Glover, the idea is to give players a chance to be seen after the coronavirus pandemic marks the spring evaluation period for all and the spring and summer camp evaluation time has been canceled for all colleges.

“The college evaluation season is over, so no one has had the opportunity to be evaluated by a college coach to watch them train,” said Glover. “That window has closed. We are unlikely to have anyone who can come to college campus to train. There are no college camps, so this is a prime opportunity.

“We’ll be videotaping the exercises, the workouts, and the individual exercises. Any child who missed their opportunity has the opportunity to show off their stuff and get it right into the hands of the colleges.”

Glover said that each session is limited to 100 players, with 50 on each side of the field.

“We’re going to have an ongoing record with the times and lasers and measurements and all that stuff,” he said. “Then we’ll split it up into groups of 50.

“There will be a combination style of registration for the kids to take tests. They will get all of the verified data.”

The idea then is to share this information with the recruiting departments so the schools have new metrics to work with not only for potential clients in Class 2021 but also for sub-classes.

“I think it’s great for athletes who are looking for excitement,” he said. “I think it’s great for athletes who want to consolidate their verbal offerings.”

A healthy number of the best players from the Tidewater area are expected, according to Glover.

He said Virginia Beach Green Run four-star defensive end George Wilson (Penn State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona State) as well as Virginia Beach Ocean Lakes four-star defensive end / linebacker Naquan Brown (LSU, Virginia Tech , Miami, Pittsburgh) and Class 2022 four-star recipient Tychaun Chapman (Oklahoma, Auburn, Oregon, North Carolina, states of Michigan, Tennessee, USC, and Virginia among his offerings) will each be there.

Per Glover are also Princess Anne Defensive Tackle Marquise Brunson (East Carolina, NC State, Georgia Tech) and Zaakir Brown (Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech), Suffolk, Va., Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, in attendance class of 2022 running back George Pettaway (Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Virginia, West Virginia) and Green Run Cornerback Tayon Holloway (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Texas A & M, Virginia and Virginia Tech), Pittsburgh Commit and Ocean Lakes athlete Myles Alston, Pitt Commit and Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor running back Malik Newton, Pitt Commit and Norfolk Washington athlete Rodney Hammond, Virginia Beach Cox athlete and NC State Commitment Nate Evans and Class of 2022 Norfolk Maury athlete Ahmarian Granger (Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Pitt, Virginia).