College football recruiting: Jackson, Massillon players enjoy Akron prospect camp

AKRON — College football recruiting for high school prospects jumps up a notch now that school's out and summer football camps are underway.

This past Saturday, some Jackson and Massillon players were among numerous players across the region competing in the Akron football prospect camp. It gave them a chance to take advantage of the reps, drills and instruction provided at the camp.

“There is a lot of good guys," Massillon defensive back-receiver Jaden Welch said. "There’s a lot of DBs that I saw. There are quite a few good receivers, so I had a lot of competition keeping me on my toes.”

Both Welch and Zahnii Berry, another Massillon Tiger, worked out with the defensive backs. Both had a lot of takeaways from working out with the Akron coaches and some players. One of the lessons they took from DB coaches and current Zip players was patience.

“Patience is really big for you,” Berry said. “If you’re not being patient, you can always get beat. Being patient is easy to guard somebody. It’s hard in the head, but once you get that down, you should be good.”

For a DB, patience is a virtue. Welch understood that while competing in one-on-one drills.

“At the line when I was guarding one of the receivers, they said I was being too impatient to get to the receiver locking down,” Welch said. "So I learned a lot from staying patient and keeping my form.”

Massillon Tigers football: 'You have to keep working': Massillon football's Willtrell Hartson turning the corner from injury

Welch has been keeping himself busy during the offseason. Fresh off track season, he looks to gain his football weight back after shedding 15 pounds in the spring. Welch, who will be a senior this coming season, has a few Division II college offers.

“I want to improve on getting bigger, stronger and faster,” Welch said. “Plus (improve on) technique."

For Berry, he is looking to continue to get noticed by college coaches.

“There’s always room to improve, but I’m just out here to make a name for the little guys who can ball,” Berry said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, get my name out there.”

Massillon Tigers football: 'A lot of people were talking about Freddie': College coaches know Lenix Jr. of Massillon

Massillon linebacker Cody Fair and Jackson quarterback Joe Lattarulo also participated. Both will be juniors this coming season.

“I feel like I was trying to get as many reps as I can,” Fair said. “Getting reps with all the good players (who are) trying to get recruited by Akron. There is a lot of good players and I was getting better with my technique from good coaching.”

For Lattarulo, he felt he improved on his timing on the ball, especially when it comes to throwing to speedy receivers.

“We don’t have a lot of chemistry, I think I can get better with timing with throwing stuff, especially hearing from the coaches,” Lattarulo said.

Jackson Polar Bears football: Jackson High School football great Jay Rohr hired as Polar Bears head football coach

Akron football camps coming up

Akron will hold three more prospect camp sessions. The next camps are set for June 17 and 24. the Zips will hold a 7-on-7 tournament and Big Man Camp on June 25. Kent State will host its first Mega Camp on June 18. About 50 different college scouts will be in attendance, and over 1,500 prospects have registered. The deadline for registration is June 16.

Akron Zips football: 'We're battling years and years of perception': Joe Moorhead trying to change Akron football recruiting

Other notable college football camps

Ohio State Big man/ Skills: June 14-15

Youngstown State One Day Position Grit Camp: June 15

Toledo Friday Night Camp: June 17

Bowling Green  Elite One Day Camp: June 25

Miami: June 26

College football recruiting: 'On to the next': Elite 11 a recruiting showcase for elite high school QBs in Massillon

Brendan Zurbrugg visits ACC schools

While many local prospects are in the Ohio camps, versatile Alliance quarterback Brendan Zurbrugg was in North Carolina. Over the past weekend, he was invited to both Duke and North Carolina State for their camps and visits. Zurbrugg, entering his junior year, already has three offers from Mid-American Conference schools — Miami, Toledo and Bowling Green. He did not get an offer this past weekend, but definitely is on the radar of at least a couple Atlantic Coast Conference schools.

Ohio college football recruiting news: 'They believe in me': Alliance football star Kayden Davis commits to Youngstown State

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Akron football prospect camp a showcase for Jaden Welch, others