The Texas 7-on-7 State Tournament in College Station is here!

It’s the summer’s main event every year. Nowhere else will you see more TXHSFB players from across the state competing on one field. And, every year, there’s an underrated player who puts the entire state on notice by going toe-to-toe with the best recruits in the state. The only thing hotter than the 110-degree heat is their stock after the weekend.

There was Jacksboro’s Cannon Valenzuela in 2024, a Colorado State commit who earned a DCTX three-star ranking after a dominant display. Or in 2025, when Austin LBJ defensive back Antione Baker entered the tournament with Texas State, Old Dominion, and Washington State leading his recruitment. He’s now signed to Vanderbilt in the SEC.

So, I’m predicting who could be this year’s Valenzuela or Baker. Here are five defenders who could experience the same meteoric rise in recruiting circles. The names are listed in alphabetical order.

Elijah Cooper, El Paso Andress

El Paso Andress is the first Class 4A team to qualify for the Division I State 7-on-7 Tournament since 2017. But these Eagles are no long shot coming off a 9-3 season and boasting prospects like QB Jamari Milton and DB Elijah Cooper.

I’m particularly intrigued by Cooper this weekend. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back is a four-year starter with the football IQ and athleticism to play either cornerback or safety. Last year, he earned First Team All-District honors as a shutdown corner – his 26 tackles show offenses rarely threw his way. Cooper doesn’t have any offers yet, but his family has college football pedigree. He’s the younger brother of former Arizona safety Tristan Cooper and current Penn State safety Jeremiah Cooper.

Colton DeLaGarza and Madden Weaver, Hamilton

The last time we saw these Bulldogs, they won the program’s first state championship in its 101-year history. Can Hamilton pull off another first by lifting a State 7-on-7 Championship belt in College Station? They’ll rely on senior safety Colton DeLaGarza to do so. 

DeLaGarza was a First Team TSWA All-State safety last fall with 141 tackles and six interceptions. He’s a three-year starter in the secondary, but he also has the physicality at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds to roll down to linebacker. DeLaGarza’s track times also back up his athleticism. He won a silver medal at the UIL State Track and Field meet in the 800m dash and was part of Hamilton’s school-record 4x400m relay. 

While DeLaGarza is the veteran of the group, sophomore Madden Weaver is a rising star. The 6-foot-5-inch, 180-pound wide receiver/defensive back recently earned verbal offers from Texas Tech and Texas State. Weaver had an excellent freshman athletic season: he started in the playoffs on Hamilton’s state championship team, earned Second Team All-District in basketball, and won District Newcomer of the Year on the baseball diamond.

Da'Kendrick Jones, Wichita Falls Legacy

Da’Kendrick Jones (6-foot-2, 185) has one of my favorite highlight tapes in the Class of 2027. I predict he’ll add to his already exceptional reel this weekend in College Station. Jones is a two-time District Utility Player of the Year who led Wichita Falls Legacy with 95 tackles and three interceptions in 2025. He also added 400 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns on offense. Head coach Greg Davis describes Jones as extremely athletic, smart, and a great kid to coach.

Isaiah Reed, Hamshire-Fannett

Isaiah Reed’s comeback campaign kicks off this weekend in College Station. Reed, a Texas State commit, has seven offers, but he is on everyone’s radar. At 6-foot-2.5 inches and 206 pounds, Reed lit up the college camp circuit in 2025. He recorded verified 10.7 100m dashes, 4.45 40-yard dashes, 42-inch vertical jump, and broke the University of Houston camp broad jump record for linebackers at 10 feet, 10 inches. But Reed was lost for the year after an injury in Week 2, and colleges are now itching to see how he responds this fall. The senior was just cleared, and his recovery is progressing well, but he’ll be limited at the tournament. Hamshire-Fannett’s coaching staff knows now how badly they need him on the field. 

Even in limited snaps, I predict Reed will wow spectators with his athleticism. But for Hamshire-Fannett’s coaching staff, Reed’s most impressive trait is how he’s responded in the face of a season-ending injury.

“I’ve never seen him have a bad day,” Hamshire-Fannett OC Blake Waggoner said. “Even when he’s not feeling happy after the injury or not feeling his best, you’re not going to see it from him. He’s constantly positive.”

Chance Washington, Jefferson

The Jefferson townsfolk have been talking about this year’s senior class since the group was in Little League. Not only do these Bulldogs have a whopping 23 seniors on a Class 3A DII roster, but that class is chock-full of athletes like Chance Washington.

Washington is a standout quarterback who threw for 1,644 yards and 24 touchdowns, in addition to 408 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. But his college future is at defensive back. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect is extremely long for a cornerback. He combines that length with smooth athleticism, evidenced by winning District Offensive MVP in basketball and qualifying for regionals in the long jump and high jump. Coach Ty Taylor describes him as an awesome kid who recently earned Student of the Month with a 3.3 GPA.