The crew loads up the DCTF Swag Wagon weekly and travels around the state to watch top prospects play in top games. 

2024 DE Proves Five-Star Talent on National Stage

Name: Colin Simmons | School: Duncanville | Class: 2024 | Pos: DE | HT: 6'3 | WT: 225

Simmons helped lead Duncanville to a 23-10 win over South Oak Cliff in a nationally televised contest that had the feel of a playoff game. Defense dominated the night, and Simmons looked the part of a five-star. 

Breakdown: Saturday night's matchup between Duncanville and South Oak Cliff was a prospect-laden affair, but no one was more impressive than 2024 DE/OLB Colin Simmons, who reminds us of a young K'Lavon Chaisson. Simmons is a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end in high school, but he will likely be a hybrid OLB in college, where he can use his lightning-quick get-off to terrorize quarterbacks. Simmons' first step quickness is eye-popping, and he made a number of plays behind the line of scrimmage to help secure a hard-fought win on the national stage. He is the best pure pass rusher in the state, regardless of classification.

Offers have already come in from Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and many more. 

Rising Stars in Smalltown East Texas

Name: Terry Bussey | School: Timpson | Class: 2024 | Pos: ATH | HT: 5'10 | WT: 175

Playing quarterback and defensive back, Bussey threw for 253 yards and four touchdowns, ran for 130 yards and two more scores, and notched eight tackles and a TFL in a season-opening win over state-ranked Beckville. 

Breakdown: At the small-school level, every once in a while, it can be clearly obvious who the most dynamic player on the field is. Such is the case with Terry Bussey at Timpson, whose skills were on full display in Panola County on Thursday night. A supremely dangerous runner, Bussey showed his growth as a passer in the romp over Beckville, spinning a few beautiful deep balls while also displaying his ability to improvise with a couple of scramble-drill completions. Bussey's speed, fluidity and head for the game is immediately obvious, and if he's taking the next step as a passer, he'll be not only a four-star prospect, but a legit Mr. Texas Football candidate.

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Name: Vosky Howard | School: Timpson | Class: 2024 | Pos: WR/DB | HT: 6'0 | WT: 175

Howard co-starred in the big win over Beckville and quickly picked up a Texas Tech offer. 

Breakdown: Howard, who is listed at 6'0 170, appears to have put on good weight this summer and may be around 180. He's got a strong lower body, enabling him to shake off tackles easily at the 2A level. Howard has long arms which indicates he could have some more growth and also indicates a larger catch radius for a player pushing six feet. He's easily an FBS caliber prospect and could be a Power Five commit by the time he's a senior.  

A Gunslinger Opens Eyes in the Dome

Name: Ty Hawkins | School: San Antonio Johnson | Class: 2025 | Pos: QB | HT: 6'0 | WT: 185

Hawkins passed for 317 yards, rushed for 151 yards and scored six touchdowns in the Alamodome on Saturday.

Breakdown: The 2025 QB who got a taste of varsity action at WR as a freshman last year got his first start at QB and showed flashes of brilliance that reminds you of a young Spencer Sanders from his days at Denton Ryan. Hawkins has a plus arm and above-average accuracy for a player at this stage of development. He's elusive in the pocket and keeps his head up to look downfield as a pass first option when flushed. When he is decisive and pulls the ball down he's a dangerous runner in space. Hawkins, at times, trusts his arm too much and takes chances, but as he matures and gets more experience he will limit those risky chances.  

Young Shark Dominates in Crosstown Battle

Name: Jacorey Watson | School: Shadow Creek | Class: 2025 | Pos: WR | HT: 5'10 | WT: 170

Watson had an eye-opening performance in a 32-13 win over Manvel. 

Breakdown: If you hadn't heard the name Jacorey Watson before, he made sure you had by the end of the night on Bally Sports Southwest's Texas Football Days coverage of Manvel and Shadow Creek. The sophomore wide receiver has a solid frame at 5-10, 170. Breakaway speed on kickoff returns and quick-cutting ability in the open field pair well with good catch abilities. Expect him to be a force for the Sharks for the next three seasons.

2024 QB Flashes Potential in Cen-Tex

Name: Will Hammond | School: Hutto | Class: 2024 | Pos: WR: | HT: 6'3 | WT: 190

Breakdown: The 2024 quarterback for Hutto should have the Hippos thinking postseason. Will Compton's offense fits Will Hammond like a glove with his dual-threat ability. At 6-3, 190 pounds, Hammond should be an intriguing prospect for any program and showed flashes of a huge upside against San Marcos throwing for 189 yards. 

A few throws were about an inch off the mark, but he has the ability to throw targets open that should only get better as the season rolls along. He's sitting on just Texas Tech, Tarleton and Incarnate Word offers.

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso

A trio of players caught the eye of Mike Craven in a matchup between 5A Division II Canutillo and 6A El Paso Pebble Hills. 

Name: LJ Martin | School: Canutillo | Class: 2023 | Pos: RB | HT: 6'1 | WT:  207

Breakdown: The three-star Stanford commit couldn't find any room to run in the season-opening loss at home to Class 6A El Paso Pebble Hills. Martin's first run of the game was for 18 yards. He only managed 55 yards on his final 16 carries. As a team, Canutillo averaged just 3.8 yards per rush on 35 attempts. The 6-1, 207-pound Martin looks the part, but he wasn't given the space required to make any plays. In fairness, Pebble Hills is a classification bigger than Canutillo. 

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Name: Robert Deal Jr. | School: El Paso Pebble Hills | Class: 2023 | Pos: LB | HT: 5'11 | WT: 185

Breakdown: The 5-11, 185-pound Deal was a menace from his linebacker position in the Pebble Hills defense. He's undersized, but he was up to the task at the point of attack multiple times against a Power Five running back in Canutillo's LJ Martin. Deal flashed throughout the 23-0 win in the season opener. He recorded six tackles.

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Name: Ghazi Al-Hofry | School: El Paso Pebble Hills | Class: 2024 | Pos: OG | HT: 6'4 | WT: 320

Breakdown: Al-Hofry towered above the rest of the players during the 23-0 win for Pebble Hills over Canutillo. The 6-4, 320-pound Al-Hofry played at left tackle and bullied his competition throughout the contest. He's probably a guard in college unless he grows an inch or two and improves his feet, but he's a player that G5 programs across Texas and the southwest should look at closely over the next few months. He was impressive.

*Mike Craven, Mallory Hartley, Ishmael Johnson, Greg Powers, Matt Stepp and Greg Tepper contributed to this report.