News

Jun 05, 2023

Dunbar, Riverdale, Fort Myers, ECS athletes in The Big 15 college recruits liat

About the Series: The Big 15 is the annual list of top Southwest Florida college football recruits selected by The News-Press and Naples Daily News. The players selected are from Lee and Collier

About the Series: The Big 15 is the annual list of top Southwest Florida college football recruits selected by The News-Press and Naples Daily News. The players selected are from Lee and Collier counties and are ranked based on hard scholarship offers, the level of the schools making the offers, and those who possess the potential to receive attention from Power Five programs.

The theme for this year's team is Works of Art, representing their play on the field and in our photo studio. To capture their portraits, we posed the 15 athletes in a dark studio and painted them with light. That required an artist "painting" around the player with colored LED wands while he stood still for 15 to 20 seconds to allow a camera set for a long exposure to capture the swirls of light. You can see the finished products in each athlete's story.

Position: Defensive Back

School: Evangelical Christian

Ranking: NR (247Sports, ESPN, On3, Rivals)

Commitment: Air Force

Best offers: Army, Navy, Air Force

Measurables: 6-2, 170 pounds

Grade: Senior

Just wait until you see this small-school star in full flight.

At 6-foot-2, ECS senior Jayden Malbranche is a fast-rising defensive back. His ability to impose himself on defenses has been recognized with D-I offers, including Air Force, where he committed earlier this summer.

Malbranche pulled in a pair of picks last season and helped the Sentinels go undefeated in the regular season with the defense posting four shutouts.

With sky-high potential, Malbranche lands at No. 15 on The Big 15, The News-Press/Naples Daily News ranking of Southwest Florida's top football recruits.

"So I actually didn't play football until my sophomore year. My sophomore year, I didn’t even play (defensive back), I played receiver only. During sophomore summer, going into my junior year, I just started going to DB training and started playing DB and I went to camps and I didn't get looks at camps until my junior year. That's when I got my film, junior year. It was like April, May - that's when I just started getting interest, college coaches coming down and seeing me. Then that's when Air Force (gave me) my first offer and I went up to visit. I went to FIU, Miami, ECU, Air Force, so then that's when I just went up there and visited and that's when I committed— this summer."

"To be honest, I couldn't even backpedal. I couldn't even do DB stuff, and it was kind of hard. I was like, ‘Oh my God,’ but then when you have like your brothers at ECS keep motivating you, telling you like you can actually get to that level, everyone just motivating you to keep working harder and harder. And then it really clicked after Moore Haven, our week three game. That’s when I got my first pick and everything's easier now. And that's when everything just went uphill for me."

"It was mind blowing, like a dream come true. Because I played baseball, and I still do, but at first I thought baseball’s my only thing, like football’s never been my thing and the next thing you know, like everyone's telling you to play football, you could actually be like actually go somewhere in football and it was just mind blowing. And you're really happy."

"Almost all the coaches said they like how my length was, how tall I am for a DB. Some coaches want to change me to safety. Even for the way I play, I could play zone, I could go to man. For my size, playing man, I can match up with any receiver in my speed and how I play, it's just, they love it."

"Air Force, it was just home. Even before I got there coach was showing me love. When I got the offer, coaches from Air Force texted me — there’s just a brotherhood. June 7, we went up for a visit. It's Colorado Springs. It's just nice, something new, like different from Florida. And when I got there, it’s just home over there. Like the coaches really love me, they took time out of the whole day. I went to private meetings with them. They just really wanted me, and, even after, they just called me, talked to me, texted me, every coach. Just felt like home – they just really cared about me and showed that they can really do something with me."

Position: Offensive Tackle

School: Riverdale

Ranking: NR (247Sports, ESPN, On3, Rivals)

Commitment: None

Best Offers: UCF

Measurables: 6-8, 285 pounds

Grade: Junior

Cole Cooke is hard to miss.

Yet the 6-foot-8, 285-pound Riverdale offensive lineman has gone under the radar – until now.

Cooke received his first offer from UCF in May and appears poised to collect more as he continues to grow into his game.

The rising junior only began playing football as a freshman. His obvious potential lands him at No. 14 on The Big 15, The News-Press/Naples Daily News ranking of top college football recruits.

"The old coach from my freshman year wanted me to come play, see how it was, and I fell in love with the game. And now, it’s taking me somewhere, so may as well stick with it."

"My journey in football – it’s been short so far, but I hope it gets longer. I hope to make millions someday off of it. That’s the plan."

"My freshman year I was just a backup on varsity because we had some good guys that year. Then one of our guys went down, I think was our first or second game of that year, so one of our backups wasn’t going in, so I just went in for him. And then ever since, I’ve just started on varsity since my freshman year."

"It was scary, I’m not going to lie. It was the first time playing football with the big boys. It was something new."

"I want to play Lehigh pretty good. I mean, rival team, Battle of the Bell. It’s going to be competition, so love that game."

Position: Athlete

School: Fort Myers

Ranking: NR (247Sports, ESPN, On3, Rivals)

Commitment: None

Best Offers: UCF, USF, Toledo, Western Michigan

Measurables: 6-0, 155 pounds

Grade: Junior

Madrid Tucker knows the pressure that comes with being the son of a former Major League Baseball player.

One of two sons of ex-MLBer Michael Tucker, Madrid has gotten acclimated to thrive in big moments, just like his father, along with his older siblings, Aspen (former Missouri gymnast) and Milan (Appalachian State football). Considered one of the top up-and-coming two-sport athletes locally, Tucker will likely have his choice between playing football or baseball, or both, at the next level.

Tucker led the team with 748 all-purpose yards last season, to go along with 10 touchdowns (5 rushing, 4 receiving, 1 special teams). Teams always know where No. 24 is on the field because of his big play ability.

Tucker's potential and athleticism put him at No. 13 on The News-Press/Naples Daily News Big 15, a list of Southwest Florida's top college football recruits.

“The journey, most people would say it’s easy, but in reality, it’s hard. Just having the older siblings, you have them calling you bad, but it gives you a hard shell and makes you work harder. It’s more of a life lesson thing.”

“During the offseason, I worked on having a connection with (quarterback) Chris McFoley. We only had a year together so far, but now that he’s going into his senior year, we have a two-year connection now. It’s going to be way more explosive. Our wide receiver corps, we’ll have to step up more because Ern (Bonelli) left. Alex (Thelusma) stepped up, and Grant (Coppens) moved to wideout. I feel like it’s going to be a good year.”

“I feel like it’s going to get to a point where I have to choose, but right now, I definitely want to play both until I literally have to stop. Whatever comes, comes. I have love for both games. I don’t want to give one of them up.”

“It’s easier during the season because football season goes first. Over the summer is probably the hardest, but I kinda just prioritize football at the beginning of every month, and the rest is baseball or the other way around. I know I’ll have tournaments back-to-back while trying to squeeze in football stuff one week at a time.”

“Definitely St. Thomas again. That was a bad experience last year (42-0 loss). It taught us and our coaching staff a lot more, and we have to work way harder. They basically have a coach for every position, and we have a handful. It’s definitely a work ethic type of thing.”

Position: Defensive Back

School: Dunbar

Ranking: NR (247Sports, ESPN, On3, Rivals)

Commitment: None

Best Offers: Temple, Bethune-Cookman

Measurables: 5-10, 185 pounds

Grade: Senior

Don’t overlook this playmaker.

At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Kelby Tyre might not overwhelm with size, but the pesky Dunbar defensive back has time and again showcased that he’s one of the best around.

That was never more evident than last year when North Fort Myers lined up to kick a field goal that would end Dunbar’s season in the regional semifinals. The snap was mishandled, leading the holder to look for an open receiver – he seemingly found one before Tyre alertly tracked the play and knocked the ball down, securing victory for the Tigers.

In two seasons, Tyre has recorded 78 tackles, 4 picks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. His production, as well as offers from Temple and Bethune-Cookman, help put him at No. 12 on The Big 15, the Southwest Florida list of top college football recruits.

"What makes me think I’m one of the best players is my confidence in myself and the way I work hard."

"I see the ball roll, and I looked to the left, and the player – he ran out so I ran over there, and by the time I got there, he was going to catch it and I knocked it down. And it was fourth down so I just kept running to the sideline. ... To do that for our team, to make them go to the next round, it was a good feeling."

"Get the ball. Get it, any chance I get with the ball, do something good with it – score, something."

"To make it farther than what we did last year (state semifinals), get more picks, more tackles, forced fumbles."

"Bishop (Verot) because I just like to play Bishop. It’s a good game, and I feel like it’s going to be better this year."

Position: Edge

School: Dunbar

Ranking: NR (247Sports, ESPN, On3, Rivals)

Commitment: None

Best Offers: Western Kentucky, Temple, Penn

Measurables: 6-3, 240 pounds

Grade: Senior

After six years away from the game, Vanier Baptiste came back with a vengeance.

He stopped playing football until his sophomore year of high school at Dunbar, and the edge rusher needed just one year to get his game back. He broke out by recording 99 tackles (28 for a loss to lead the team), 7 sacks, and 4 fumble recoveries as a junior.

At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Baptiste is a game wrecker on a Tigers defense full of them – the team reached the state semifinals last season with much credit due to the stingy play on that side of the ball.

With offers from Temple, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, and Colgate, Baptiste is a prospect on the rise, coming in at No. 11 on The Big 15, The News-Press/Naples Daily News ranking of Southwest Florida's top football recruits.

"My mentality – I’m always one of the hardest workers in the room. If I feel like you’re not working as hard as me, then I don’t feel like you’re as good as me. So I don’t see anybody that’s on my skill level."

"Charlotte game – the first drive out there. It was a false start, and then I got two sacks back to back and I’m like yeah. And I was talking my mess."

"It’s lowkey been stressful because, at first, I knew I was always good, but it was hard when no colleges were looking at me, and it was making me want to quit, but once the offers started coming in, I can say I stuck to it."

"I just want to make my dad happy. I just want to make him happy and then I fought through it. … He raised me by himself. The man, he definitely been there since Day 1, been to every football game, and I want to make him happy. And now I’m doing good with it, and I love seeing every time a college calls, I love seeing the smile that puts on his face."

"I want to break the Lee County record for sacks this year. Last year, I didn’t get to do it, so yeah, I got to break it this year."

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writers Alex Martin and Dustin Levy on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin and @DustinBLevy. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.