Pylon Camps Florida: QB coach Baylin Trujillo breaks down top performers
The Pylon empire is expanding from their well-established 7-on-7 series to include the Pylon Training Camp Series. The new offering for high school football players kicked off over the weekend in Orlando on Saturday with a second camp in Miami on Sunday. The event was a draw for rising talents from all over the state at all positions. Breaking down the quarterback position, QB coach Baylin Trujillo shared his evaluations on the top-five gunslingers with a one to watch after instructing at both events.
THE TWO-CAMP BREAKDOWN
“The camps overall were great. Central Florida, Dade, and Broward County has a history at the quarterback position, but it still gets overlooked. Florida is the most talented state in the country. We sold out at quarterback but ended up taking 25 quarterbacks at Orlando; we had capped it at 15 but added 10. They wanted a tune up before the Elite 11.”
“In Miami, there were nine QBs there, most quarterbacks from the area were at Elite 11 regional (Orlando). We had solid talent from the east and west coast in Miami. Overall, 35 to 40 QBs in total competed. It was a high intensity camp; I am blessed to be a part of it. Most camps are about the politics. Being part of Pylon, I am not part of the politics even though I train a lot of these guys. My philosophy is may the best guy win.” – Baylin Trujillo
THE TOP PERFORMERS
*In alphabetical order
Dereon Coleman (Jones): “In my opinion, he had the second-best overall day. Watching him (6-0, 170), he is a generational talent. Watching him throw, it is meant to be. You talk about guys who have to work at it, he was born with a gift. He has that swagger. He can get lazy with his footwork, and he chills a little bit, but I am trying to work with him on staying consistent.
“I think he had the second best day. During the individual work he looked flawless. It was good for him being around some of the top guys in the area; he was having fun. He gets serious, but at the camp he was in his element. It is really cool to watch him grow from being 11 to now 15-years-old. He is special.
“He has seven Power Five offers. He was starting for Fort Meade as an eighth grader, that started his recruiting process early. Virginia Tech loves him. He will probably be a top 2026 quarterback with Noah (Grubbs). Noah is a pocket passer, Coleman is a dual-threat. I’m excited to see his development. Most importantly, it was great to see how much fun he had in the camp setting.”
Noah Grubbs (Lake Mary): Grubbs (6-4, 218) was probably top three at the camps. He is an elite talent. I’ve been working with him for over a year now. His dad is big in baseball. I will never forget, he came to one of my camps as an eighth grader. I put him with middle school group; he was already 6-2 or 6-3. His dad forced him to come to talk to me to move him to the high school level to compete. Sure enough, he was as advertised.
“After that, he started training with me. I told his dad after his first pass, if you trust me with his development, he will retire both of us. If he sticks with football, I know he was good in baseball, I told them to trust the process. I told them if this kid sticks with it, he will be Power Five. It was kind of a joke, but he quit playing baseball and started QB training three to four times a week. Virginia Tech and UCF, he has built relationships with those guys.
“In Game 3 of his freshman year, he took over the starting job at Lake Mary. His first pass was for a touchdown. He beat rival Seminole in the playoffs and threw the game winning touchdown. Seeing his development and growth as a freshman, he’s just a 15-year-old kid, but he already looks the part. He can throw 70 yards on a rope. He needs to fine tune a few things, but he has a quick release, and he needs to keep his frame; he gained 40 pounds in the offseason.
“The kid already has five Power Five offers. Chip Lindsey (UNC), I think they will offer him next. His arm is live, and he makes any throw look easy.”
Anthony Miller (Sarasota Riverview): “Anthony (5-11, 175) will wow you with arm strength. He threw the ball 81 yards; that is a freak of nature. Not too many guys can get it 75 yards. He did it on the first throw after a long day of training. He wows you with arm strength. Accuracy is his best asset. He can throw on the run and has a fluid release. The things he can control he does really well. He was just offered by Campbell. He’s only a freshman. His arm talent and arm strength wows you in a camp setting.”
JP Pickles (North Florida Christian): “I really liked Pickles (6-1, 200); the most impressive of all the kids this weekend. I like his frame, he has a solid frame, and he looks the part. I have never trained him before; I never had worked with him. Knowing (2023 QB) Blake Boda (Coastal) from Cocoa was the No. 1 QB and JP was No. 2, they were competing back and forth through stats. I knew he had talent.
“I thought Boda was the best quarterback in the state last season, if not in the country. I was really impressed with his numbers statistically online; I knew he had some talent. Showing up at Pylon, his size was impressive. He throws effortlessly. For not having a trainer, he throws on and off platform with ease. I believe if he gets with a QB trainer, his recruiting will take off. He has two offers now, Kent State and Charlotte. I believe with his talent he will pick up big-time offers at camps. His arm is Power Five level. This kid, given a shot, can play some big-time football.”
Braxton Thomas (Sarasota Riverview): “Braxton (6-2, 185) was impressive this weekend landing in the top five of the camp series in Miami. Thomas won MVP in Miami. He just transferred from Arizona and came out to compete. He has the frame and he looks the part. His arm talent is flawless, and he can throw from any angle. He is a great kid too and well-mannered. He wants to work hard. He is always asking questions; I love that. The ability to want to be great and to learn is key to being successful, Braxton Thomas brings that to the table.
“Cool story, the two MVPs from the weekend are both at Sarasota Riverview. It will be cool to see who takes over. The kid just transferred here and won MVP at the camp. Two quarterbacks from the same school won MVP in back-to-back camps. Miller transferred to Riverview to start, and both are competing at a high level. Both have the talent to win the job.
“Great job to all five of the QBs for standing out his weekend at the camp.” – Baylin Trujillo
Rising Talent to Watch: 2027 QB Zachary Katz (True North)
“Both camps are supposed to be high school only. He (6-0, 194) submitted to us, and after watching his film we invited him. We don’t allow 2027 players, but because of his film and that he threw for 2,800 yards with 35 touchdowns, we let him in.
“Sure enough, you could not tell he is a young kid. He looks flawless. Every ball came off his hand as pretty as I have seen. Overall, he threw the best. I bragged about other kids’ arm talents; this is the name to remember. He will be another top player. I will take him around and showcase him; he will blow up. He’s already 6-foot tall as an eighth grader. He was already phenomenal at the varsity level. He wowed me this weekend.”
On April 8, the Pylon Camp Series moves to Atlanta with their Charlotte camp scheduled for April 9.