"Alright, listen up!" Coach Rivera called as we came back from the water break. "Time for live periods. Full contact, full speed. Freshmen, this is your welcome to Malibu Prep."
Finally. Time to show these kids what real football looks like.
The energy on the field shifted immediately. During drills, everything was controlled and teaching-focused. But live periods? That's when the real players showed themselves.
"First team offense versus first team defense!" Coach announced. "Let's see what we got."
I jogged out to my X receiver spot, Tyler lined up at Z, and Derek took the slot. Cameron was already in the huddle, adjusting his gloves and looking confident as our starting quarterback.
Time to put on a show for these freshmen.
"Alright y'all, let's cook," Cameron said in the huddle. "Jakari, they're playing you off. We can attack underneath all day."
The first play was a simple comeback route. I lined up across from our starting corner, used a hard vertical release to sell the go, then broke back at fifteen yards. Cameron's five-step drop was clean, his hip shift smooth as he transferred weight from back foot to front. The ball came out like a laser, hitting me right in the chest where only I could get it. I secured it with both hands, immediately tucking it to my body for a twelve-yard gain.
Nothing fancy, but I made sure to look over at the freshmen on the sideline as I jogged back to the huddle.
That's how you catch a football, young bulls.
"Nice route, J," Cameron said, slapping my helmet. "Keep working that underneath stuff."
The next play was designed for Tyler on a deep crossing route, but their safety jumped it. Cameron quickly found me on a hot route slant. The pass came fast and low, and I had to adjust my body mid-route, extending my hands down to pluck the ball just inches off the ground before securing it to my chest. I turned upfield immediately, fighting through contact for eight more yards.
Two targets, two catches, twenty yards. Simple football.
These kids are watching. Time to turn up.
Third play, Coach called a trips formation with me running a fifteen-yard dig. When the ball was snapped, I used a stutter release to get the linebacker to hesitate, then broke across the formation. Cameron's arm whipped through the throwing motion, firing a perfect strike that led me exactly where I needed to be. I caught it in stride, hands extended away from my body before bringing it in clean for a sixteen-yard gain.
"THERE WE GO!" Tyler yelled from his position. "That's what I'm talking about!"
I could see the freshmen watching every move. Antonio was studying Cameron's throwing motion and footwork. Brady was analyzing my route technique with those intense eyes. Mason was taking mental notes on everything.
Good. Learn something.
"Second team offense, you're up!" Coach Rivera called.
This was where it got interesting. Antonio jogged out with the second team, immediately calling audibles like he'd been running the offense for years.
"Hot route! Hot route!" Antonio yelled, pointing at Mason. "Bailey, if that safety cheats up, I'm coming to you on a comeback!"
He's got the look at least.
Antonio took a clean three-step drop, his mechanics smooth for a freshman. He saw the safety rotate, patted the ball once, then whipped his arm through and fired a laser to Mason on a perfectly run comeback. Mason caught it with soft hands away from his body, immediately turning upfield for a clean twelve-yard gain.
Then Antonio immediately flexed for the freshman crew on the sideline.
"Y'all just saw my excellence!" he called out.
This dude really flexed after one completion. But the throw was nice though.
"First team back up!" Coach called. "Let's see some tempo!"
Cameron was in his element now. Dude loved no-huddle offense because it let him show off his football IQ. First play was a quick hitch to Derek for six yards. Second play was a deeper out route to Tyler for fourteen.
Third play came back to me on a twenty-yard comeback, but this time the corner was playing tighter coverage. I used a triple release - stutter, head fake, then drive - to get him off balance. When I broke back, the defensive back was right there with me.
Cameron's pass was perfect - high and to my outside shoulder. I had to go up and over the defender, fully extending my right arm while leaning back at an impossible angle. The ball hit my fingertips first, and I had to concentrate to pull it down with one hand before securing it with both as I fell backward to the ground. Twenty-two yards and a highlight-reel catch.
Oh my god I'm nice.
The freshmen were really paying attention now. I could see Joey bouncing on his toes, probably thinking about when he'd get his chance. Brady was watching my releases like he was studying for a test. Mason was breaking down every route I ran.
Cameron found Tyler in the corner of the end zone on the next play for a touchdown.
"FIRST TEAM!" Cameron yelled, pumping his fist. "That's how we do it!"
Cameron's feeling himself. Good. Confident quarterback makes everyone better.
When the second team came back out, Antonio was talking more trash than a senior.
"Defense better be ready!" he called out. "This arm is about to torch y'all!"
Brady was covering Mason in press coverage, and when Antonio took his drop, his hip shift was clean as he transferred his weight. He patted the ball once before firing a fifteen-yard out. Brady stayed in perfect position, getting his hand on Mason's hip to disrupt the timing, but Mason still managed to high-point the ball and bring it down in traffic.
Both of those kids look legit.
"Nice coverage, rook!" our starting safety called out to Brady. "You belong out here!"
Brady just nodded with that quiet confidence. Kid didn't need the praise - he knew he was good.
I like his energy. Reminds me of his pops.
The live periods continued, and Cameron kept finding me in rhythm. A fifteen-yard hitch where I had to make a contested catch between two defenders, snatching the ball with both hands just as the safety arrived. A twenty-yard out where Cameron threw me open with perfect timing, the ball arriving just as I made my break.
Then came the play that made everyone stop and watch.
Cameron called for a thirty-yard seam route - me running straight up the field between the safety and linebacker. When I released, both the corner and safety converged on me. Cameron's throw was high and slightly behind me, forcing me to adjust my entire body mid-air.
I leaped up, fully extending my left arm while my body twisted backward. The ball was just out of reach, so I had to tip it to myself with my fingertips - once, twice - before finally corralling it with one hand against my chest as I fell to the ground. The defenders were draped all over me, but I somehow managed to secure it.
I'm that fucking dude.
"HOLY SHIT!" someone yelled from the sideline.
Coach Rivera's whistle blew. "That's what I'm talking about! Williams, that's NFL-level concentration right there!"
The freshmen were going crazy. Even Antonio stopped flexing long enough to appreciate what he'd just seen.
"Yo, that was nasty!" Antonio called out.
I jogged back to the huddle, trying to play it cool, but inside I was hyped. That was the kind of catch that showed up on highlight reels.
Welcome to Malibu Prep, young bulls.
The scrimmage continued for another thirty minutes. Cameron kept finding ways to get me the ball, and I kept finding ways to catch it. A diving grab in the corner of the end zone where I had to stretch out horizontally and snag the ball with my fingertips before dragging my toes. A one-handed grab over the middle where I plucked the ball out of traffic while getting hit from two directions.
By the fourth quarter of our scrimmage, I was completely locked in. Cameron would call the play, I'd run my route exactly how it was designed, and the ball would be there waiting for me.
"Jakari's got fifteen catches already," I heard Coach Rivera tell his assistant. "Kid's putting on a clinic."
Fifteen catches? Damn. I'm really feeling it today.
On the next play, Cameron audibled to a go route when he saw single coverage on me. I used a speed release to get past the corner's jam, then ran straight at the safety before breaking to the corner of the end zone.
The safety and corner both converged on me as the ball arrived. I went up between both defenders, fully extending my body to reach the highest point. The ball was slightly overthrown, so I had to reach back with my right hand while falling backward. I caught it with three fingers at first, bobbled it once as I hit the ground, then secured it against my chest while rolling out of bounds.
It was like Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous catch, except I was falling backward instead of forward.
"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Cameron screamed, running over to celebrate.
Four touchdowns. 347 yards. This is one of those days.
The freshmen on the sideline were going absolutely wild. Even Brady, who never showed emotion, was nodding his head in approval.
Welcome to Malibu Prep, young bulls.
----
I'd been around elite football my whole life. Watched my dad dominate NFL receivers for over a decade. Been to private camps with the best defensive backs coaches in the country. Studied film of every great corner who ever played.
But watching Jakari Williams work during live periods was different.
This dude's route running is on another level.
I'd covered plenty of elite receivers in camps and combines. Kids with college offers, kids with NFL bloodlines, kids who were supposed to be the next big thing. But Jakari was running routes like he'd been coached by Jerry Rice himself.
The way he set up his breaks was textbook. The way he used his releases to manipulate defenders was advanced. And his hands? Dude caught everything thrown his way, no matter how tight the coverage.
Fifteen catches, 347 yards, four touchdowns. In practice. That's crazy.
What impressed me most wasn't the stats though. It was how he carried himself. Confident but not arrogant. Skilled but still working hard. Talking trash but backing it up with performance.
During one play, he was lined up across from our starting corner - a senior who'd already committed to Oregon. Jakari used a stutter-and-go release that was so clean it got the corner to bite on the fake completely. When he caught the touchdown pass, adjusting his body mid-air to make a one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone, he jogged back to the huddle like it was routine.
That release was nasty. And that catch was something you see on Sunday.
But what really caught my attention was how he interacted with us freshmen. He wasn't trying to embarrass us or make us look bad. He was showing us what the standard was.
After one play where I got beat on a deep route, he jogged over during the water break.
"Good coverage on that comeback earlier," he said. "Your technique is solid. Just trust your feet more on the deep stuff."
Real recognize real. This dude's giving me actual advice.
"Thanks," I said. "That catch where you tipped it to yourself was insane. How do you even practice that?"
"You don't. That's just concentration and not giving up on the ball. My dad always told me the ball's not dead until it hits the ground."
Jakari was sharing actual technique with me. Not trying to keep secrets or protect his spot - just helping me get better.
This is what leadership looks like.
I watched him work for the rest of practice, studying everything. His footwork, his hand placement, his route concepts. But more than that, I was studying how he carried himself.
My dad always told me that great players make everyone around them better. They don't just dominate - they elevate the whole team. Watching Jakari, I could see what he meant.
When Antonio threw a perfect touchdown pass to Mason, Jakari was the first one to congratulate both of them. When Joey ran a route wrong but showed good speed, Jakari gave him pointers on how to clean up the technique. When Owen made a good pass rush move, Jakari acknowledged it even though they were on opposite sides of the ball.
This dude understands what being a teammate really means.
As practice ended and we gathered around Coach Rivera, I realized something important. It wasn't enough to just be talented. It wasn't enough to have good genes or elite training. You had to earn respect through how you worked, how you played, and how you treated your teammates.
Jakari had just shown all of us freshmen what that looked like.
Only person who can beat me is me. But I can definitely learn from this dude.
The bar had been set. Now it was time to start climbing toward it.
PRACTICE STATS:Jakari Williams: 16 targets, 15 receptions, 347 yards, 4 TDs Cameron (QB): 25/31, 423 yards, 5 TDs
Lesson Learned: Welcome to Malibu Prep football
Time to get back to work.