<span style="font-size: 1rem;">The state of Georgia is a shopping mall for college football coaches. There’s every type of football player they want. They come in all shapes and sizes.</span>
The state is loaded with the prototypical, projectable and physically intimidating talent. Some the state’s most exciting prospects don’t necessarily scare people getting off the bus or in pre-game warmups.
They strike fear one the game starts.
Here are five really good players in the class of 2021 that stand less than 6 feet tall.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33689" first="Caleb" last="McDowell"] 5’10”, 180 pounds, running back, Lee County High School</strong>
McDowell plays a position where size isn’t ever really the judge of the player. At 5’10” and 180 pounds, McDowell possesses game breaking ability.
His tape is littered with long runs and electric kick returns. McDowell isn’t a back that needs five or 10 carries on a drive to hurt the other team. He slices through holes and finds open field and his speed does the rest.
That ability to slice and find holes makes him a valuable back in a zone scheme as well as a spread offense. He can make plays as a pass catcher as well. McDowell is the type of player offensive coordinators sit up late at night trying to find ways to get the football in his hands. Defensive coordinators circle him to ensure that he’s surrounded when he touches the ball.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33693" first="Khalil" last="Anderson"] 5’11”, 175 pounds, defensive back, Riverwood High School</strong>
Anderson, a University of Pittsburgh commit, has a flair for the dramatic. If the ball is anywhere near him, he makes something different happen every time.
In an era where the 6’2 and up defensive back is in vogue; Anderson provides a bit of a throwback at the cornerback position. Wide receivers keep getting larger. Defensive backs have either had to evolve or become larger as well.
Anderson has two skills that can’t be taught. He has a nose for the football and an engine that’s always running.
He pops off the tape at you because he’s the guy moving the fastest. When the ball is in the air, he goes to get it. When a ball carrier is being held up, he’s after the football. When he gets the football away from the offense, he can be dangerous as he’s armed with 4.48 speed in the 40-yard dash. He has football instincts.
Anderson tackles low. His film is littered with him upending ball carriers into summersaults. Its quite dramatic.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33696" first="Lemeke" last="Brockington"], 5’11", 185 pounds, Wide Receiver, Colquitt County High School</strong>
Brockington is smooth. He already has an understanding of how subtle things can create space. He looks explosive on tape. He’s explosive in his routes and once he hits the open field.
His suddenness comes in handy to shock the defender. He runs his routes with authority when its necessary. It’s his ballet dancer like feet that leaves the one on one matchups spinning and flipping unnecessarily.
Brockington scored 13 touchdowns in 2019. Many of those saw him beat his man initially with his route running. There are a few jump ball situations where Brockington simply out jumps the defender. Even in those situations, his set up at the beginning of the route gave he and his quarterback space to work around in the endzone.
He also has an awareness of when to go full speed. Brockington’s speed can get him open in high school, but his awareness of the defender and how to get open make him a special player.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33712" first="Justin" last="Franklin"], 5’9”, 160 pounds, Wide Receiver, Douglas County High School</strong>
Is swagger a skillset? Its one of the things that makes Franklin jump off the tape. He plays with a swagger. Franklin had the ball in his hands on every play with Douglas County High School as their quarterback.
Its likely he’ll be a wide receiver at the next level. Franklin’s ability to find a way out of confined spaces make that transition natural.
Franklin also has creativity in escaping defenders. Like McDowell, teams will be looking for ways to get the football into his hands.
<strong> </strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="33779" first="Logan" last="Johnson"], 5’5”, 155 pounds, Wide Receiver, Prince Avenue Christian School</strong>
Johnson is a playmaker. That’s the best way to describe him. His routes are precise. No matter the competition, he finds ways to get open. In the open field Johnson has a bit of juice to him as he finds ways to find the space on the field where the defenders aren’t.
Johnson scored 16 touchdowns in 2019 playing with the top ranked quarterback in the 2021 class [player_tooltip player_id="33652" first="Brock" last="Vandagriff"] for most of those games.
That was his first season with the Wolverines. With an even deeper understanding of the offense his statistics could balloon.
