Inside the Facemask: Underrated CB Gyanni Kanellakis
We continue to preview some of the under-recruited prospects in IL. Today we look at Cary-Grove HS CB Gyanni Kanellakis. He’s a big CB who has the ability to play Off and Zone in order to use active eyes and…
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Continue ReadingWe continue to preview some of the under-recruited prospects in IL. Today we look at Cary-Grove HS CB Gyanni Kanellakis. He’s a big CB who has the ability to play Off and Zone in order to use active eyes and ball skills to turn the football over.
With football being pushed back to the spring, how are you going to approach the fall?
“In the fall, I plan on focusing on school and my academics. With COVID, I wasn’t able to take an ACT or SAT, so I plan on taking at least one of those. For football, I plan on working out and lifting 4-5 days a week. I plan on training my game about the same amount of days. Before the season starts, I want to get stronger and put some more weight on, while getting faster and working on my game.”
What aspects of your game have you continued to work on throughout the summer?
“I have worked on my strength and speed heavily. Before the summer, I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be. By the middle of the summer, I trimmed my 40 time from a 4.8 to a 4.6. Both times we hand timed and unofficial. With my strength, I’ve gotten much stronger than I was. All my lifts have went up in weight over the offseason. I’ve also gotten a lot bigger. Last season, I weighed about 150 lbs. As of now I am up to 170 lbs with a lot of room to grow. I worked a lot on my man coverage, both off-man and press-man. I did a lot of drills for my footwork and I did a lot of things to strengthen my tackling ability.”
How would you describe your game?
“I would describe my game as energetic but relaxed. As you see on my film, I am able to make big plays while staying relaxed and doing my assignment. I can make the big plays but I’m also very grounded and make sure to do my job.”
Who do you most mirror your game after?
“I watch a lot of college and NFL football. There are two players who inspire me and I want to mirror my game after. The first player is New England Patriots CB, Stephon Gilmore. He is always on the best player no matter if it’s a slot receiver or a big tight end. His reads are second to none. He seems to know the play just as well as the offense does and I’d love to have that in my game. The second player is Detroit Lions CB, Jeff Okudah. At the college level, the one thing I loved about his game was his explosiveness. He could hit like a linebacker but played amazing coverage. He was never afraid to make the big play. I watch these two players a lot and I really try to play like them because I feel like if I do that, I’ll be very successful.”
On film, you played a lot of Off and Zone coverage, was that just scheme assignments or are you more comfortable within those coverages?
“It is mostly just the scheme I am supposed to play. I play off and zone a lot so I have gotten very comfortable with it. But I still practice a lot of press-man and off-man so I am also very comfortable with all those coverages as well.”
You like to drop coverage and attack the football, is that something you work on or does it come naturally to you?
“It does come very natural for me. I see the ball and my instinct is to go to the ball. But I do work very hard on it. I want to be the first person to the ball so I have to get fast with my reaction. For example, when I read the tackle and I see that it’s a run play, I want to be the first person to the ball and make the play. I also work on not falling for trick plays. For instance, if it is a double pass and I am covering a deep third of the field, I can’t attack that first pass. I’ve just know to read my keys and react to the ball and both those things came pretty natural to me.”
What areas of your game do you take the most pride in?
“I take a lot of pride in my ability to make plays. Last year, I was fortunate enough to make a lot of plays. I take pride in my ability to read plays and how I react to the ball. I also take pride in my knowledge of the game. Just knowing maybe what’s coming or what isn’t is a big part of the game and can do a lot for you and your team. Lastly, I take a lot of pride in my coverages and how I cover the field. I can cover a lot of ground and that helps to make a lot of plays.”
What are your team goals for the upcoming season at Cary-Grove HS?
“For Cary-Grove, our number 1 goal is to win the state championship. We have a great group of guys as well as an amazing coaching staff and I know, if we all focus and trust each other we can accomplish that. Our next goal would be to win our conference, the FVC. This is important to us because we have some very talented teams in our conference and if we are able to defeat them and be at the top of our conference, it gives us a lot of confidence in our team. Our last goal is to finish the season undefeated. This is important because it shows what our program is about and what our team is capable of. I feel our team and can accomplish all these goals this year and I hope to do so.”
Individual goals for this season?
“My top goal is to excel my game and find the right college for me. To do this, I need to keep working hard and doing my best at all times and just controlling the things I can control. My other goals are to be on the all-conference and all-area teams. Also, I would like to get my body weight up and get strong while also getting faster. Overall, I just want to get my game to the best it can be and find the right college for me.”
What is the most important thing you’re looking for, as you look at schools?
“When I am looking for school, I look at a few things. Number 1 is the academics. That is the most important thing to me. I want to go somewhere where I can get my degree and get a good job out of college. Number 2 is the campus life. I want to be able to enjoy the campus and feel comfortable being on the campus for whatever school I choose. Number 3 is the football program. I want to go to a program that can win and loves to compete. I want to have an opportunity to play, but I want to earn that opportunity and compete for that spot. Lastly, is the cost of the school. I don’t want to get out of college and have to worry about a lot of debt.”