Class 4A Underclassman Stats and Analysis: Pass Catchers

The Iowa High School season is underway and a majority of teams are three weeks in, whereas some teams have had to take a week or two off because of COVID-19 concerns. I am taking a look at the statistics provided by ia.varsitybound.com and watched film on the highest producing underclassman signal callers, running backs, and receivers and broken them down. Here are the pass catcher’s that have impressed so far this season:   Junior TE, [player_tooltip player_id="23951" first="Corey" last="Phillips"], Ames High School - 6’5, 250 lbs. Stat line: 9 receptions, 155 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD’s, 17.2 yards per catch Breakdown: Already holding a DI offer from Central Florida at TE, Phillips is obviously a physical specimen on the field. He shows athleticism that he can get by defenders with his speed, get positioning with his frame and strength, and strong hands that allow him to catch the ball in traffic and away from his body. After he catches the football, Phillips is also tough for defenders because he almost always requires more than one defender to bring him down. The sky is the limit for Phillips throughout the rest of his high school career and is one to watch going forward this season to see what he can do. Junior WR, [player_tooltip player_id="24016" first="Evan" last="Grey"], Ames High School - 5’11, 170 lbs. Stat line: 11 receptions, 120 receiving yards, 10.9 yards per catch Breakdown: Another weapon in Ames offensive repertoire is [player_tooltip player_id="24016" first="Evan" last="Grey"]. Grey is effective as a receiver with the way he runs good routes in order to get open. He also uses his hands to catch the ball away from his body which results in more efficiency catching the football. On deep routes, Grey is good at high pointing the ball so he has the best chance to bring it down. The last thing I like about Grey’s game is the way he reacts to a scramble situation. When things break down he is good at finding the open space in order to give his QB an option. Ames has suspended play right now for COVID-19 reasons but if/when they get back to playing football this offense provides several playmakers. Junior WR, Gable Mitchell, Iowa City High School - 5’9, 170 lbs. Stat line: 6 receptions, 104 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 17.3 yards per catch Breakdown: Mitchell is a run-after-the-catch type receiver who looks to make plays in possession. Mitchell has speed that allows him to get open and run away from defenders when in possession of the ball. He has good hands that he uses well to catch the ball away from his body and uses a nice, low center of gravity to get in and out of cuts while running routes. Iowa City Public Schools is also suspending play at the moment, but when they are able to play again, Mitchell will be a receiver that looks to get the City High offense going. Junior TE, [player_tooltip player_id="23945" first="Gabe" last="Burkle"], Cedar Rapids Prairie High School - 6’7, 235 lbs. Stat line: 9 receptions, 140 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 15.6 yards per catch Breakdown: Burkle is another state of Iowa TE that has received DI offers and even recently received an offer from Minnesota. At 6’7, Burkle is a big target for his QB and Prairie does a good job splitting him out wide, and in-line to find open space for the big man to work. I was impressed by his soft hands and how big his catch radius is. He is athletic and has good footwork as he’s also a good basketball player. Another thing about being a TE is the blocking side of play. Burkle does well with blocking using his strength to bear down on defenders in the run game. Burkle will be a Power 5 football player it’s just a matter of where. Junior WR/RB, Brayden Kindhart, Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School - 5’11, 180 lbs. Stat line: 7 receptions, 56 receiving yards, 8 yards per catch, 11 rushing attempts, 180 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 16.4 yards per carry Breakdown: This is a pass catcher category, and though Kindhart probably fits better in the RB category, he’s multi-dimensional for the J-hawks. I was impressed by his pass catching abilities either out of the backfield or in the slot. He has soft hands that the ball really sticks to. When he gets the ball is where Kindhart is most dangerous whether that’s off the catch, or on a hand-off. He’s quick, and when receiving an end around run play he’s quick to the edge before the edge can be set by the defense. When he gets blockers in front of him on screen plays or other sets, Brayden is good about following his blocks to the open space. Jefferson has struggled offensively early in the season, but Kindhart will look to energize his team. Junior WR, Isaiah Sterns, Ankeny Centennial High School - 6’2, 180 lbs. Stat line: 12 receptions, 105 receiving yards, 8.8 yards per catch Breakdown: Exemplified by the yards per catch stat on Sterns, the Centennial offense focuses more on crossing routes and shallower routes and Sterns is a #1 option for the QB on those. He uses his speed to get away from his defender, and after the catch he has good moves in the open field to extend the play. An area I was impressed with Sterns in the game I was able to attend was in the return game. He hits the hole on returns with good speed and timing and did it consistently to put his offense in good field position against Ankeny in the first match-up of the season. He has good, soft hands that reel in catches even in the middle of the field in the most populated areas. Centennial has struggled this season on offense, but they have some good young pieces to build upon this year and next. Junior WR, Kellen Rush, Davenport Central High School - 6’3, 200 lbs. Stat line: 6 receptions, 131 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD’s, 21.8 yards per catch Breakdown: Kellen Rush has a WR made body already as a junior in high school at 6’3, 200 lbs. He uses his body well when fighting for the ball in the air. He’s also a good route runner in the way he uses acceleration out of his breaks. Rush is a deep ball threat for his team and he shows off good hands, but most importantly good concentration when making a catch in traffic. The best way to describe Rush when watching his film is he just makes plays. Rush is someone who has untapped potential that I’ll be watching to see if he can become even more of a playmaker. Sophomore WR, Kelynn Jacobsen, Sioux City East High School - 6’2, 172 lbs. Stat line: 5 receptions, 124 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 24.8 yards per catch Breakdown: The first sophomore on this list is Kelynn Jacobsen who has a good frame already who has room to add onto. Jacobsen is a receiver who can beat his defender on a go route, and then go up and catch it in heavy traffic. He has good concentration on the football in order to come down with some of the catches he does make. Jacobsen could be a really good receiver by the end of his high school career the more he develops his route running, physical attributes, and refining his technique. Junior WR/RB/QB, [player_tooltip player_id="23954" first="Tynan" last="Numkena"], Bettendorf High School - 6’2, 200 lbs. Stat line: 5 receptions, 98 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 19.6 yards per catch, 23 carries, 162 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD’s, 7 yards per carry Breakdown: Does Numkena fit this category the best? Precisely not, as he is a talented runner with the ball, and has also played QB for an extended period of time this season going 9/19 for 107 yards. I chose to put Numkena here because I believe he deserved a spot in one of my lists, and I truly believe he could project well at WR at wherever he lands at the next level with his size and frame. He’s precisely a playmaker, and Bettendorf realizes that getting it into his hands in different ways. Numkena can play slot or out wide and I like his ability as a possession receiver. Shifty after the catch, and good at catching the ball with his hands away from his body. Receiving FCS interest already as a junior, time will tell where Numkena can end up at.