Florida 1A Region 3: Linebacker Prospects

Shannon Jordan September 11, 2020 @ 06:41 AM

With the 2020 season starting, I wanted to go spotlight prospects from every classification in Florida. A lot of times these kids get overlooked because they don’t play at big schools, and I feel that they deserve the spotlight and the opportunity to be seen by college coaches as well. It is important that we highlight as many prospects as possible. At Prep Redzone Florida, we are different than most sites where we want to emphasize guys that are not being heavily recruited and try to promote them, so they also get an opportunity to play in college and get the exposure they need and deserve!   Mario Thomas- Lafayette c/o 22 5’9 195lbs Thomas is a linebacker whi also plays running back, but at the next level he could play strong safety as well. Thomas shows a great closing burst, he’s able to play out in space, he tackles really well in space and Lafayette uses him flexed out a lot over the slot against spread offenses because of his athleticism. Thomas doesn’t shy away from contact either, he keys and diagnosis quickly, and shoots the gap with authority. Film:<a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13300747/Mario-Thomas"> https://www.hudl.com/profile/13300747/Mario-Thomas</a>   Lane Beasley- Hilliard 6’0 220lbs Beasley is a nice prospect who runs really well to the ball and shows a lot of athleticism making plays. He’s a good at timing his blitzes and shows a good closing burst. He doesn’t waste steps, he keys and diagnoses quickly and gets to the ball as a run defender. Beasley does a good job playing under control, gathering his feet, and making a sound tackle. He’s one of the best linebacker prospects in Region 3. Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9757204/Lane-Beasley">https://www.hudl.com/profile/9757204/Lane-Beasley</a>   Paras Clines- Dixie County c/o 23 6’2 205lbs Clines could end up being one of the best linebackers in Florida his senior season. He’s very quick out of his stance and shows burst in closing to the football. He shows really good speed in pursuing the ball carrier, he plays with agility and instincts and is an explosive hitter. What’s most impressive is that Clines will get bigger, faster, and better position awareness the older he gets, the sky is the limit for him. Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11477296/Paras-Clines">https://www.hudl.com/profile/11477296/Paras-Clines</a>   Ke’Shaun Mitchell- Madison County c/o 22 5’11 190lbs Mitchell is a nice linebacker Prospect who has a thick frame. Shows closing speed and explosiveness as a tackler. He reminds me of Shane Lee from the University of Alabama, when he fills a gap he comes with authority and power. His film is loaded with fantastic hits, I didn’t see Madison using him in space much, he does have athleticism to cover slots and backs, but he is definitely a prototype in the box linebacker. Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12708538/Keshaun-Mitchell">https://www.hudl.com/profile/12708538/Keshaun-Mitchell</a>   [player_tooltip player_id="50253" first="Curran" last="Webb"]- Union County c/o 22 6’4 205lbs Webb plays outside linebacker in Union County scheme, he’s flexed outside into the slot a lot, shows athleticism and the ability to run and cover the slot. He’s a long strider that doesn’t look like he’s moving that fast, but he covers a ton of ground. He does a good job taking on blocks with a solid punch and discards blockers to get to the ball-carrier. Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11457953/Curran-Webb">https://www.hudl.com/profile/11457953/Curran-Webb</a>   Trevor Holtzendorf- Union County c/o 22 5’11 185lbs Holtzendorf is very explosive and reads and reacts to the ball quickly, he reads his keys extremely fast and explodes to the ball carrier with bad intentions. For someone that’s only 185 lb he runs and hits like he’s 260 lb! He times has blitz’s superbly and shoot gaps in the blink of an eye into the backfield. He doesn’t avoid contact and looks to take your head off. Film: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11839270/Trevor-Holtzendorf">https://www.hudl.com/profile/11839270/Trevor-Holtzendorf</a>