27 National 2023 Unranked Sleepers
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I come across a lot of prospects either on Twitter or Hudl everyday in my running of around a dozen different PrepRedzone accounts in the Midwest, West Coast, and Southern regions of the U.S. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of…
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Continue ReadingI come across a lot of prospects either on Twitter or Hudl everyday in my running of around a dozen different PrepRedzone accounts in the Midwest, West Coast, and Southern regions of the U.S. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the job, and gives me a unique visibility in-terms of evaluating talent for PrepRedzone. As many state’s fall seasons begin to finish up around the county I have begun to notice some standout young bucks that have had a good 2020 season and/or look like an intriguing college football prospect. In this National feature for PrepRedzone I have identified 27 sophomore talents from the states of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin that we currently have unranked throughout the PrepRedzone rankings from those seven places.
Sawyer Seidl (Hill Murray, MN) RB. 5’10, 170 lbs. @SawyerSeidl2 – One of the top recruits in the entire state of Minnesota in the class of 2023, Seidl is an explosive RB who is capable of taking the ball to the house on every carry. In 6 games in MN’s shortened 2020 season he rushed 153 times for 1088 yards and 9 TDs. His straight-line speed is game-changing, but he also has a really strong lower body for his size and is the most athletic player on the field when he plays. He’s got a heckuva mean stiff-arm as well. Big fan of his sophomore highlight tape from this past season.
Beckett DeJean (OABCIG, IA) QB/DB. 6’1, 165 lbs. @bdejean2313 – The younger brother of Iowa’s most exciting 2021 prospect in Iowa Hawkeyes signee Cooper DeJean Cooper DeJean 6'2" | 205 lbs | ATH OA-BCIG | 2021 State IA , younger brother Beckett played varsity in the defensive backfield of small-school OABCIG in Ida Grove, IA as they won a 2020 state championship and is long, quick enough to evade blockers, and a good tackler. I like his future as a safety prospect.
Carson Rhodes (Nevada, IA) 6’7, 215 lbs. @carsonrhodes21 – Younger brother of Nevada High School’s do-it-all Augustana University signee Ayden Rhodes Ayden Rhodes 6'2" | 210 lbs | ATH Nevada | 2021 IA , Carson has some serious size as only a sophomore and played varsity as a TE/DE in 2020. He’s extremely long and is already an aggressive blocker with good drive and pop and an ability to work to the second level and reach LBs and DBs. He plays with great technique and I think as he continues to add weight he’ll move inside and evolve into and intriguing D1 OT prospect.
Jacobie Rucker (Pinnacle, AZ) RB/LB. 5’7, 200 lbs. @JacobieRucker – The Pinnacle High School team in Phoenix, AZ is by no means an overlooked prep football program, but Rucker may be a sleeper on their loaded roster and caught my eye on Twitter after I witnessed him completely bulldoze a would-be tackler in a game from this season. With his build and physicality running the football I think he has a bright future as a RB, FB, and potentially LB. He doesn’t have to tell me to call him “Trucker Rucker” twice!
Call me “Trucker🚌” Rucker from now on! @azc_obert @JUSTCHILLY @GoBigBlue_PHS #dawgmentality #flexonhim pic.twitter.com/WWmcU5WunS
— J5 (@JacobieRucker) October 31, 2020
Demarcus Caston (Brother Rice, IL) OL/DL. 6’4, 315 lbs. @Demarcus_caston – I got to meet the Brother Rice youngin’ at our inaugural PrepRedzoneIL Showcase in Naperville, Illinois earlier this fall, and the 2023 lineman is a biggggg boy but has impressively retained some lateral quickness and a lot of twitchiness at the DL position. He was a monster during the 1 on 1s portion of the showcase and proved to be quite a handful as a pass-rusher. The school he attends – Brother Rice – is a Chicago Catholic League powerhouse that puts out D1 talent year after year, so I have no doubt that Caston will be well coached and will be able to develop physically as well as an overall football player as he gets older. He’s an Illinois prospect to keep an eye on.
Dawson Pendergrass (Mineola, TX) RB. 6’3, 200 lbs. – I stole this RB prospect from our National Scouting Director Jake Lemming, who found the Texas sleeper in his never ending quest to grind film and find national D1 recruits. He found a great one in the long and strong conference newcomer of the year, as Pendergrass is an instinctual football player who made explosive plays on both sides of the ball as both a RB and a LB. He runs like he has a track background, and his long strides help him to cover a ton of ground and make him an angle nightmare for DBs to pursue. He has tremendous acceleration and a strong stiff-arm and lower-body, and can shake, cut, spin, or simply run his way past tacklers. He’s as sure fire of a FBS prospect as you can get.
Braylon Kammrad (Lewis Central, IA) QB/DB. 6’1, 175 lbs. @KammradBraylon – Played in eight games with four starts in 2020 and went 59/94 passing for 874 yards and 12 TDs. The sophomore gunslinger can throw an accurate football to receivers running in-stride and throws a beautiful ball from a high release point. He can put some zip on shorter passes as well, and I love his footwork and how he steps into his throws. He has a lot of natural arm talent for a kid his age and I really like what I see in-terms of accuracy and arm strength. I’m definitely no QB expert, but I like what I see from the sophomore quarterback from Iowa.
Trent Lloyd (Lakota West, OH) RB/WR. 5’9, 165 lbs. @run_trent4 – As a varsity wideout and RB the speedster made some exciting plays out of the slot and is a shifty and hard to corral ballcarrier with a large repertoire of moves after the catch. He can break off his routes on a dime and has good hips, and for a prospect of his size he has a lot of strength in his legs and can run through tackle attempts if he needs to, which also correlates with his impressive balance. His burst and top-end speed are also already evident, and whenever he makes plays it looks like his team gets super hyped, which I love to see. He also helped out in the return game and showed off some nice vision and instincts there. Also a strong and willing blocker. I’m excited to see how he looks as an upperclassman.
Anthony Vann (Ross, OH) WR/FS. 6’2, 180 lbs. Great size already for the position, the sophomore made a crazy exciting play on the first play of his sophomore highlights where he worked his way open as his QB scrambled, went up and snagged the ball at its highest point near the sideline, then slipped through a tackle and spun out of the safety’s tackle for a TD. Grown man play. He’s got a ton of juice after the catch, and can play from the slot of as the X receiver if he needs to. I like his hips and route running ability as a sophomore as well, but it’s really hard to ignore how shifty and dangerous he is in the open field. We’ll be hearing a lot more about him in the future.
Rhett Williams (Marysville, KS) WR/TE/DB. 6’3, 190 lbs. @RhettWilliams17 – Good build with some nice hands and concentration from the WR position, I am honestly more intrigued with Williams as a safety prospect, as he shows he is fast enough to evade blocks, strong enough to run through, and willing and able to run the alley and lay a hit if need be. He picked up and suplexed a kid on the first defensive play on his film. Could play a variety of positions at the next level and will be dynamic weapon as an upperclassman.
Kellen Moore (Forest City, IA) DB. 5’9, 150 lbs. @KellenMoore17 – In 2020 totaled 36 tackles (29 solo), 2 FR, 1 FF, 1 INT. Runs the alley well and can get in and out of breaks quickly. Also showed a good speed-turn as a safety that helped him break up a pass, and has good range in the middle of the field and reads the QBs eyes well. He’s fast and an instinctual FS prospect.
Darius Whiteside Darius Whiteside 6'1" | 151 lbs | DB Troy | 2023 State MI II (Troy, MI) WR/DB. 6’2, 175 lbs. @d_whiteside2 – Earned an All-Conference nod in 2020. Great build for an underclassman with a knack for big plays. He’s a strong WR prospect who doesn’t allow himself to be moved even when in the air and can box out defenders to catch intermediate curls and comebacks. He’s slipping through weaker tackle attempts with ease and is a really shifty ball-carrier with a strong jump-cut that makes it very difficult for just one tackler to bring down. Total redzone weapon who can highpoint the football and maintain body control to get a foot down. He’s a FBS WR prospect in the future.
Zachary Darche (BVW, KS) QB/LB/LS. 6’1, 195 lbs. @ZDarche – A crumpling tackler who made an impressive goal-line solo tackle on the first play of his sophomore tape, Darche is a twitchy and fast ILB prospect who can shoot through interior gaps and disrupt run and pass plays in the backfield. He’s got good patience when diagnosing plays and tracking the ball, and is a strong and violent tackler who keeps his feet pumping through contact. If he keeps adding weight and maintains that speed he’s a promising potential P5 LB.
Landon Jury Landon Jury 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Queen Creek | 2023 State AZ (Casteel, AZ) QB. 6’, 180 lbs. @JuryLandon – Has a quick release and can move within and outside the pocket and can scoot and scamper if he takes off with an easy ability to hurt defenses with his legs. I like his accuracy and ball-placement as a youngin’ and I’ll be keeping my eye on him to see how that arm strength develops. I like his athleticism overall, though.
Devon Waller (Southfield A&T, MI) DT/OL. 6’3, 250 lbs. @Devon_waller51 – Played all over the OL for Southfield A&T and is a powerful run and pass-blocker who plays with his hands inside and his legs pumping. He pass protects a lot more than most high school lineman and has a clean set, a good base, and active hands when blocking defensive lineman. With his size he has the potential to be a really strong OT/OG as an upperclassman.
Deric English Deric English 6'4" | 210 lbs | WR Saguaro | 2023 State AZ (Mountain Ridge, AZ) WR. 6’4, 210 lbs. @DericEnglish22 – Shows off a great frame with long strides and a ton more room to add weight. Fast enough to play the X and take the top off the defense and strong/tough enough to catch inside breaking routes over the middle and get by that LB. He runs really well for 6’4, 210 lbs. and can do some impressive things after the catch. Great hands too, and is overall a really promising athlete. He’s got a ton of potential and upside to his game.
Mason Sorensen (Dubuque, IA) OL/DL. 6’2, 305 lbs. @masonsorensen1 GPA 3.7 – Has great size for a sophomore OC and displays an ability to get on and under defensive lineman before they really know what to do and plays with good leverage and aggressiveness. Also really disruptive as a DL and can execute stunts and twists efficiently. Overall moves well for his size and if he can add some more strength and work on finishing his blocks he should be garnering Missouri Valley looks.
Joe Otting (Hayden, KS) OL/DL. 6’4, 260 lbs. @JoeOtting – Explosive off of the LOS and plays with a low center of gravity and a ton of initial pop. Can work defensive lineman or get himself to the second level and lay a whooping on LBs, and is a nasty finisher who puts his total weight onto kids he’s putting into the ground. He overwhelms weaker competition and pushes defenders over with so much ease it looks he surprises himself sometimes! He’s got FBS lineman written all over him.
Kaden Holmes (Ross, OH) QB. @KadenHolmes3 – Another Ross product who I found on Twitter thanks to his eye-popping 2020 numbers of 3,282 total yards and 42 TDs in the 2020 season!! His production earned a Twitter shoutout from the one-and-only Jake Lemming, and his tape backs up the numbers as Holmes is the Ohio version of Kyler Murray and can scramble, run, pass, juke, and score like it’s no bodies business. His scramble ability is particularly impressive, as he can improvise with the best of them and is the best athlete on the field and able to extend plays for 5-10+ seconds if he wants to as he waits for receivers to work open or a lane to open up for him to take off. He’s going to be chasing the Ohio record books if he keeps this production up.
Aidan Behymer (Blue Valley Northwest, KS) TE. 6’4, 210 lbs. @AidanBehymer – The nice sized TE played some OL and DE in 2020 and is a crushing puller who can get out in space and block multiple defenders. He’s also got a nasty streak and a good amount of pop for his size. His frame is awesome, but he does need to add weight if he wants to stay at the OL spot. I love his aggressiveness and ability for his position though, and he could play a bunch of different positions going forward.
Duncan Ireland (Palmyra-Eagle, WI) LB/FB. 5’11, 200 lbs. @DuncanIreland6 – Can already squat 300 pounds. Powerful tackler who plays downhill and meets RBs in the hole with force. Needs to make sure he maintains his lateral speed.
Andrew Trandahl (New Richmond, WI) RB. 5’8, 175 lbs. @ATrandahl – Weight room junkie. I’m a big fan of Trandahl, whose teammates shouted him out on Twitter for me and who recently benched 225 for 14 reps as only a sophomore!! His tape is something serious as well, and Trandahl plays RB and SS and in 2020 posted 61 carries for 605 yards and 7 TDs with 0 fumbles. He owns tremendous top-end speed and vision, and as a safety he covers a TON of ground and can run the alley with some authority and seems to hit harder than even he expects. He possesses game-changing speed and some impressive cutting ability, and is a true two-way prospect who looks equally impressive as a RB and DB. His best football is in front of him and he’ll be competing for the top player at his position as a senior in Wisconsin.
Nick Beidl (Carmel, IN) RB. 5’11, 185 lbs. @BeidlNick – The Indiana RB is a patient runner who runs behind his pads and has a ton of power packed into his frame. He explodes through contact and can catch the ball out of the backfield for what looks like a total-package RB prospect.
AJ Bedock (LaVille, IN) OL/DL. 6’2, 278 lbs. @AjBedock – Violent OL and DL prospect who has a lot of twitch for his size and can move laterally and vertically well for his size. I love how he uses his hands, and he’s a playmaker from the OL and DL position for his high school in Indiana. He’s got strong hands and plays with a high-motor that makes for an overall not fun kid to have blocking you if you’re a DL. His best football is in front of him still.
Will Anciaux (Kapaun-Mt. Carmel, KS) TE. 6’6, 210 lbs. @AnciauxWill – Huge TE prospect with nice straight-line speed who can take the top off the defense and burn safeties deep. He can also high-point the football and make tough, contested catches in traffic, and can take a hit and hold onto the football if need be. His concentration is on point, and he made some spectacular catches with defenders draped all over him in 2020. Also can block and swipe across formations if needed, and should be one of the top TE prospects in Kansas as an upperclassman. Lot of upside to his game.
Mario Menghini (Frontenac, KS) RB. 6’2, 185 lbs. @mariomenghini2 – Really fast prospect who can pull away from defenders with surprising consistency and is a playmaker in the run and pass game offensively as well as in special teams as a kick returner. He’s an absolute burner and a total playmaker who can take the top off the defense any play he chooses.
Javen Sewell Javen Sewell 5'10" | 175 lbs | ATH Cass Tech | 2023 State MI (Cass Tech, MI) ATH. 5’9, 155 lbs. @JavenSewell – Another prospect from a national powerhouse of a program, Sewell is still a sleeper on a talented Cass Tech roster and is a fast and sure handed receiver with big play ability written all over him. He can play RB, WR, and CB and make an impact at any of the three, and has dangerous open field moves and good vision. He’ll get more touches as he gets older and will be making a lot more plays in the future.