Jersey’s Finest: 2023 DE Prospects on the Radar
It’s never too early to look at some of New Jersey’s top football players in the 2023 recruiting class. There are only a few prospects in this class with offers. Over the next several months, we will identify some of Garden State’s best 2023 football prospects. The list will contain include Division I, Division II, and Division III prospects.
Note: I left out Cameron Lenhardt since he now attends IMG Academy in Florida.
Adekunle Shittu Ι 6-1 240 Ι Edison HS
Hudl Profile: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8912844/5fb912aaf31e3811c845f3df
Shittu had a breakthrough sophomore year during the 2020 season. He made 50 total tackles (31 solo), sacked the quarterback five times, and caused one fumble. Shittu was also responsible for 20 quarterback hurries. He had a season-high 14 total tackles in a 20-17 win over Summit on October 30th, 2020. Shittu’s size may hurt him as a defensive end prospect at the FBS level.
DJ Samuels Ι 6-3 240 Ι Bergen Catholic HS
Hudl Profile: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10477943/5f997e3f578f0a06e09e2113
Samuels accounted for 24 total tackles, including 15 of them for a loss. He also collected an eye-opening 10.5 sacks during his sophomore year campaign. His speed off the edge is scary. Samuels is a relentless pass-rusher that is hard to block. The evidence is the number of sacks he collected in just six games. Samuels has offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, and Virginia.
James Heard Ι 6-2 220 Ι Eastern HS
Hudl Profile: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12820582/5f85f3c28cdf280398fabe12
In three games, Heard made 25 total tackles (20 solo) and sacked the quarterback 3.5 times. He’s an edge prospect that proved that he was hard to block against both the run and the pass. Heard has offers from Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, Temple, Texas A&M, and West Virginia. In short, he’s clearly on the radar of plenty of college football teams.
Jimmy Mullen Ι 6-3 245 Ι St. Joseph Regional HS
Hudl Profile: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13072847/60186ae823518306683f5de6
Mullen is getting more attention from FBS coaches. He currently holds an offer from Rutgers. Mullen does a good job of not giving up any ground when setting the edge. Height-wise, he’s not that 6-4, 6-5 defensive end prospect that gets the most attention. However, he’s strong, has a thick, burly frame, and does a superb job of beating blocks and making plays in the backfield against the run and pass.
