North Oconee Football’s Top Returners For The 2021 Season

Last year, the Titans finished 5-7 overall, but managed to come away with a 4-2 record within their region. Because of this, plenty of high school football fans throughout the state of Georgia expect them to return to this kind of success during the 2021 season. While the team is losing the likes of some of their star players, such as [player_tooltip player_id="33980" first="Eli" last="Warrington"], Ashton Hefner, and Ryland Laturell, the team still has just as many young players with loads of potential that will be returning. Entering into next season, the team will hope to improve in its overall record, and will look to make a run in its region. <strong>Dominic Elder-</strong> <em>RB</em> Elder not only put up good film during the 2020 season, but will likely be able to do so during the 2021 season as well due to his low to ground, downhill running style. When he has the ball in his hands, not only does he move bulky and run hard, but he also runs through tackles well, making it hard for defenders to be able to wrap up on him. Along with this, he also has okay feet, but is a bit tight hipped. Regardless, he runs well behind tackles and picks up good yards for his team. While his speed and limited twitch may not be a huge factor to his game, he manages to always be effective in short yardage situations. Next season, look for Elder to be a key piece to his team’s success and playoff hopes. <strong>Khalil Barnes-</strong> <em>WR</em> Barnes is not only a rising Jr., but he has a ton of growth potential to his game as well. When watching him play, he clearly has big play upside, and can catch and run effortlessly. When in open space, he makes defenses pay with this ability to get up field quickly as he has the burst and speed that can take it the distance. Along with this, Barnes proves to be able to track the ball well with his eyes, catches the ball cleanly with his hands, and shows that he understands the defensive coverage as he runs routes. This particularly is a big time deal for his team and their success when pushing the ball down field. While his overall route running ability and ability to get out of breaks is a bit raw, he has a small twitch to him that can further develop and help him in the long run. As he continues to get more playing time, expect him to develop into a small school prospect. <strong>KJ Moon-</strong> <em>OLB</em> Moon, who was a sophomore this previous season, already has decent size to his frame. This allows him to be a big time factor when he blocks for the Titans offense when he lines up on the outside. Above all, this helps him as a backer. Not only does this allow him to absorb more impact when he steps up and makes tackles, but it allows for him to throw his weight around well when making tackles. When doing so, Moon proves to bring ball carriers to the ground very well. He also shows that he has willingness to go the extra mile and make tackles in pursuit, even if its a tough task. Perhaps some of the things we would like to see Moon improve with though is his movement skills. Not only does he move around stiffly, but he does not always utilize his ability to bend, and explode. If he can tie his overall ability together, and can play a bit more consistently, he can become even more of a big time player for the Titans next year. <strong>Brooks Thompson-</strong> <em>WR/ FS</em> While Thompson is a bit of a younger prospect, due to his height, length, and frame, we see a ton of developmental upside in him. Not only does he get up and get the ball, but his length helps him to gain separation, and to box out defenders on jump balls. This extension also helps him to high point the ball, and utilize a good catch radius, regardless of where he is on the field. With this, even though Thompson does not have the best speed, his stride is good enough to help him get open on some of his routes. Along with this his burst is also good enough to help him make plays on the ball, whether he is on offense or defense at the time. Often times, this is the factor that puts him in good place to make a play on the ball and cause a turnover, or even make a big time catch, with yards after the catch. Next season, look for him to continue to grow into his frame, and to become a big time player for his team.