SW Indiana Players to Watch – Class of 2022

&nbsp; The long wait for football to return to the high school fields in Southwest Indiana continues as these players are working hard in the offseason. While they are fine-tuning their abilities and grinding in the books to be that well-rounded recruit all colleges dream of, we take a look at some young men to be on the lookout for and have had some rising stock thus far during the winter. [player_tooltip player_id="98078" first="Richard" last="Myers"] (2022) | 6’7 OL | Castle HS Myers really began to grow as an athlete during Castle’s run to Semi-State last season which resulted in a loss to Indianapolis Cathedral. With a solid foundation of 6’7 and weighing in at 290 lbs, he is an immediate eye-catcher to that prototype offensive lineman formula. A high-impact player who continued to improve as the season progressed with impressive pancakes and play-to-finish takedowns to fully remove DL from the play creates a fantastic opportunity for Castle to maintain their monstrous run game behind a smash-mouth O-Line. His Twitter (@rkmyers22) is filled with workouts and combine visits so it's nothing but apparently, he is taking no time off to bring his best to the next season. [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"] (2022) | 6’5 QB | Gibson Southern | @ One of the most talked-about players coming out of the area last season was [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"], pocketing offers from Purdue, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and others. While verbally committed to Purdue, many are expecting another standout performance from Allen, and he'll have plenty of time to develop and showcase more of that pro-style efficiency we witnessed last fall. His patience and stature behind the line has stood the test of numerous hard-fought battles thus far. Be ready for Allen to be a playmaker in the area and push other teams to the limit this upcoming season as he proves his value as one of the top prospects in the 2022 class. <strong>James Ralph</strong> (2022) | 6’0 DL | Mater Dei HS | @jamesralph50 Ralph had a standout year with 27 TFL during his Junior season. He is undoubtedly one of the strongest players on any field he steps on and shows the brute force he embodies consistently during his pursuits. With 5.5 sacks last season, Ralph will be looking at a strong Senior year showing, his offseason training has him consistently in the weight room, not shocking considering he is also a national record holder in the USPA. A multi-sport athlete, Ralph is moving non-stop and will be a force to be reckoned with for the offensive lines of the Southwest Indiana area. <strong>Josh Russell </strong>| 6'0 RB/LB | Memorial HS | @Josh_22_Russell Russell was an all-around playmaker on both sides of the ball his Junior year. With nearly 900 APY &amp; 10 touchdowns on offense, along with 60+ solo tackles, 9 of which were TFL, he is obviously a highlight reel any time he steps on the field. His ability to plant his feet and drive upfield while carrying the ball through a seemingly endless amount of opposing players is a testament to his work ethic. With a highly competitive era of football underway in this region of Indiana with wrecking ball teams such as Evansville Central and Castle, having Russell will make things a little easier during the tough stretch of their schedule for 2021. &nbsp; <em>Be sure to follow Markus Barnett @LockedOnRecruit regarding news &amp; information for Indiana High School Football, along with @PrepRedzone.</em>