2024: Reason For The Rankings

Upon developing the rankings for the 2024 class, it became very clear that some players within the class are already leagues ahead of the others. Not only is this due to the time in which some of these prospects have seen on the field, but it is also due to the way in which they leap off of the screen. While these players are very young, and have plenty of developmental years ahead of them, it is worth taking note that they could easily become some of the better players in the state, and country. Below, you will see the reason for some of our top rankings for our newly ranked 2024 class. We're sure that you will not be disappointed. <strong>Hevin Brown- Shuler- </strong><em>Pace</em> There are countless reasons in which Brown-Shuler is ranked 1st overall in our 2024 rankings. To start, not only does he have a big wide body and frame, but he moves very fluidly for a kid his size. At this point of time, he is 6'4, 220, but uses good technique as he gets off of the ball. When the ball is snapped, he fires off with great feet, and use of his hands. He plays with explosion, and good leverage that allows him to position himself well when working around the offensive line. Brown-Shuler also uses a clean, arm extension, which helps him to gain separation from linemen, and to reach the ball carrier. Along with this, he also wraps up very well on contact, and finishes tackles, A majority of the time, these tackles are in the backfield, or at the line of scrimmage. What is also very attractive about his talent is his ability to bend well, and use his athleticism and speed to make plays all over the field. He is not afraid to run the sidelines, and use his motor to make plays whenever, and however his number is called. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137437" first="Debron" last="Gatling"]- </strong><em>Milton</em> Even though Gatling is a bit raw in his route running at times, his explosive ability with the ball in his hands after the catch is undeniable. A majority of the time, he is able to use his speed, short area quickness, and twitch to be able to get up the field and gain positive yards. Even though Gatling will need to clean up his footwork a bit as the years go by, his feet are quick enough to help him to gain separation, and to be able to get out of his breaks. Gatling also plays with good bend and fluidity in his movement, which helps him to be able to sink in and out of his steps as he changes direction. To add to this, Gatling also makes great contested catches, regardless of where he is on the field, and proves to be able to track the ball into his hands very well. This will likely be a strength of his in the future as he goes on to compete against some of the best teams in the state. Going forward, expect him to continue to grow into his frame and become one of the best skilled players in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137476" first="Reece" last="Fountain"]- </strong><em>Rome</em> Coming in at number 3, Fountain is currently our top QB in the 2024 class. Even though Fountain only started 7 games in his freshman year, he showed plenty of traits that could turn him into an elite high school QB in the coming years. He not only proved to have a good release, but he also showed that he can use his strong arm to develop plays down the field. This can be seen by his accuracy on his deep and intermediate passes, as well as the way he can fit the ball into tough windows. Fountain's footwork can be a bit choppy at times, but the way he can drive the ball, using his lower body, is a good trait to have for his age. Fountain does a decent job when faced with pressure as well, and is not bad at going through some of his reads. While there may be a few QB's on this list who may seem a bit more polished at this point of time, we definitely feel that Fountain's ceiling could be higher, especially with what he displayed this past season. One of our other favorite QB's on this list, [player_tooltip player_id="137477" first="Prentiss" last="Noland"], is a close 2nd in the QB rankings for this class. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="896577" first="Michai" last="Boireau"]- </strong><em>Lovejoy</em> Boireau is a wide bodied  DT prospect. His frame is great due to its developmental ability, and the way he gets off of the ball is very advanced for his age. Not only is his movement very polished, but the way he plays out of a good stance is very impressive. This helps him to translate his lower body strength, and ability, through his arms and hands on to the linemen as he rushes the passer. He also plays the run very well, as he is able to move extremely well vertically, as well as laterally, which helps him to position himself well to use his strength to wrestle down ball carriers. Boirea uses his hands very well too, and the way he pushes off of linemen will only continue to get better. With this, we also love the way he fills gaps, and does not let much get past him. Going forward, we are excited to see his development, and think that he can continue to improve in every way.