Class of ’22 Players to Watch: Wichita

With 20 players in the top 250 and 6 in the top 100, it is safe to say that there is a great abundance of talented Seniors in Wichita.  Here are five of those players to keep an eye on in 2021. <strong>DL, [player_tooltip player_id="35546" first="Nathan" last="Carter"], 6’2", 260, Wichita Northwest</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35546" first="Nathan" last="Carter"] is the 5th ranked DL and the 19th ranked player in the class of 2022.  He had an impressive Junior season in 2020 as he made 37 tackles with 13 TFL, 3.5 sacks,1 Forced Fumble and 1 pass defensed.  He plays primarily as a NT.  He uses his very good play strength and leverage to bullrush the C back into the QB, his very good use of hands to shed the block and throws the QB to the ground with ease for the sack.  Against the run, he uses his instincts to feel the pressure from OG who is pulling on a trap or an A gap power, uses his play strength to stack them at the point of attack on the line of scrimmage while keeping his eyes on the RB, uses his impressive physical toughness and play strength to shed the block and brings the RB down with force. <strong>ATH, [player_tooltip player_id="35545" first="Tobi" last="Osunsami"], 6’2", 185, Wichita East</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35545" first="Tobi" last="Osunsami"] is the 3rd ranked ATH and the 22nd ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He plays as a RB on offense and a FS on defense.  While on defense against the run, he uses his very good football intelligence to quickly key and diagnose the play while using his very good closing speed and range in pursuit.  He shows very good play strength in his upper and lower body as he delivers a punishing hit to the RB bringing him down with ease.  Against the pass, he plays center field as he tracks the ball in the air while using his good play speed to put himself in position while showing good hands as he makes the interception with ease.  As a RB, he uses his good vision as he finds the open hole while displaying very good contact balance as he keeps his feet after getting hit by a DE, accelerates to top speed quickly in the secondary while running behind his pads and shows excellent play speed and athletic ability as he breaks off huge runs and a long TD. <strong>DB, [player_tooltip player_id="89198" first="Jaeden" last="Hamilton"], 5’9", 160, Wichita Heights</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="89198" first="Jaeden" last="Hamilton"] is the 2nd ranked DB and the 25th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He plays as a CB.  In 2020, he made 19 tackles with 2 interceptions and 8 passes defensed.  In press coverage, he matches the feet of his man while being patient with his hands and uses his very good play speed and athletic ability to stay in phase with the taller WR down the field on go and seam routes.  He displays very good ball skills as he tracks the ball in the air over his shoulder like a WR and displays very good hands as he comes away with the interception.  He is very good against the run as he plays at a good pad level and displays very good play strength as he drives his shoulder through and delivers a punishing hit on the larger RB bringing him down with ease. <strong>RB, [player_tooltip player_id="35553" first="Joel" last="Underwood"], 5’9", 190, Wichita Southeast</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35553" first="Joel" last="Underwood"] is the 6th ranked RB and the 56th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He displays good vision as he finds the open hole on zone runs and is able to adjust on the fly on power plays.  He is a shifty back as he uses his short area quickness, agility and change of direction ability to make LB and DB miss while using his good play speed to pick up significant yardage.  He displays very good competitive toughness as he shows the ability to come up big in the red zone as he is a threat to score a TD in this area every time that he has the ball in his hands. <strong>LB, [player_tooltip player_id="35581" first="Jerome" last="Ragin"], 5’10", 200, Wichita West</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35581" first="Jerome" last="Ragin"] is the 11th ranked LB and the 96th ranked player in the class of 2022 overall.  As a Junior in 2020, he made 25 tackles.  He plays as an OLB.  Against the run, he uses his good football intelligence to quickly key and diagnose the play, his good range and play speed in pursuit as he plays sideline to sideline and his good play strength to bring down the larger RB or QB with ease.  Against the pass, he uses his quickness to patrol the hook/curl zone while keeping his eyes on the QB, he uses his good play speed in pursuit of the slot WR and is able to catch him from behind preventing a big gain.