2024 Texas Breakthrough Defenders

Today we decided to focus on the defensive side of the football, in particular, the rising sophomores. Each prospect featured in this article was a varsity contributor as a freshman in the great state of Texas. These prospects have yet to see their recruiting take off, but I believe could with a standout sophomore season. Here are four names that we believe will break through this fall. <hr /> <em><strong>OLB: Zee Scott, 6’2", 220, Texas City</strong></em> An athletic pass rusher that will run through just about anyone. Zee closes ground in a hurry and is a major issue when left unblocked. He shows a high motor on tape and is beyond slippery when engaged with offensive linemen. Scott's stout against the run &amp; can quickly shoot a gap and make a tackle for loss in the backfield. Zee bruises through singles blocks often times effortlessly tossing them away to make a tackle. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15058485/5fcf0fee90f90308984028e8" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>LB: [player_tooltip player_id="147482" first="Braxton" last="Jones"], 6’1", 235, <a class="team" href="https://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/nacogdoches-dragons-(nacogdoches,tx)/football-fall-20/stats.htm">Nacogdoches</a></strong></em> Braxton is the only prospect on this list with an FBS offer, picking one up in February from UTSA. This is a true mike linebacker with great acceleration and a hard-nosed mentality. He shows excellent body control and will speed his feet once he engages a ball carrier between the tackles. Jones is quick at diagnosing the run and will trigger to make a tackle in space. He's extremely rangy and will comfortably use the gator roll tackle to bring down ball carriers on the perimeter. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15370417/5fdd6cc8b3d2ee108cc3709f" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>DT: Ashton Coker, 6’2", 250, Katy Taylor</strong></em> A strong interior defensive line prospect equipped with an able lower-half. Coker shows a great first step off the ball and a relentless mentality when chasing plays down from the backside. He plays with a low pad level and downright violent hands. Ashton does a good job getting lockout on interior offensive linemen before ripping off to make a play. I genuinely believe that if he can show in year two that he can consistently rush the passer, he's a no-brainer Power-Five type of talent. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/2496700/5ff49fc45b46ac10800ef3fb" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong>DB: [player_tooltip player_id="149653" first="Latristan" last="Thompson"], 6’, 160, Rockwall-Heath</strong></em> The first thing that jumped out to me on Thompson's film was his confidence playing out on the perimeter. This young man shows quick breaks and steady instincts for someone his age. He can fight off blocks on the outside and will deliver punishing hits as a tackler. Thompson is excellent at leaning on the receiver &amp; locating the football when it's in the air. He plays fundamentally sound and will only look back for the ball if he's in phase. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15244148/5fbfefe35b3d55098c45b23c" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>