22′ Rankings: New Additions Still Available Pt. 3
We’ve published our final version of the Class of 2022 Rankings here for Illinois totaling over 600 student athletes across ALL of IL (8A down to 1A Football). With this being the senior class and their recruiting process coming to…
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Continue ReadingWe’ve published our final version of the Class of 2022 Rankings here for Illinois totaling over 600 student athletes across ALL of IL (8A down to 1A Football). With this being the senior class and their recruiting process coming to an end here shortly we’re going to be diving into New Additions Still Available in this three part series to give them exposure as they try to find a place to call home. Without further ado, let’s dive into New Additions Still Available Part Three.
Kurt Heerdegen Kurt Heerdegen 6'4" | 220 lbs | TE Grayslake Central | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Heerdegen was a new name to me this fall and upon reviewing his full season highlights he earned himself a spot in our rankings. He’s projected as a receiving tight end at the next level and at times can be lined up as an outside receiver creating a mismatch as well as being a redzone target for his quarterback. This young man attacks the ball at the highest point to make contested catches and understand spacing well as he can find the soft spot in zone coverage where he’ll sit to become an outlet for his quarterback. He can win over the top against the linebacker when lined up at tight end as well as in the slot and does a good job of checking the defensive end before releasing. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical where he can break weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving and has that next level gear to blow by 2nd level defenders as well as outrun pursuit angles. In the run game, he can latch on quickly after getting out of his stance and showcases his power by driving the defensive lineman back after a good initial punch at the point of attack getting inside hand placement. This young man can be utilized in a variety of ways in the air attack lining up both outside, inside, and as a tight end creating mismatches across the board. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect that still has room to grow in his run blocking and once he does he’ll become a very well rounded tight end. Highlights
Marieon Anderson Marieon Anderson 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR Rock Island | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Anderson is a name I was keeping an eye on during this fall season and he didn’t disappoint as he made an impact on the offensive side of the ball. What’s interesting about this young man is his projection to the next level as I believe he can be either line up as an outside receiver or in the slot and is used in the return man showcasing his versatility. He attacks the ball at the highest point to make contested catches as he goes up for 50/50 balls and is a deep threat that can win over the top with his speed. This young man is quick of the line of scrimmage where he uses his step advantage to stack the defender before breaking him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. In the run game, he doesn’t take plays off as he’ll stalk block the defensive back downfield by getting hands inside and keeping his feet driving through the whistle – a skill set you don’t see too often out of receivers at the high school level. In the return game, this young man weaves in and out of defenders as he changes his gears quickly setting his team up in good starting field position as well as return them for touchdowns. He has room to fill out his frame without losing a step to win over the top of the defense, standing at 6’4 180 he’s a playmaker that has a high upside. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA prospect with the potential to rise to FCS PWO as he has untapped potential yet to come to light. If I’m a college coach I would take a look at this young man’s film as you’ll be getting a young man that could potentially become a three year starter as an X or Z receiver. Highlights
Justin Arya Justin Arya 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Niles North | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Arya was a new name that came onto my radar during the fall season and upon watching his full season highlight film he deserved to be on our rankings. This young man is projected to be an offensive tackle at the next level as he has a solid frame as well as a good foundational skill set heading into college. In the run game, he washes the defensive lineman down and finishes plays by keeping his feet driving through the whistle after he fires off the ball latching on quickly. To me, he’s more of a pass protection lineman as he has a stronger skill set in that department. Here, he uses his lateral movement to patiently wait for the rushing defensive lineman to get within arms length before latching on to keep the quarterback pocket clean. This young man has room to develop his overall skill set further, which is what will happen once he gets to the next level, and once he does he’ll unleash some of his untapped potential. I believe he can be just as forceful in the ground game as he is in pass protection upon further development. With that being said, I would be interested to see where he ends up in his college recruiting process. In my eyes, he has the potential to become a D2/NAIA caliber prospect but might end up falling to D3/JUCO. If he does, I believe he’s going to make the most out of the opportunity and hone his craft his first year on campus. Upon doing so, he could potentially end up a three year starter at the D3 level. Highlights
Almarion Bell Almarion Bell 6'3" | 245 lbs | DL Harlem | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Bell was a new name to me this fall season and upon reviewing his full season highlights he earned a spot on our rankings. He’s projected to be an interior lineman at the next level where he can cause major damage in run support as a 3 tech as well as a 2 tech. What’s interesting about this young man is how dominant he can be in both run support as well as in pass defense generating pressure on the quarterback when he’s lined up as a 7 tech showcasing his versatility. He does a good job working gap to gap holding gap control where he can disengage blocks to make the tackle at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play. When he shoots the gap and slips blocks he disrupts plays in the backfield off the penetration he generates and can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. On passing downs, he uses his hands at the point of attack to slap hands down on the offensive lineman as he uses his swim move to generate pressure on the quarterback. If the quarterback is rolling out to the opposite side of the field, he takes backside pursuit to come away with the quarterback sack when he’s lined up as a 7 tech. This young man has a lot to bring to the table when he gets to the next level as his versatility allows him to line up across the line. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect that deserves more attention than what he’s getting. I wouldn’t be surprised if this young man ends up with a few accolades at the collegiate level for his play. Highlights
Ardell Chambers Ardell Chambers 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB St. Laurence | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Chambers was a new name to me this fall season and I didn’t come across his name until midway through the season. Upon viewing his full season highlights he earned himself a spot in our rankings. He didn’t put up crazy numbers in terms of his stats this fall but he did showcase the ability and potential that he has. He’s projected as a coverage corner at the next level that could potentially also be used as a nickel corner covering the slot on passing downs. When he’s in zone coverage, he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception when covering his deep third responsibility. When he’s in man coverage, he stays on the receiver’s hip pocket limiting the chance of him being broken off at the top of the route and puts him in a position to make a play on the ball. That’s exactly what he does as he gets his hand in the receiver’s basket forcing pass breakups when in man coverage as he takes solid breaks on the ball. In run support, he can trigger downhill to clean up the play by making open field tackles on the perimeter as well as taking pursuit angles to make tackles downfield. I believe he still has untapped potential yet to come to light in terms of his ability to come down in run support and has room to grow with his coverage skills. With that being said, in my eyes he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect as a coverage corner that could drop to D3/JUCO level. Highlights
Tyriq Cole Tyriq Cole 5'10" | 180 lbs | DB St. Teresa | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Cole was a new name to me this season and one that doesn’t get enough attention as he has a good foundational skill set to him. Upon reviewing his full season highlights he earned a spot in our rankings. Now, he plays in 2A football here in Illinois which is one of the smallest classes that we have and is a “smaller” corner. That being said, don’t let that dissuade you from this young man if you’re a college coach as he can play both the pass and the run well. He’s projected as a balanced corner that could also line up as a nickel corner to cover the slot receiver on passing downs. I could also see this young man being converted to offense as a slot receiver or halfback depending on your team’s needs. In zone coverage, he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception when covering the deep third as well as in the flat. In man coverage, he jumps routes to come away with interceptions and has the ability to return them for touchdowns as he showcases his ability to change gears quickly. In run support, he triggers downhill quickly where he cleans up plays by making open field tackles on the perimeter. I like his coverage skills as it gives you versatility in terms of how you can move him around in your secondary, if you’re worried about his height against taller receivers he can and does contest catches against those taller receivers by climbing up forcing incomplete passes. Again, he’s playing in 2A football so getting a better look at the way that he can compete against those taller receivers with next level potential would be best served by having him come out on a visit and putting him through drills – in my opinion. In my eyes, he has the potential to become a D2/NAIA caliber prospect which mainly depends on his ability to cover those taller receivers at the next level. Depending on how that goes, he can either finish his high school career as being a D2/NAIA scholarship prospect or he could potentially drop to D3/JUCO because of concerns about him being able to contest deep shots downfield against those tall receivers. Highlights
Tyree Coleman Tyree Coleman 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Springfield | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Coleman was a new name to me this season and I didn’t get a chance to get him on my radar until after the season was over as I was doing film analysis for our All State teams (8A-1A). Upon doing so, I came across this young man who certainly deserved to be on our rankings heading into the fall season. He’s projected as a halfback at the next level that can get it done in both the ground and the air attack. I could see him being transitioned into a slot receiver or simply putting him in the slot in certain packages as he causes a big mismatch against the linebacker. Either way, he was simply dominant against the teams he played against this fall season. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles where he’ll burst through the line of scrimmage and use his next level gear to outrun pursuit angels as well as blow by the 2nd level defenders. This young man maintains a low center of gravity as he breaks arm tackles by keeping his feet driving and fights for extra yards as he plays through the whistle. Upon getting past the first level of defenders, he weaves in and out of defenders in open space as well as finds cutback lanes. In the air attack, he can make the catch in traffic and once he does he gets vertical increasing his yards after the catch. He’s a speed back that has some drive and power to him as he can play through contact if need be. In my eyes, he has the potential to become an FCS PWO caliber prospect if a team would want to develop him over the next few seasons and get him accustomed to their scheme. If not, he’ll become a D2/NAIA scholarship prospect that could potentially become a three year starter. Highlights
Brayden Garrigan Brayden Garrigan 5'9" | 170 lbs | DB Providence Catholic | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Garrigan was a name I was keeping an eye on during this fall season to see how he would produce with a full season’s work under his belt. After keeping an eye on him, scouting one of his games online, and analyzing his full season highlights he got himself a spot in our rankings. He’s projected to be more of a run support defensive back that also has the foundational skill set for coverage downfield. What stands out to me about this young man is how versatile he is for his defense as he can play multiple defensive back positions as well as get lined up in the box – both of which he makes plays for his team. In run support, this young man triggers downhill quickly where he plays the alley well securing open field tackles. He covers ground quickly when working laterally to secure the tackle on the perimeter for no gain. When he’s lined up in the box, he triggers downhill quickly in close space where he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage for not gain. Wen in zone coverage, he can deliver hard hits forcing pass breakups downfield and attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception. Like a prospect mentioned above, this young man is also a “smaller” defensive back that could have some concerns about covering taller receivers on deep shots downfield at the next level. He did however showcase the ability via his film to go up to contest those deep shots downfield against taller receivers. It really comes down to how you’d want to use this young man in your scheme as he has the foundational skills to play at the next level. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect that would be best fit as a rover at the next level. He could potentially drop to D3/JUCO, if he does whichever team that picks him up is going to be getting themselves a three year starter. Highlights
Chase Hanson Chase Hanson 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB Mascoutah | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Hanson was a name I had on my radar heading into this fall season and one that I wanted to see how he would produce with a full season under his belt. Upon keeping tabs on his progression through the season and analyzing his full season highlights he earned himself a spot in our rankings. He’s projected as a dual threat quarterback at the next level that gets it done in both the air and ground attack. When working in platform, he gets the ball off under pressure and adds a touch on the deep ball. He adds easy velocity across all three level throws (level 1, level 2, and level 3) and can get the ball out quickly when running RPOs. When working out of platform, he can extend plays by escaping pocket pressure and finding his man downfield to keep the chains moving. This young man can run the option showcasing his mobility as his legs are a legit threat to the defense. When scrambling, he maintains a low center of gravity by keeping his feet driving where he bounces off hits and runs through weak arm tackles. He also fights for extra yards by playing through the whistle and once he’s in open space he can weave in/out of defenders. What I’m interested to see is where he’s going to land. I believe he could get the job done in a system that incorporates RPOs/QB design runs as well as one that would rather have him become more of a pocket passer as he has the foundational skill set for each. I personally like him more as a dual threat quarterback on the next level to utilize all that he has to offer on the next level. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect that could potentially end up as a three year starter giving his progress during his first year of development at the next level. Highlights
Brendan Hernon Brendan Hernon 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Marian Central Catholic | 2022 State IL Twitter
Mr. Hernon was a name I heard about after the last rankings update was posted and one I was keeping an eye on during the fall season. I got the chance to scout one of his games online and upon that as well as reviewing his full season highlights he earned himself a spot in our rankings. He’s projected as a dual threat quarterback at the next level that can get it done in both the air and ground attack. I could also see him transitioning into a receiver or as a corner depending on the team’s needs as he has the athleticism to do so. When working in platform, he gets the ball off under pressure and adds a touch on the deep ball when making level 3 throws. When working out of platform, he evades pocket pressure by escaping and has his upper/lower half work in unison as he makes the throw on the run while finding his man downfield to keep the chains moving. This young man’s legs are a legit threat to the defense as he runs the option and can pull the ball down to scramble if nothing is open downfield. This puts added pressure on the opposing defense because they have to respect his legs thus forcing the defense to suck up as this young man escapes the pocket leaving holes in the defense. When he’s scrambling, he burst through the line of scrimmage and has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles as well as blow by 2nd level defenders. What’s most impressive to me about this young man is how good of a foundational skill set he has as both a runner and a quarterback. In my eyes, he’s a D2/NAIA caliber prospect that is going to make his impact felt over the course of his career. Highlights
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