23′ Rankings: DB Breakdowns
Over the next few months we’re going to be diving into our rankings positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete received the honor of being ranked. We’ve added over 300+ prospects to our class of 23′ rankings with another…
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Continue ReadingOver the next few months we’re going to be diving into our rankings positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete received the honor of being ranked. We’ve added over 300+ prospects to our class of 23′ rankings with another 100+ added to the watchlist. If you feel like you should be ranked fill out our FREE Prospect Player Index which not only gets you on our radar but also college coaches’ radar’s as they can contact you straight off your account which is NCAA Approved. Enough said, we’re diving into part one of our positional rankings breakdowns with the defensive backs. Let’s dive into it.
Jyaire Hill Jyaire Hill 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB Kankakee | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Hill is a name that made an impact during this past fall season and one that is one of the hottest names in Illinois. I got the chance to scout this young man in person during the 4A IHSA State Championship where he was a sight to see. I can see him being a balanced safety at the next level that can make his impact felt in both pass defense as well as in run support. He has good foot quickness in his backpedal and has good overall speed. His hips are loose which goes hand in hand with his smooth and fluid transitions. When in zone coverage he closes fast when passes are thrown in front of him and he can get there in time to deliver a hard hit forcing pass breakups. He has good instincts and foot quickness to help him cover sideline to sideline with help over the top coverage. When doing so, he can get there to make a play on the ball as well as get there in time to deliver a hit after the catch. He has a good overall play speed and his closing ability is one to keep an eye on. This young man can turn and run, when he does so he stays on the receiver’s hip pocket on deep shots downfield putting him in a position to make a play on the ball. Speaking of which, he can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with an interception on deep shots downfield and can undercut the route in the flat to come away with an interception as well. He’s competitive with the ball in the air in all coverages and can make his impact felt here. In run support, he plays the alley well where he can deliver heavy blows and clean up plays. Once he diagnoses the run, he triggers downhill quickly and can make tackles on the opposite side of the field by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He’s also used in the return game where he can weave in and out of defenders hitting his next level gear to set his team up in good starting field position as well as having the ability to return it to the house. There’s no doubt why he has the handful of FBS Offers that he does. Highlights
Damon Walters Damon Walters 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB Bolingbrook | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Walters is a newer name to me heading into this fall season and one that had a good production during his Junior Season Campaign. His versatility of lining up across the secondary is impressive as he can line up as a corner, nickel corner, and safety. I can see him being either a Strong Safety or Nickel Corner at the next level. He has quick feet in his backpedal as well as smooth and fluid transitions showcasing his loose hips. When he’s working as a Nickel Corner covering the slot he’s in tight man coverage. Here, he can flip his hits to stay on the receiver’s hip pocket putting him in a position to make a play on the ball. When in zone coverage, he plants his foot to drive and closes quickly on passes thrown in front of him in the flat when covering the deep third. This is where we get an insight into his closing burst which he uses to close on the receiver in time to make a play on the ball. That’s exactly what this young man can do as he flashes his body control and coordination to reach around/over the receiver to break up passes without causing a penalty showcasing his aggressiveness. In run support, he plays the alley well where he triggers downhill quickly in run support to clean up plays. He can also line up in the box as he’s good in run fit and can get through receiver blocks to get to the ball carrier on the perimeter. This happens as he disengages the block and closes quickly to make the tackle. If the run is going away from him, he can take pursuit angles to make the chasedown tackle downfield. What’s most impressive is his ability to come down from the Safety position. There’s a play in his highlights where he flows to the ball and triggers downhill towards the perimeter to come away with the quarterback sack as the quarterback tries to extend the play working out of the pocket in the redzone. There’s no wonder why he has the handful of FBS Offers that he does. Highlights
Jailen Duffie Jailen Duffie 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Warren Township | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Duffie is a name that I had as a name to watch heading into this fall season and improved his stock after his Junior Season Campaign. He can play on both sides of the ball, personally I like him a tad bit more on defense. I can see him being moved around the secondary at the next level as he currently switches between Corner and Safety. I can also see him being utilized as a Nickel Corner as well. He has quick feet as well as smooth and fluid transitions showcasing his loose hips. When in tight man coverage, he can flip his hips to stay on the receiver’s hip pocket keeping him in a position to make a play on the ball. He has a good foundational skill set here as he limits the chances of him being broken off at the top of the route. This happens by him mirroring the receiver while keeping space and not allowing the receiver to get to his toes. His closing burst is impressive as he can close on the receiver in time to make a play on the ball and does a good job tracking the ball on deep shots downfield. There’s a play in his highlights which showcases just that where he tracks the overthrown ball to come away with the interception. In run support, he plays the alley well where he can trigger downhill quickly in run support and can clean up plays on the perimeter. If the run is going away from him, he can take pursuit angles to make the chasedown tackle as well. What’s most impressive is this young man’s awareness of diagnosing the run when in press man coverage. He’ll turn his hip to turn and run but once he diagnoses the run he plants his foot and closes quickly to deliver a heavy hit in the flat. Upon doing so, he drives through the tackle further showcasing his strong tackling ability. All in all, keep an eye on this young as he heads into his Senior Season Campaign. Currently holds a few FBS Offers. Highlights
Noah Taylor Noah Taylor 6'1" | 205 lbs | DB Lemont | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Taylor is a name that I’ve had on my radar for some time now and one that continues to build upon his good foundational skill set. I can see him being a balanced safety that can get it done in both the air defense as well as in run support. He has smooth and fluid transitions which showcase his fluid hips and once he plants his foot he goes. When playing off man coverage he has a play in his highlight tape where he doesn’t get picked by the rub route and works over it. Once he gets over he closes quickly to get in a position to make a play on the ball while he goes up for the 50/50 ball to contest in the endzone. On this play, he gets his hand in the receiver’s basket forcing the pass breakup. When in zone coverage, he showcased good instincts and foot quickness to help him cover sideline to sideline to help with over-the-top coverage. He can get there in time to make a play on the ball as well as get there in time to deliver a hit after the ball is secured limiting the yards after the catch. When passes are thrown in front of him, he can close fast and get there in time to deliver a hit forcing a pass breakup. This all happens with his closing ability. On deep shots downfield, he can turn and run once the receiver commits to the fly route where he can stay on the receiver’s hip pocket. This keeps him in a position to make a play on the ball which is exactly what he can do where he can either come down with the interception or force pass breakups. This is seen in both man coverage as well as in zone coverage. He can also attack the ball at the highest point to come down with the interception as he covers his deep third responsibility in zone coverage. Think he’s only a coverage safety? You’d be wrong. This young man plays the alley well where he can trigger downhill quickly upon diagnosing the run and can clean up plays when doing so. If the run is going away from him, he can come from the opposite field by taking pursuit angles and showcase his effort by saving a touchdown. Plays like those in his highlight tape give you a glimpse into the type of competitor this young man is. Currently holds no offers, went on Game Day Visits to University of South Dakota and Northern Illinois University this fall. Highlights
Nicolas Lendino Nicolas Lendino 6'0" | 175 lbs | DB Neuqua Valley | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Lendino is actually a newer name to me this fall season and one that showcased glimpses of what his true potential can become. Currently, I can see him being a balanced corner at the next level that could also get worked in as a nickel corner. We get an insight into his tight man covering in punt return. Here, he can get hands on quickly by jamming at the line of scrimmage before he throws the receiver onto the ground. It’s this type of aggressiveness and press ability that catches your eye showcasing the potential that he has in this department. When in zone coverage, he can close fast on passes thrown in front of him and can get there in time to deliver a hard hit forcing pass breakups. His ability to close quickly is one to keep an eye on. He can also turn and run to stay on the receiver’s hip pocket on deep shots downfield. This keeps him in a position to make a play on the ball which is exactly what he does in zone coverage. When he’s covering his deep third responsibility he goes up to contest the catch and can get his hand in the receiver’s basket forcing pass breakups. In run support, he can make open field tackles on the perimeter where he cleans up plays and he triggers downhill quickly upon diagnosing the run. If the run is going away from him, he doesn’t give up on plays and instead takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. All in all, he’s a young man to keep an eye on as he has a high ceiling heading into his Senior Season Campaign. Currently holds no offers from what I see but did go on a Visit to Ball State University. Highlights
Johnny Schmitt Johnny Schmitt 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB St. Rita | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Schmitt is a name that came onto my radar during this fall season and has been impressive during his Junior Season Campaign. I also got the chance to scout this young man in person during the 7A IHSA State Championship Game as well. I can see him being a balanced safety given his foundational skill set. He has quick feet in his backpedal and pedals easily, this goes hand in hand with his smooth and fluid transitions as he has loose hips. When he’s in man coverage, he can flip his hips to turn and run to stay on the receiver’s hip pocket keeping him in a position to make a play on the ball. He can also flow across the field to secure the tackle on the opposite sideline. When in zone coverage, he can plant his foot to drive and close quickly on passes thrown in front of him and has the closing burst to get to the receiver in time to make a play on the ball when covering sideline to sideline. If he’s coming off a blitz, he uses his quick first step to generate pressure off the edge forcing the quarterback to throw the ball away. He has the ability to make a play on the ball where he can get his hand in the receiver’s basket forcing pass breakups and can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception. In run support, he plays the alley well where he triggers downhill quickly upon diagnosing the run and can clean up plays well on the perimeter. All in all, he’s poised to have a breakout Senior Season Campaign as he has a full off season to continue to hone his craft. Currently holds no offers, I expect interest to pick up in the coming months. Highlights
John Nestor John Nestor 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB Marist | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Nestor is a newer name to me heading into this fall season and one that came onto my radar halfway through where he was able to have a good Junior Season Campaign getting his name on the map. He currently plays corner but with his aggressiveness and foundational skill set, I can see him being either a balanced cornerback or strong safety at the next level. He has smooth and fluid transitions where once he plants his foot he goes. When covering deep shots downfield, he can flip his hips to turn and run by staying on the receiver’s hip pocket to put himself in a position to make a play on the ball. When in zone coverage, he plants his foot to drive and closes quickly on passes thrown in front of him. He also has the closing burst to get to the receiver in time to make a play on the ball. When coming off the edge, he uses his first quick step to turn the corner and generate pressure on the quarterback forcing a throwaway. His ball skills are one to keep an eye on. He can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception in his deep third zone responsibility and can undercut routes to come away with the interception as well. What’s most impressive is his play in run support. The first play on his highlights shows just how impactful he can be in this regard. In this play, he triggers downhill quickly and blows up the play as the ball carrier just received the toss on the outside sweep where he drives through the tackle. If you haven’t seen this clip, you need to take a look at his highlights because it’s impressive to say the least. It’s this aggressiveness in run support that has me to believe him having the ability to play strong safety at the next level. He squares up before making the tackle as he can clean up plays and can disengage blocks to make tackles on the perimeter. Keep an eye on this young man as he’s going to be a hot commodity these next few months. Currently holds a handful of FBS Offers. Highlights
Anas Everette Anas Everette 6'0" | 170 lbs | DB Reavis | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Everette is a newer name to me this fall season and one that came onto my radar towards the end of the season. I can see him being a balanced safety that can get it done in both the pass defense as well as in run support. What I’m most interested to see is how he develops during this full off season heading into his Senior Season Campaign as I believe this will give coaches an insight into how deep his untapped potential goes. He has smooth and fluid transitions with his loose hips and once he plants his foot he goes. In zone coverage, he triggers to the deep corner using his closing speed as he comes from mid-field to force the pass breakup on the sideline. His closing ability helps him cover sideline to sideline as well as make plays on the ball that otherwise most defenders would get there a step too late. This young man has the ability to attack the ball at the highest point by going up for 50/50 balls where he can come away with the interception. In run support, he plays the alley well where he isn’t afraid to deliver the heavy hit and he triggers downhill quickly once he diagnoses the run. All in all, he’s a young man to keep an eye on as he heads into his Senior Season Campaign and one that could see his stock rise sooner than later. Currently holds no offers from what I see. Highlights
William Cowan William Cowan 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Unity | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Cowan is a newer name to me that didn’t come onto my radar until later on in the fall season and I got the chance to scout this young man in person during the 3A IHSA State Championship Game. I can see him being a balanced safety at the next level that can make his impact felt in all areas on defense. He showcased glimpses of his fluid transition where he has loose hips. This allows him to plant his foot to drive and close quickly on passes thrown in front of him where he can get there in time to deliver a hit after the ball arrives when in zone coverage. This is also seen when he triggers from mid-field to the hook/curl where he jumps the route to either come away with the interception or pass breakup. This flash of his body control and coordination to reach around/over the receiver to break up the pass is a train to keep an eye on as he heads into his Senior Season Campaign. He also possesses jumping ability to high point the ball on deep shots downfield to get his hand on the ball tipping the pass. There’s a clip in his film where he does just that in the endzone and his teammate comes away with the interception off the tipped pass. If he allows any separation on the route, he can accelerate to full speed quickly to recover and get back into good coverage on deep shots downfield where he makes a play on the ball forcing pass breakups. He also has a solid closing burst to close on the receiver quickly to make a play on the ball. In run support, he plays the alley well and lines up in the box for run fits. He can clean up plays on the perimeter and if the run is going away from him he can take pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. All in all, he’s a solid wrap up tackler in run support and makes his impact felt in pass defense as well. Currently holds on offers from what I see. Highlights
Andrew Grosch Andrew Grosch 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Barrington | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Grosch is a newer name to me this fall season and one that didn’t come onto my radar until the fall season was almost over. I can see him being a balanced Safety at the next level given his foundational skillset. He has solid transitions which help him get out of his backpedal to close quickly on passes thrown in front of him. When playing off man coverage, he can pass his man off when the receiver’s are running crossing routes to pick one of the defensive backs which keeps him in a position to make a play on the ball. There’s a clip in his highlight showcasing just this and once he passes off his man he’s able to break on the ball forcing a pass breakup by the hit he delivers. He can also stay on the receiver’s hip pocket using his trail technique and gets hand into the receiver’s basket forcing a pass breakup. When he’s working on the back half in zone coverage, he works hard to maintain proper spacing between him and the receiver moving through his zone. On passes thrown in front of him, he can close and get there in time to deliver a hit forcing pass breakups as well as can get there in time to make the tackle right as the ball is caught limiting the yards after the catch. This young man is competitive with the ball in the air and can attack the ball at the highest point to force pass breakups on deep shots downfield. His closing burst is predominantly seen when he triggers downhill quickly in run support when he plays the alley. At times, he’ll line up in the box where he’s used in run fit. He can also clean up plays well on the perimeter and if the run is going away from him he’ll take pursuit angles to make the chasedown tackle. Be sure to keep an eye on this young man as he heads into his Senior Season Campaign for Barrington as he possesses a good foundational skill set. Currently holds no offers from what I see. Highlights
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