A Look at the Class of 2023: Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio is home to some of the best High School football in the country. Many players from the area will play college football after they graduate and here are five players looking to have an awesome Senior season in 2022. DL, [player_tooltip player_id="189509" first="Michael" last="Kilbane"], 6’4, 240, St. Edward [player_tooltip player_id="189509" first="Michael" last="Kilbane"] is the #1 ranked DL and the 14th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall. His awesome play in 2021 helped the St. Edward Eagles to a 15-1 record, a Division I State Championship and held opposing offense to 10.75 points per game. He plays as an EDGE where he lines up in a 2 pt and 3 pt stance. He is an excellent pass rusher who shows great burst off the ball with very good use of hands and play strength as he sheds the block of the larger OT. He shows a very good motor in pursuit and finishes up with a sack. Against the run, he shows outstanding football intelligence as he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, squares his shoulders while playing at a good pad level as he delivers a big hit to the RB preventing a gain of significant yardage. LB, [player_tooltip player_id="189517" first="Wyatt" last="Gedeon"], 6’2, 230, St. Edward [player_tooltip player_id="189517" first="Wyatt" last="Gedeon"] is the 5th ranked LB and 35th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall. He had an excellent season in 2021 and along with [player_tooltip player_id="189509" first="Michael" last="Kilbane"], helped the Eagles win the Division I State Championship. he plays as an OLB. Against the pass, he uses his very good play strength and use of hands to bullrush the larger OT into the backfield before shedding the block. Displays good closing speed in pursuit and finishes up with a sack. Against the run, he shows great instincts in pursuit and delivers a good form tackle to the RB behind the LOS for a TFL. LB, [player_tooltip player_id="92613" first="Ryan" last="Merrill"], 5’11, 215, Euclid [player_tooltip player_id="92613" first="Ryan" last="Merrill"] is the 8th ranked LB and the 55th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall. His solid play in 2021 was a bright spot in the 0-10 season of the Euclid Panthers. He plays as a MLB. Against the pass, he shows excellent range and motor in pursuit and uses his good closing speed to hurry the QB into throwing the ball earlier than anticipated delivering a big hit as the QB releases the ball. Against the run, he plays at a good pad level, squares his shoulders as he brings down the RB behind the LOS for a TFL. WR, [player_tooltip player_id="189473" first="Jermaine" last="Foster"], 6’0, 185, Glenville [player_tooltip player_id="189473" first="Jermaine" last="Foster"] is the 7th ranked WR and the 69th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall. His excellent play in 2021 helped the Glenville Tarblooders to a 9-4 record, advance to the 3rd round of the playoffs and average 32.6 points per game. He plays on the outside as an X and Z. He shows good play speed as he gets behind the CB on a go route, tracks the ball well in the air and catches it at its highest point for a first down. He is an outstanding run blocker as he shows good use of hands and play strength as he blocks the CB creating a lane for the RB. DB, [player_tooltip player_id="256915" first="Pierden" last="Pepe"], 6’0, 170, Avon Lake [player_tooltip player_id="256915" first="Pierden" last="Pepe"] is the 20th ranked DB and the 110th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall. His very good play in 2021 helped the Avon Lake to 7 wins and hold opposing offenses to 20.4 points per game. He plays as a CB. Against the pass, he does a good job of matching the feet of the WR while using his good play speed to stay in phase with his man down the field. He displays good ball skills as he tracks the ball in the air and shows good hands as he makes the interception with his arms extended. Against the run, he takes the correct angle in pursuit and shows very good heart as he makes the tackle on a much larger RB preventing a potential touchdown.