Friday Film Review - March 18th

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! Every Friday in March and April, we'll take an in-depth look at prospects across Oklahoma. Each week, we'll ask for prospects who want their hudl film to be evaluated by us and in these posts, we'll have some form of a scouting report on each prospect. Each week we'll be doing this, so if you've reached out and are not listed this week, there's a good chance you'll be in next week's feature. Our inbox was absolutely flooded with film over the last week so we have plenty of prospects to get to throughout March and April. This is also a great way for us to see some of the prospects that we haven't either seen or in some cases, haven't heard of yet. We can always be better covering the state and this is a great way to see some new players across Oklahoma. If you're a prospect or a parent of a prospect and want more exposure this spring, sign up for our <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/info?website_id=4&event_id=452" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Showcase Camp on April 30th in Tulsa</a>. You will compete against the best, be coached by the best and be covered by the best! Use coupon code Knighttour10 when signing up to save $10 on your registration! <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/friday-film-review-march-4th/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">– Friday Film Review: March 4th</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/03/friday-film-review-march-11th/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">- Friday Film Review: March 11th</a> <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="307905" first="Aiden" last="Eddins"] - 2023 Athlete - NOAH Another Friday Film Review and another NOAH Jaguar makes the list. And honestly, you can make the argument that this series is perfect for a program like NOAH that doesn't get covered like the other programs across the state. So prospects coming out of NOAH have to do whatever they can to get exposure. After watching 2023 standout [player_tooltip player_id="307905" first="Aiden" last="Eddins"] on film, we're very interested to see how the Jaguars do on offense this fall because they have some firepower. Eddins adds a serious weapon to the NOAH passing attack at wide receiver and then turns around and is a hard-hitting safety on defense. And when we say hard-hitting, we mean if you're a wide receiver, you better know where Eddins is because he is one of the hardest hitting defensive backs that we've broken down over the last few weeks. On offense, Eddins is a good route runner and does a great job locating the ball and bringing it in. He's a very talented prospect and what he projects to as of right now is very tough to say. We're leaning to what he brings on defense at this point in the process. One thing that we want to see from Eddins moving forward is more production from him whether it's on offense or defense. He has the ability to be a game changer and we want to see the numbers to reflect that. [player_tooltip player_id="307903" first="Brody" last="Smith"] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Bishop McGuinness Bishop McGuinness has had a great run of offensive linemen and there's no surprise why they'll have one of the top rushing attacks in the state coming into the 2022 season. The combination of offensive line and [player_tooltip player_id="51871" first="Michael" last="Taffe"] at running back will give the Irish a rushing attack that's going to be very hard to slow down. And an offensive lineman that has emerged from that group is 2023 lineman [player_tooltip player_id="307903" first="Brody" last="Smith"]. We knew about a few others along the Bishop McGuinness line but Smith is a nice addition and a prospect that immediately becomes an offensive lineman to watch moving forward. Smith started at left tackle for the Irish last fall and showcased a variety of skills. He's a dominating run blocker, obviously with the rushing attack that the Irish have. But Smith is also an excellent pass blocker and showcases his ability as a versatile offensive lineman. We like what we saw from Smith and there's another reason why we do this feature every single week. Finding more prospects that should be talked about within the state. When it comes to Smith at the next level, we think that the most natural position would be on the interior of the offensive line. Smith would be undersized if he stayed at the tackle spot but he could be outstanding as a guard or center. [player_tooltip player_id="51055" first="Carson" last="Laverty"] - 2023 Quarterback - Coweta The first thing that sticks out to us when we look at [player_tooltip player_id="51055" first="Carson" last="Laverty"] is the new school. After starting for a few years at Putnam City North, Laverty is expected to be the new starting quarterback at Coweta this fall, replacing [player_tooltip player_id="38687" first="Gage" last="Hamm"]. There are plenty of transfers throughout the state each year but that's certainly one to keep an eye on as the Tigers were in the mix for the district crown in 2021. As for Laverty on the field, he's been one of the more productive quarterbacks in the 2023 class. He got thrown into the fire early on in his career and he has gotten better and continued to grow as a passer over the last two seasons. Laverty has incredibly quick feet in the pocket and it allows him to keep plays alive to torch a defense with a deep ball. There's no doubt that Laverty has the deep ball pass down to an art. When he does need to tuck the ball and run, he's more than capable of picking up first down yards or even more. But when it comes down to Laverty as a prospect, there has been and will continue to be a big question about his size as he is one of the smaller quarterbacks in the state's 2023 class. That doesn't take away from the new Coweta QB as a prospect but it will be something he has to deal with throughout the recruiting process. [player_tooltip player_id="307900" first="Charles" last="Ware III"] - 2023 Running Back - Bristow In terms of playmakers, this might be our favorite tape that we watched this week. Bristow 2023 running back [player_tooltip player_id="307900" first="Charles" last="Ware III"] is a name that you need to know about moving forward. This kid is absolutely electric with the football in his hands. His profile lists him at 5'9 and 170 pounds and based on the film we watched, he plays much bigger than his listed size. The first thing it made us want to do was check out the Bristow speedster in person. He's incredibly versatile and did a lot for the Pirates in 2021. He was dynamic out of the backfield running the ball, he also made plays in the receiving game and was their best returner in special teams. The number one thing he brings to the table is speed. Once Ware gets into the open field, he was rarely going to be caught by anybody. He's incredibly shifty and can cut in and out of would-be tacklers and when you think that you've contained him, you're left wondering how he's still running down field. Needless to say, we were really impressed with Ware's film and think his stock should be on the rise this offseason. But he's going to have a high hurdle to overcome. The 2023 class is STACKED at the running back position. That doesn't mean that Ware doesn't belong with them but he's going to have to stand out in the crowd full of dynamic backs. [player_tooltip player_id="215030" first="Cooper" last="Auschwitz"] - 2025 Linebacker - Rejoice Christian There are a lot of good things to say about Rejoice Christian freshman linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="215030" first="Cooper" last="Auschwitz"] and if you're a Rejoice Christian fan, the future is incredibly bright. Auschwitz is an absolute athlete as he plays football, basketball, baseball and runs track. As of right now, it looks like it might be a battle between baseball and football to see where Auschwitz ends up at the next level but it is so early to tell right now. But he's already considered one of the top linebackers in the 2025 class and considered a top baseball prospect as well. But on the football field, you can tell that Auschwitz is an absolute athlete and just one of those players that does well in just about whatever he attempts. As a linebacker, Auschwitz is very instinctual and plays the position like a veteran and not a freshman on the varsity level. He's also good in pass coverage and even when it looks like he has gotten beat, he does a good job at recovering and making a positive play for the defense. In terms of what he could be and what to work on, man it's early. He just wrapped up his freshman season and he could be a totally different prospect in just a year let alone two or three. He's certainly on the right path right now but if we had to throw one thing out there it's this. No more slow motion on the hudl highlights! [player_tooltip player_id="57160" first="Evan" last="Keefe"] - 2023 Offensive/Defensive Lineman - Hilldale Hilldale 2023 lineman [player_tooltip player_id="57160" first="Evan" last="Keefe"] is without a doubt the prospect that we've known about the longest when it comes to this week's breakdown. We first saw Keefe after his freshman season and he's been arguably one of the more productive 2023 prospects in the state. He saw plenty of playing time as a freshman and has continued to grow into one of the top two-way linemen in the state. Starting on offense and defense, Keefe is one of the more dominant players in Class 4A. He combines his skills on the football field with his dominance in weightlifting to create a powerful monster that has been tough for opponents to deal with over the last few years. Keefe has been working at tackle on the offensive side of the ball while also starting on the defensive line. There is no doubt in our mind that Keefe is one of the top two-way players in the state coming into the upcoming season. He is so important to the Hornets on both sides of the ball. As dominant as he is on offense, he keeps that energy on defense and we don't know how. He has an engine that has not slowed down yet. The ultimate question is what does he project to at the next level? That's been something we've struggled with for over a year now. Love the player but what is he as a prospect? Right now, we have him on the defensive line. [player_tooltip player_id="307904" first="Evin" last="Kemp"] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Beggs One thing we know about Beggs from their 2021 season and what the outlook is for the next few years is very simple. They will be running the football. They have some of the best running backs in the state so they'll be lining up behind the Beggs offensive line and asking them to run down hill all night long, each and every Friday. Our next prospect is one of those offensive linemen and that's 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="307904" first="Evin" last="Kemp"]. The junior OL lined up at right tackle for Beggs last season, on the opposite side of standout 2023 OL [player_tooltip player_id="51853" first="Kaden" last="Stanton"]. When you throw on the tape of Kemp, it's easy to see why the game plan will be relatively simple. In addition to those standout backs, Beggs has an outstanding offensive line. Kemp has a very powerful punch at the point of attack and he's incredibly good at what they do well and that's move teams backwards down the field. He has good size and there's no question that the strength is there and he also shows the ability to pancake an opponent and then get to the next level and keep working. The obvious question about him as a prospect is which position is the natural fit for him at the next level. In our opinion, it's definitely on the interior of the offensive line. His size would give him some advantages if he moved inside. He might not move this upcoming season but we see him as a guard at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="307899" first="Hayden" last="Milner"] - 2023 Defensive Lineman - Washington First off, I want to say that I love the Washington Warriors going into the 2022 season. This is a team that has come up short in the Class 2A title game in back to back seasons but I think 2022 might be the year that the Warriors finally capture that gold ball. And on the defensive side, they have an absolute bull leading the way up front in 2023 defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="307899" first="Hayden" last="Milner"]. The first thing that sticks out when you watch Milner on tape is the strength. He's 6'4 and 240 pounds and absolutely built like a freight train coming down hill. And it was good to see in his highlight tape that the first set of plays were in Washington's biggest games. Against Beggs in the semifinals and Marlow in the title game. Milner was incredibly productive in both of those games. We also noticed that he will line up on both sides of the defensive line and move around quite a bit to keep the offense on their toes. For Milner as a prospect, right now he's your prototypical "tweener". Too small right now for defensive tackle and not quick enough for defensive end. We think with his strength, he projects to a nasty defensive tackle at the next level. We also think that would be the better choice out of the two. Adding more weight and strength shouldn't be as difficult as getting quicker and faster for defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id="307901" first="Jordan" last="Strotter"] - 2023 Linebacker - Bethany The first of two linebackers to wrap up this week's edition of the Friday Film Review is Bethany's [player_tooltip player_id="307901" first="Jordan" last="Strotter"]. The 2023 linebacker had a productive junior season last year and will look to improve on what he was able to do a year ago. He finished with nearly 70 tackles on the season and would get into the backfield on a few occasions. The thing that really stood out to us when we watched Strotter on film was his energy and overall effort during every single play. It didn't matter if it looked like Strotter was completely out of the play, his effort and engine just kept on going and that was certainly something that stood out when breaking him down. He certainly gives everything he has when he's on the field and when he gets to the point of attack, he comes with reckless intentions. He's one of the harder hitters that we've seen in the last few weeks. Another thing that Strotter did well last season was making reads into the backfield. Whether he was preoccupied with a blocker or was free, he knew where the ball was going and could get in position to make a play. But when it comes down to Strotter as a prospect, he's going to have to get bigger if he's going to stay at the linebacker position. Otherwise he'll have to overcome questions about being too small at linebacker. [player_tooltip player_id="307902" first="Landon" last="Davis-Barkus"] - 2023 Linebacker - Shawnee Another 2023 prospect that we hadn't heard of before checking out his film was [player_tooltip player_id="307902" first="Landon" last="Davis-Barkus"] from Shawnee. And on his Hudl highlight, he lists off about three different positions and at the end says "hybrid" and that's the best way to describe the film of Davis-Barkus. The Shawnee junior split time on offense and defense last season and was at running back and outside linebacker within Shawnee's 3-4 defense. Just looking at the film, we like Davis-Barkus on defense more and specifically at the linebacker position. His tape at running back has some good plays and long touchdown runs but he just looks more natural on the defensive side of the ball. It wouldn't shock us if he was a defensive player and last year was his first year playing running back. He just has more of a flow on the defensive side of the ball. And that could help him within the state's 2023 class. The 2022 class was absolutely stacked at linebacker. But the 2023 class is looking somewhat light when compared to the 22's. The Shawnee standout is excellent when it comes to getting after the quarterback and going from Point A to Point B in a hurry. One thing we'd like to see more of from him is his abilities in pass coverage. The majority of his tape is on rushing the passer and we want to see how well he can drop back in coverage against the pass.