Friday Film Review - March 4th

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! New Feature Alert! 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. 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. [player_tooltip player_id="299736" first="Brayden" last="Chacon"] - 2024 Defensive Back - Henryetta When we threw on the tape for Henryetta 2024 defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="299736" first="Brayden" last="Chacon"], the first thing we did was go back and check what his listed height and weight was. He’s listed at 5’9 and 140 pounds but he looks much bigger than that on film. Now, film doesn’t always give us the best indication of size, but we’re just saying that Chacon looks SIGNIFICANTLY bigger. Then you let the film play out and you see a prospect that is excellent at tackling in the open field. And when he locks on to his man, he will put him on his back. This goes back to the very start of this breakdown. He’s big, he’s incredibly strong and we definitely want to see Chacon in person to get a real gauge of his size. On his film, he was primarily playing cornerback and he also showed great play recognition. Going from pass coverage to open field tackler in the blink of an eye. One area we’d like to see Chacon more is in actual pass defense. The majority of clips were of Chacon not showing any pass defense. The combination of his film and his size made him look more like a linebacker than a cornerback. Chacon is a prospect that has definitely gotten our interest and we want to see more moving forward. [player_tooltip player_id="223037" first="Bryson" last="Rouse"] - 2023 Defensive Back - Deer Creek Our next prospect is another defensive back but after watching his junior film, it’s hard to think that he’s just a defensive back moving forward. Deer Creek junior [player_tooltip player_id="223037" first="Bryson" last="Rouse"] was one of the better playmakers on a Deer Creek team that made a run to the state championship game. And while that title game was a rout at the hands of Bixby, Rouse played well against the Spartans and was one of the bright spots for the Antlers. Rouse plays the game with a high IQ on the defensive side of the ball at safety. He seems to always know where he needs to be to make a play. Whether it’s coming up and defending the run or helping in the pass game, Rouse is usually in the right place at the right time. Another aspect of Rouse’s junior film that really stood out was the balance between those two things. He has plenty of plays coming up and stopping the run and then mixes it in with interceptions and pass deflections within the secondary. There’s a lot to like when it comes to Rouse’s game and he’ll be one of the key pieces returning for Deer Creek this fall. The one question we have goes back to the start of this breakdown. What is his natural position at the next level? Right now we lean to the defensive side of the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="299728" first="Darieon" last="Johnson"] - 2023 Linebacker - Beggs So when we say that rankings are never perfect and some times we simply miss on guys, this is what we’re talking about. We updated the 2023 rankings last month. Beggs linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="299728" first="Darieon" last="Johnson"] was not apart of those rankings. Johnson didn’t even have a profile on our site and wasn’t listed as a watch list prospect at least. That’s on us. We got that one wrong. After watching just a few minutes of tape on Johnson, it was apparent to us that not only should he have been in the rankings, he could probably be considered a top five linebacker in the class. And there are several reasons behind that conclusion. The first thing that stood out to us with Johnson’s game was speed. The kid is fast for a linebacker that weighs over 200 pounds. He moves incredibly well from sideline to sideline with fluid movements and covers ground in a hurry. On a Beggs defense that had a few standouts throughout, Johnson was one of the more productive guys in terms of tackles with over 100 on the season. Quite honestly, there isn’t a lot to critique when it comes to Johnson’s game. He tackles well in space, he can drop back in coverage and make plays. The only question mark we have is his height. Listed at 5’11, that is on the shorter side for top linebackers. But honestly, we’re just searching for something here. [player_tooltip player_id="292484" first="Jake" last="Tucker"] - 2023 Linebacker - Tuttle The reputation that Tuttle has had over the last few years is a very physical defense, one of the best in 4A, but a complete team effort. No superstars on that side of the ball, just guys that all work together. One of those pieces is 2023 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="292484" first="Jake" last="Tucker"]. And while he fits that description almost perfectly, that doesn’t mean he’s not a legitimate prospect. Tucker was one of Tuttle’s leading tacklers on a team that made it all the way to the state championship game. He was also a leading tackler on one of the best defenses in 4A football throughout the season. You can’t argue with the production that Tucker had throughout the season. Tucker has the right size for linebacker at the next level, standing a little over 6’0 and weighing just over 200 pounds. He certainly looks the part and when you watch Tuttle’s defense, he is a player that physically stands out to you when watching them on film. One play in particular jumped off the screen. In the title game, Clinton threw a screen pass that would have gone for a touchdown if Tucker didn’t race 50 yards, tracking down the receiver and bringing him to the ground. Like some of the other linebacker prospects, we want to see more of Tucker when it comes to defending the pass to see how complete he is as a backer. [player_tooltip player_id="268375" first="Kaden" last="Piche"] - 2024 Athlete - NOAH In our defense, NOAH 2024 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="268375" first="Kaden" last="Piche"] is listed on our site as a wide receiver. But we thought when we opened up the film, we’d be seeing a mix of offense and defense from Piche, who on his twitter profile says he is a wide receiver and defensive back. That wasn’t the case as Piche strictly had highlights as a wide receiver. So for now, we’ll evaluate him as just that. As a wide receiver, Piche was your prototypical slot wide receiver. He isn’t a prospect that’s going to take the top off a defense. But he’s someone that defenses constantly need to know his location on the field. Not only can Piche run good routes, but he’s also good at improvising and finding where he needs to be on the field to make a play. And like many slot receivers, Piche is at his best when he’s making plays after the catch. He can break a few tackles, make a few guys miss and turn a small play into a big play. He has very reliable hands and is a wide receiver prospect we’re going to keep an eye on. In terms of areas that could use improvement, one thing that stood out was speed and overall quickness. He’s a good weapon right now but to become one of those top guys at the position, he has to be able turn a small play into a highlight play after the catch and one way to do that is simply running away from the defense. [player_tooltip player_id="299735" first="Kooper" last="Rich"] - 2024 Tight End - Ponca City Here is the perfect example of why we wanted to do this feature. This is a great way to find new prospects and see kids that we haven’t heard of before. And a month ago, we didn’t know who [player_tooltip player_id="299735" first="Kooper" last="Rich"] was. Fast forward to today and we’re convinced that not only should he be in the 2024 rankings, he should be relatively high. At 6’5 and 240 pounds, Rich is an absolute machine of a prospect. He’s currently at Ponca City after spending last season at Waynoka. For those not familiar, Waynoka is an 8-man school so you have a player like Rich, who according to his hudl has the nickname "Baby Jaws" absolutely terrorizing 8-man teams on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. As of right now, we’re leaning to Rich being an offensive prospect but the door is open for him on defense as well. As a tight end, Rich is obviously a match-up problem with his size alone. He’s going to be a mismatch for just about any team in the state in a jump ball situation. Rich is also incredibly physical and so in running situations, he has no problem putting his hand in the dirt and running over a defender. The one question we have is how he will make the transition from 8-man ball to 6A ball at Ponca City. Our guess is it’ll be an easy transition but he still has to make it. [player_tooltip player_id="268324" first="Sean" last="Rich"] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Pioneer We go from a former 8-man big man with the last name Rich to a current 8-man big man with the last name Rich. We do the list alphabetically, it just worked out that way. But a lot of what we wrote about [player_tooltip player_id="299735" first="Kooper" last="Rich"] can be applied here. Pioneer offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="268324" first="Sean" last="Rich"] is an absolute monster of a human being. Whether it’s run blocking or pass blocking, Rich has excellent hand placement and when he locks onto a defender, that defender is doing what Rich wants him to do. And then in a few clips, Pioneer used Rich as a pulling lineman which is straight nightmare fuel for defenders. All 6’5 and 300 pounds of the Pioneer OL coming at a defender with bad intentions. You can imagine what the end result is more times than not. The one question we have around the Pioneer big man is similar to what we said about [player_tooltip player_id="299735" first="Kooper" last="Rich"]. How would he do against larger competition? He’s playing 8-man ball and he’s bigger than just about everyone he’ll come across and it’s straight bully ball for opponents. But how would he do against a defensive lineman that had some speed to go with size? That’s not something we can necessarily answer right now but it’s something to think about moving forward. [player_tooltip player_id="299729" first="Tyler" last="Mitchell"] - 2023 Wide Receiver - Verdigris The 2023 class at Verdigris has to be considered one of the better classes athletically in school history. The Cardinals have several 2023 prospects that have been impact players over the last two-three years. One of those prospects on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="299729" first="Tyler" last="Mitchell"]. The connection that he and 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="231978" first="Dylan" last="White"] have is pretty fun to watch. Mitchell did a good job as a junior finding open spaces in the defense for White to fire the ball into. It seemed like when the Cardinals needed a first down, Mitchell would be the guy that White trusted more times than not. In addition to that, Mitchell has turned into a highlight factory with the big play. At 6’3, Mitchell is a match-up problem for most defensive backs and several times throughout his junior season, he was beating his man and simply running away from him for a big play. We think that 2021 could lead into a very successful 2022 season for Mitchell as one of the better receivers in Oklahoma’s 2023 class. We want to see him become more of that reliable playmaker throughout the season. And we say all of this without ruling out the fact that he might be playing the wrong position. We like what we saw from him as a safety as well. But right now, we have him on offense. [player_tooltip player_id="119082" first="Ty" last="Vinson"] - 2024 Athlete - Warner This was one of our favorite films to watch and break down this week. Warner sophomore standout [player_tooltip player_id="119082" first="Ty" last="Vinson"] is listed on our website as an Athlete and we don’t have a better description of him. Well, maybe just simply "Football Player", but that isn’t a position on our website. Vinson’s first three plays on his film from sophomore year he played the following positions, offensive line, defensive line and slot receiver. On his Hudl profile, he includes full back and half back as positions of his as well. The kid is a football player and that’s the first thing that stands out to us. Then you watch him play and he has some serious skills, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We like the physical nature of his play, no matter where he’s lined up on the field. You can also tell two things about a player like Vinson, who plays so many different positions. One, he’s an inteligent player and doesn’t get flustered very easily. And he’s just a sophomore. Then two, he’s a team-first guy and will play whatever position he needs to play for the team to be successful. As for what he can work on, we’ll go with speed because he’s probably a linebacker at the next level and won’t be playing as close to the line of scrimmage. [player_tooltip player_id="101264" first="Zane" last="Shadid"] - 2023 Linebacker - Bishop McGuinness The following goes for plenty of prospects and that’s just the way recruiting goes sometimes. But in our opinion, if Bishop McGuinness linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="101264" first="Zane" last="Shadid"] was a few inches taller, he’d be considered arguably the best linebacker in the state’s 2023 class. Now, you can say that about a few linebackers but Shadid has been an excellent linebacker for a few years now. His consistency and experience is something that plenty of college coaches should be looking for. The McGuinness standout is a heat-seeking missile at linebacker and is excellent in rush defense. When he gets to the point of attack, he always has bad intentions and is one of the hardest hitters in Class 5A. Shadid is very good at absorbing a block, shedding it, and getting the ball carrier to the ground in a hurry. After watching his film, the one thing that stood out to us was all of the plays in the running game. Which leads to where Shadid can improve. We want to see more of his plays in pass defense. We’ve seen quite a bit of him in those scenarios playing 7v7 but Friday night is quite different. Going back to the consistency and experience part, we expect him to be the leader of this McGuinness defense this fall and the Irish have the potential to be one of the best teams in Class 5A.