Top Returning Defensive Backs in The OK Gold Conference
The defensive backs are my favorite position to watch at high school games. A guy who can cover well and tackle well in the modern era of spread offenses is key for a high school football team. All of these…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe defensive backs are my favorite position to watch at high school games. A guy who can cover well and tackle well in the modern era of spread offenses is key for a high school football team. All of these guys can do both of those things very well.
Kellen Russell-Dixon | Grand Rapids Catholic Central | 2024 | Hudl
Dixon is an outstanding cornerback for Catholic Central. He does a tremendous job in zone coverage. Dixon has fluid hips and can easily flip them and make a play on the football. He has great instincts for where the play is going when he drops into zone coverage. Dixon does a great job of flying up on swing passes and underneath routes to make tackles. Catholic Central also was confident in Dixon’s ability and let him play press man to man on the outside. Dixon has the speed to effectively turn and run with any receiver he is matched up against. I am very impressed by watching Dixon, and he will enter only his junior year next year in 2023.
Billy Mikolay | Grand Rapids Catholic Central | 2023 | Hudl
Mikolay does a great job of flying up to make tackles at the cornerback position. Mikolay was Catholic Central’s starting cornerback last year along with Kellen Russell-Dixon. Mikolay not only made great form tackles he also showed the ability to force fumbles. You have to love having a cornerback that loves to come up and make big hits. You saw Mikolay in several games flying from the outside and stopping running backs in their tracks. Catholic Central has to be excited that both of their starting corners return in 2022.
Andrew Bradley | Kenowa Hills | 2023 | Hudl
Bradley has great football intelligence and instincts at the cornerback position. He shows the ability to sit in zone coverage and then read underneath routes. Once he reads the route he has the athleticism to jump the route and come up with interceptions. Bradley has the athleticism to jump up and high point the football on interceptions. He also shows the ability to fly around and block extra points. Bradley plays quarterback as well for Kenowa Hills and shows great ability on the offensive side of the football as well. Kenowa Hills should be looking forward to Bradley returning for his senior year in 2022.
Ryan West | Cedar Springs | 2023 | Hudl
Ryan West is an extremely competitive football player. He was not afraid to take on some of the top receivers from Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Rockford. When teams throw at West he does everything he can to prevent the receiver from coming down with the football. West has very good speed and it shows on the offensive side of the ball as well when he zooms past defensive backs. West has terrific recovery speed and can catch up to receivers when the ball is in the air if they have got past him for a moment. West is a great tackler and comes downhill ready to hit ball carriers. Cedar Springs also plays West at the running back position. He hits the hole well and is a physical runner who is almost always falling forward. Cedar Springs had an outstanding year last year and with West coming back in 2022 they have to be confident on both sides of the football knowing about his playmaking ability.