Under the Radar Series: 2023 Mississippi Offensive Linemen

The goal of the Under the Radar (UTR) Series is to highlight hidden gems at certain positions in Mississippi football. The UTR Series will illuminate a path by introducing prospects whom have had little to no exposure, or who may have just simply, flown under the radar. As offensive linemen, these student-athletes play a position that is by far one of the most thankless positions to play in American sports . The main job tasked to an offensive lineman involves protecting and blocking your teammates from harms way. Any offensive lineman’s adequacy and playing potential is judged on how well a prospect can handle the duties required of the position on the line that they play. The direct responsibility designated to offensive linemen is predicated on well that athlete shows the ability to slow down and/or impede the efforts of the most aggressive, mammoth-like, and relentless football players on any team. Defensive Linemen. With that being said it, takes a combination of selflessness and controlled chaos to successfully play the position. The list of athletes compiled below is loaded with gentle giants, whom I believe fit directly into the mold of what an good offensive lineman is. 6A Reid Grantham | OT/G | 6’2 260 | Pearl HS Reid Grantham is an explosive kid with decent size. He plays with a certain level of calmness while maintaining a violent approach to executing blocks. Grantham has film at multiple positions doing great things, but I feel as if his strong lower body and playing style translates to him playing guard to guard at the next level. The biggest asset that jumped out on Reid’s film was his violent punch and the aggression that he brings at the point of attack. Christopher Hayes | OT | 6’4 240 | Starkville HS Chris is a guy with good length, decent size, and a high motor. What I enjoyed most about evaluating Mr.Hayes was the enjoyment and satisfaction he displayed from punishing the majority of his opponents. He is a kid that really gets after it and enjoys the game of football. Christopher has excellent footwork, and his pass set and punch are both very effective. He also shows the ability to consistently make blocks at the second level; overall Christopher Hayes is a complete package as a OT recruit. His athleticism and motor will ensure that he gains a larger following leading into his senior year. 5A [player_tooltip player_id="108899" first="DeQuarious" last="White"] | OL | 6’4 330 | Holmes County Central HS [player_tooltip player_id="108899" first="DeQuarious" last="White"] is an absolute UNIT!! DeQuarious moves exceptionally well for a young man who is 6’4+ and 330 pounds. White has meat hooks on the end of his wrists that he uses for hands, meaning when he grabs you, you’re likely done. He is also savvy at the skill of accelerating your feet as you make contact with the defender. The violent nature that he carries with him when executing blocks often leaves defenders that he faces flat on the ground. Look out for this guy. If he works to stay in shape, he will likely play guard on the next level next fall. [player_tooltip player_id="128047" first="Landen" last="Sewell"] | C | 6’2 320 | Natchez HS Mr. Sewell is a center that plays the game with a low center of gravity and a great pad level. Landen gets his feet going as expeditiously as possible in order to get both of his cleats across the line of scrimmage. This is an imperative skill to learn not only as an offensive lineman, but this skill is most important for the center position. Landen is another high motor guy that enjoys punishing his opponents any opportunity that he gets. His pass set is strong, though it is not perfect. He leans a bit even though he does not need to. His punch is plenty violent and strong enough to hold of oncoming defenders. His senior campaign will prove to be pivotal as he looks to complete his high school career. 4A Button Lakes | OT | 6’0 300 | Houston HS Button Lakes has great feet and he mirrors defenders exceptionally well to be as good looking an offensive lineman as he does. At just over 6 foot and being 300 pounds, it is likely that Button will play guard to guard if he decides to play on the next level. Mr.Lakes is tremendous at pass setting and blocking, and it is mainly due to the fact that Button is a technician. His technique and him being a smart football player was the what jumped off of his tape to me. Button is a physically imposing to his opponents. He is a strong kid that plays with great pad level. That means that anyone who fails to match his pad level has a hard time being effective going against him. Keep an eye out for him as a senior. [player_tooltip player_id="108900" first="Jamar" last="Winn"] | C/G | 6’1 320 | Mendenhall HS Jamar is a guy that you may have heard of, but deserves more buzz from what his tape shows. [player_tooltip player_id="108900" first="Jamar" last="Winn"] is an immediate impact type of player. I say this due to the fact that the guy has tape playing at all 5 positions of the offensive front. He is a nasty player who brings this level of intensity with him every play. That is an attribute that is hard to teach, and offensive coordinators and offensive line coaches love to see. The big guy has sweet feet, pulverizing hands, and he moves fairly well in space. At his stature, he easily locates defenders on the 2nd level. It will be hard to not see Mr.Winn continue to excel in his senior campaign, and he likely will exceed expectations. 3A Bryson Kelly | OL | 6’2 300 | Noxubee County HS Bryson Kelly is another man amongst boys that made this list. His physically imposing stature and style of play is what I noticed first from watching his tape. This kid carries cleavers around as hands and uses them often. Bryson is a strong kid that is a nightmare for anybody in the box on defense in the run game. Though his feet could be better on his pass sets, it is not an attribute of his that cannot be easily tweaked. If he has a productive off-season then this kid will blossom into a player that will be feared in the trenches for years to come. Fulton Ascherl | OL | 6’4 270 | St. Stanislaus HS Mr. Ascherl is what most coaches call a prototypical offensive lineman. Standing at 6'4 and weighing in at just over 270 this kid has a great frame to play any position on the offensive front. He plays with a ferocity at times that I want to see him bring with him every play. He will likely be a Guard on the next level. This kid shows flashes of being a big time player in the near future. His senior campaign will surely show that this kid is a next level talent 2A Tayshawn Shepard | OT | 6’2 270 | Scott Central Attendance Center Mr. Shepard is a technician with great size. He has tremendous footwork and hand speed to match. He also has a physical nature that he brings with him when attacking second level defenders. Tayshawn is a smart football player that excels in understanding defensive fronts. This allows him to know when to leave double teams effectively when in combination with fellow constituents on the offensive front. His pass set and punch are both very sound technique wise. His success rate when dealing with oncoming rushers is fairly high and he does not give up many sacks. It is likely that he will play guard on the next level with his stature and athleticism. Ashton Bedford | OT | 6’4 315 | Newton HS Ashton Bedford is an absolute unit on wheels, and he does not shy away from using his size to his advantage. Bedford is 6'4+ and moves pretty decent for his size. He is a beauty to look at in the eyes of many football coaches. Bedford has long arms and plenty of power in his punch. Ashton uses his strength and size as leverage when punishing defenders. The physical nature of his play in the running game is what I enjoyed most from watching from his film. This off-season it will be imperative for Bedford to become a technician. The more this kid allows himself to be immersed in the game of footbal, the more he will realize that the sky is the limit from him with the talent he has. 1A Christian Perry | OL | 6’5 270 | Richton HS Christian Perry is a hard kid to not like. His effort and intensity covers up the few holes that he does have in his game, due to the fact that he plays so hard. Perry has a pretty decent frame standing at 6'5 270. He often uses smart tactics such as positional blocking and inside flipper techniques. He needs to work on his strength this offseason. With his size and wit ass a football player, he will show improve in his senior year that catapults his recruiting where it needs to be. Antoine Washington | OL | 6’2 215 | Simmons HS This guy is and absolute athlete, he plays multiple positions and stars on special teams as well. He is a guy that seems like he is playing out of position, but this guys motor is amazing. Antoine uses his athleticism against his opponents and also knows the position that he plays. It is likely that he will play a different position if he decides to play at the next level, but this kids film was to enjoyable to watch to keep him off of the list. Keep an eye out for Antoine Washington this coming fall.

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Under the Radar Series: 2023 Mississippi Offensive Linemen

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