Jordan’s Notebook: 23′ Breakdowns Pt. 7
We’re back with Jordan’s Notebook Series diving into the Class of 23′ Player Breakdowns. Welcome to the final part, part seven, of this multiple-part series as we cover a range of positions in each. The goal is simple: covering as…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe’re back with Jordan’s Notebook Series diving into the Class of 23′ Player Breakdowns. Welcome to the final part, part seven, of this multiple-part series as we cover a range of positions in each. The goal is simple: covering as many student athletes as possible, regardless of college projection, to be a resource in getting their name out there further. If you’re wondering how to get on our radar, it’s simple: Fill out our FREE Prospect Index
FYI: PRZ Showcases Near You, Use Code AmaskaneTour10 for a discount!
Brandon Woodszz Brandon Woodszz 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR Thornton Fractional South | 2023 IL Twitter
Mr. Woods works as an X receiver that showcases his hand/eye coordination throughout his highlights as he’s able to look the ball in snd secure the catch with his hands. He has strong hands as he can secure the contested catch with the defender all over him and does so by attacking the ball at the highest point when he plays above the rim. In the second clip in his highlights, he runs a deep shot downfield on a fade route and he’s able to go up for the 50/50 ball. This young man is then able to secure the contested catch over not one but two defenders on his second attempt to secure the catch (the ball gets tipped on the first attempt) and once he secures the catch he’s able to get free from the two defenders getting into the endzone for six. Mr. Woods provides insight into his quickness off the ball as he can close the cushion on the defender playing in off coverage to win over the top (when running a fade and post route). He can also secure the catch in traffic with the defender in his hip pocket across the middle of the field to keep the chains moving when he runs a three-step slant. All in all, this young man is a high-potential player that provides an insight into his skill set to be a playmaker in the air attack. I’m very interested to see more of his route running, specifically his precision and how crispt he can be consistently at the top of the route showcasing his full route tree, and his run after the catch ability as these weren’t showcased much in his film. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Jackson Workman Jackson Workman 5'11" | 180 lbs | WR Williamsville | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Workman is a slot receiver that provides insight into being able to find the soft spot in zone coverage where he can sit to become an outlet for his quarterback to keep the chains moving. In the first clip in his highlights, he’s able to get through the outside linebacker that’s pressing him and once he gets past he has a clear shot in the middle of the field on the seam route. He then secures the catch in the soft spot in the middle of the field and gets vertical using his foot quicks to win the foot race into the endzone for the touchdown. Furthering this, Mr. Workman has the ability to go up for 50/50 balls to secure the contested catch – so much so he can even secure the catch over the defender as well. When he’s running underneath routes, whether that’s along the sideline or across the middle of the field, he has the ability to secure the catch with the defender draped all over his back. This young man is a threat in the RPO game, he can get past the second-level defenders when they bite down on the run on a consistent basis throughout his highlights. Upon doing so, he becomes wide open across the middle of the field and can then either break a long run or get into the endzone for a touchdown. At times, he can break weak grab tackles to stay up to gain extra yards on the play. Now, I am curious to see him utilized in the screen game as this could potentially be another area where he can be a threat in. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Jeremiah Wright Jeremiah Wright 6'0" | 210 lbs | DL Rich Township | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Wright is a defensive lineman that works out of a 3 tech that provides insight into his ability to shoot through the B gap to gain penetration and disrupt the play in the backfield. He does so by using his active hands to get free to meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage for no gain on the play. He can deliver a heavy hit upon contact as well, in a few instances he ends up forcing a fumble by doing so. This young man has the ability to slip the offensive lineman’s run block as he crashes down the line of scrimmage to meet the ball carrier in the hope for little to no gain on the play – let’s not forget that he’s a solid wrap up tackler as well. There’s one play in his highlights that stands out in terms of his pass rush. In this clip, he showcases his bull rush where he drives the offensive lineman back into the pocket after jolting the lineman upright with his initial punch. He then is able to disengage to close on the quarterback resulting in him coming away with the sack. All in all, this young man provides insight and glimpses into the type of player that he can become. If this young man fine-tunes his use of active hands mixing in the tools in his toolbox (bull rush, speed rush, long arm, swim move, counters, etc.) you’ll see his game et elevated to the next level. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Zayn Zaidi Zayn Zaidi 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Plainfield Central | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Zaidi is a defensive end that can work out of a 7 tech as well as a 3 tech that provides insight into his ability to slip run blocks as he can shoot into the B gap to disrupt run plays in the backfield. This results in him securing tackles for losses and can also meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage for little/no gain on the play when he does so. If the run is going away from him, he can take backside pursuit as he flows to the ball and doesn’t give up on the play to secure the chasedown tackle. One clip in his highlights that stands out in this regard is seen early on in his highlights. In this clip, this young man shoots the gap and gets into the backfield blowing up the play on outside zone coming away with the tackle for loss. In terms of his pass rush, he does provide glimpses of his speed off the edge. This enables him to get to the turn point before the offensive lineman is set to block resulting in him turning the corner and getting pressure on the quarterback. Mr. Zaidi can hold quarterback contain at times and has a slower type of bull rush in his repertoire – he has to continue working by driving his feet on the bull rush before he gets free to generate pressure. This young man is more of a speed rush type of edge rusher as this is where he’s able to generate the most quarterback pressures. In both his pass rush and in run support, he showcases glimpses of being able to get off double teams to make a play on the ball – resulting in either generating pressure on the quarterback or disengaging the run block to secure the tackle on the play. I’m interested to see how Mr. Zaidi fine tunes his bull rush as he has a solid speed rush off the edge and by being consistent with his bull rush can add more tools to his toolbox. If he’s able to incorporate long arms into his run support skill set he’ll be able to disengage run blocks quicker which will result in him making plays at the line of scrimmage on a more consistent basis (as opposed to getting there a step late at times). Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Tommy Durdan Tommy Durdan 5'10" | 155 lbs | RB Marquette | 2023 IL Twitter
Mr. Durdan is a halfback that’s used in the air attack and is a deep threat that can win over the top on deep shots downfield. He’s able to do so as he has the foot quicks off the line of scrimmage to close the cushion on the defender playing in off coverage and stack the defender to gain the step advantage. At times, he can line up in the slot where he’ll run a bubble and once he secures the catch he gets vertical quickly to keep the chains moving. This young man is also used in the return game where he can make his impact felt with his foot quicks and ability to change gears quickly. The first clip in his highlights stands out in this regard where once he secures the kick, he’s able to find the alley and hits the alley hard by utilizing his foot quicks to gain the step advantage on the defenders – he’s then able to outrun the defenders winning the foot race into the endzone for six. In the run game, once he secures the handoff he can accelerate to full speed instantly further showcasing his foot quicks. Mr. Durdan can break long runs by doing so as he hits the hole (both on inside & outside the tackle runs) as his foot quicks are speedy and he can change gears quickly to gain the step advantage on the defenders right out of the gates. He does provide insight into having the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles as he’s full steam ahead once the ball is in his hands where he can break long runs by doing so. One clip in his highlights that stands out is when he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner and once he does he’s able to break not one but two weak grab tackles before cutting across the middle of the field using his foot quicks to get into the endzone for the touchdown. Simply put, at times he’s playing at a faster speed than the defenders he’s going up against. With that being said, this young man does have room to add to his frame without losing a step. I’m interested to see more of his route running and route tree, specifically with how he breaks at the top of his route. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Javon Bridges Javon Bridges 5'11" | 195 lbs | DB Phillips | 2023 State IL Twitter
Mr. Bridges is an inside linebacker working out of a 3-4 defense that provides glimpses of being able to flow to the ball. Once he diagnoses the run, he can take pursuit angles to the ball carrier where he can either make the tackle near the line of scrimmage (if it’s an inside run) or on the perimeter (if it’s an outside run). When this young man is coming on a blitz, he provides glimpses of being able to time it well to shoot the gap and get into the backfield quickly. One of two things can happen here as he can either blow up the play in the backfield or can generate pressure on the quarterback when doing so. When he drops back into zone coverage, he can get to the hook/curl where he can then trigger on the underneath route in front of him to secure the tackle in open space. This young man can rally to the ball in both run support and pass coverage as seen throughout his highlights. One area of improvement for Mr. Bridges is his read step/quickness out of his stance as, at times, he doesn’t seem to explode out of his stance which hinders his ability to get to the play quickly. If he’s able to improve this area of his skill set, you’ll see this young man make more plays at the line of scrimmage and possibly see him more often in the backfield as well. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Be sure to follow @PRZJordan regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as @PrepRedzoneIL.
Want to be ranked? Fill out our FREE Prospect Player Index, another tool to help you in your recruiting journey.