2023 Indiana Recruits With Something To Prove This Fall

The 2023 class is no joke. I could do pieces for this class all day every day. The talent is there, it’s my job to highlight some recruits who can play and that’s exactly what we’re looking at today. We’re looking at some recruits in the 2023 class who offer a lot and will help their future programs. Domonic Brown - Harrison - DB - 6’3" 160lbs Brown has a very good frame that could easily develop at the next level. On the field, his versatility gives Harrison some bonus usage of what he can do. While he’s best at DB and making plays on the backend, Harrison will use him at RB from time to time. He’s not bad, especially for a guy his size. He’s not the fastest back, but he runs hard and has no issue lowering his pad level to initiate contact. At DB, his length and frame gives him an advantage over most WRs. He’s got great reach, is able to bat down balls with a larger radius, and has better ball skills than people anticipate. If the ball comes in his area, you can bet he’s at least knocking it down. Brown is quick enough to run with pretty much everyone he comes across. He’s not going to get lost in traffic and understands how to come downhill to make the play when he needs to. I do think he’s a bit light right now and his backpedal could use some work, but he’s got time with a summer ahead. Brown is a physical player on both sides of the ball and once he finds his groove, he’s hard to stop. Brown is interesting because he could play S at the next level if he wanted to. With his reaction skills and with his potential frame, he could be a head-hunting Safety. Whatever route Brown goes, he’s sure to need some development time but it won’t take much time until he’s making plays all over the field for his school. [player_tooltip player_id="325864" first="Leo" last="Collins"] - Reitz Memorial - TE - 6’3" 210lbs Collins is a ton of fun because he’s such a matchup nightmare on the outside. With his frame, he’s fairly quick, agile, and bends well. He’s got really good vision and can track the ball through the toughest spots. For his size, he’s an extremely fluid athlete and bends well. He’s rather quick as well. His routes are not bad for a TE at the HS level. He’s able to sell some routes, sticks his foot in the ground, and cuts hard off it. I do think he can tip off his direction a bit too early by leaning his head to the direction he’s going to cut. A minor thing I noticed that defenders can key in on if they’re paying attention. He’s got really good hands, an impeccable vertical, and is able to go up and get the ball and bring it down with ease. He’s a TD scoring machine because all you have to do is get it in his vicinity. Right now, Reitz Memorial primarily uses him on the outside to create matchup advantages. I didn’t see a ton of blocking work, especially in the running game, but what I did see was promising. Collins is raw, but physical and isn’t afraid to initiate contact when asked to block. If he’s able to work on the mechanics and footwork, he’ll become rather effective really quickly. After the catch, Collins is good as well. He turns into a runner and isn’t afraid to lower his pads and try to bulldoze. Collins is a ton of fun to watch because of the advantages he creates for the offense when he’s out there. I’m not sure, but if he’s looking to play TE in college, my guess is he’ll be a traditional TE where he’s asked to block more. That being said, he’ll still be used in the passing game and if he’s able to fully develop, he’s going to be a big part of that offense in the future. Tamir Woods - Scecina Memorial - DE/LB - 6’1" 205lbs Woods is an incredibly long and quick recruit who could be really fun to watch develop. He shoots off the ball incredibly quick, is rather twitchy, especially for his length, and isn’t stiff. He comes off the edge for Scecina Memorial and makes play after play because of how fast he’s in the backfield. His athleticism is clear but raw. Right now, his lower half is a bit underdeveloped. His legs are long but a touch thin. If he’s able to anchor up a bit on the lower half of his frame, he’s going to become a big issue in the run game. He’s already an issue in the passing game. If he’s able to regularly win inside the interior, and stand his ground when the OL is coming downhill so he can extend and make the play, offenses aren’t going to be happy. If he ever gets the ball in his hand and starts going the other way, you’re not catching him. He’s fast. He’s got a second gear that a lot of people think that they have. With athleticism and speed, Woods could easily develop into a LB and be a sideline to sideline cover guy if he wanted. At the line, Woods is able to shed his guy and split the gap sometimes to make the tackle in the backfield. If he doesn’t get home, his speed keeps him in the play and he can and will run down the ball carrier if he has to. I think right now if he’s able to continue developing physically while keeping his explosiveness, he’s going to draw interest. Guys with his athleticism and speed usually develop into the most reliable guys at the next level if they stick with it. Woods has the traits you love to see and wherever he ends up, they’re getting an explosive athlete with a future as bright as he wants it to be. Jarno Hicks - Bloomington North - WR - 5’10" 175lbs Hicks is a fantastic athlete who is great with the ball in his hands. Whether it’s a screen pass, a shot down the field, or returning kicks, anytime he’s got the ball in his hands he’s a threat to score. Hicks has really good vision and with his speed is a legit threat to take kicks back to the house every time. If you give him a crease, he will house it. He’s scored from a few kicks in the past and you can expect more this fall. Hicks also has fairly good ball skills and is able to go up and get the ball. If he gets his hands on the ball, he’s coming down with it. Right now, I think his route tree could use some development. He’s primarily been a deep threat for Bloomington North and while he’s great, if he’s able to have a more polished tree it could improve his volume which I’m sure he’d be just fine with. His deep routes are fairly clean and he understands what angles to take and how to cut off a defender’s leverage and give himself the advantage. He’s going to run right by them, turn his head, and go up to get the ball. If Hicks is able to develop a short game and a route technician on the inside I could see him developing into an elite slot WR. If not, he’s got the ball skills and speed to stay on the outside and be a threat there. His speed, vision, and hands give him some incredible versatility and he could be used in multiple different roles. If Hicks is able to hit his stride and continue developing, there’s a good chance he becomes an important piece to his college’s offense and will be making plays in multiple phases there. Morgan Capps - Clarksville - WR/DB - 6’1" 160lbs Capps is a versatile guy for Clarksville who plays on both sides of the ball and makes plays. Whether he’s lining up at DB and breaking up passes and making tackles or lining up at WR and catching a ball then making a few guys miss, he’s going to make plays. Defensively, he’s got a knack for finding himself around the ball making tackles. I will say, I do wish he played more physically on defense. He’s got a tendency to lower his shoulder and dip the head to make the tackle. If he’s able to clean up the form, that’ll help him play more consistently. On offense, he’s best with the ball in his hands because he’s able to make guys miss with the best of them. He’s able to stop and cut on a dime, have the defender go right by him, and he’ll change directions immediately. His short-area agility is fantastic and it’s likely his basketball background coming through. Over the second half of the season, Capps really began to play with more and more confidence and was trusting what he was seeing develop defensively. If he’s able to continue on that arrow, he’s going to become a reliable player and will make some schools really happy. What side of the ball he plays is also likely going to be up to him giving him even more options. Drew Martin - Ben Davis - RB - 5’10" 170lbs Martin is an incredibly shifty runner who you have to wrap up otherwise he’s going to make you miss and be off to the races. His special ability is to wiggle, stop on a dime, change direction, and make guys miss. He’s good at creating his own open space. He isn’t going to break many tackles or truck guys, but you have to be able to get your hands on a guy to bring him down. Martin has the homerun speed you love to see and if he gets to the second level, he’s going to cause stomach problems for Defensive Coordinators. His vision is good and his feet are typically quick enough to follow. Martin is a bit raw coming out of the backfield, physically, and in pass protection, so he’ll need some work in those areas to become a 3 down back, but if he’s able to do so, with his ability to make guys miss and his speed, he could be something special. Martin is someone you can design screen passes to anywhere on the field and let him go to work. He’s best when he gets the ball in space and is able to get a read on things and then go to work making guys miss. He’s also someone that could be put back to return punts and kicks and would likely become a threat to score there as well. Speed, vision, and the ability to make guys is all you need and Martin checks those boxes. When he’s on the field and touching the ball, good things can happen. Martin’s likely going to have a bigger role this fall and will be able to showcase what he can do. If he comes through and continues developing, Martin will put himself in a great spot to be successful at the next level.