Notes From the Trail: Best Prospects You’ve Never Heard Of

As we are in the midst of spring ball, coaches and players are preparing for what they all hope to be a great 2022 season. The usual blue-chip prospects have been generating buzz for years, as always. But there are also plenty of gifted athletes that have flown massively under the radar. Here, we steer our focus towards some of the more slept-on prospects in the state. RB - <strong>Nigel Agyemang</strong> - 2024 - 6’2 - Creekview Last season was the first on the gridiron for Agyemang, so his production was minimal. However, he happened to be a gifted athlete and showed it on the basketball court, so it was no surprise that he could make a smooth transition to football. In 2021, Agyemang only carried the ball two times as he was still learning the ropes. As Creekview will look for their [player_tooltip player_id="33944" first="Tyler" last="Stevens"] replacement, Agyemang could be the perfect candidate to fill their need at RB. After getting eyes on Agyemang, he is all of 6’2 200 pounds and doesn’t hold any bad weight. He has the ideal build for an RB., a strong lower body that allows him to explode into the second level of the defense. Still, Agyemang is raw, as he is still new to the game. Regardless, he has the combination of size and athleticism that is impossible to leave off the field. Once things start to fully click for him and he settles into his role, Agyemang is the perfect candidate for someone that could bust onto the scene in 2022 and 2023. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">2024 RB Nigel Agyemang certainly looks the part</p> Has a high ceiling. Could be a big time impact player come fall. <a href="https://t.co/IX8J2VnajN">pic.twitter.com/IX8J2VnajN</a> — Connor Jackson (@cjacksonPRZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/cjacksonPRZ/status/1524491909762322433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> ATH -<strong> Caleb Norrell</strong> - 2023 - 5’11 - Lumpkin County Norrell isn’t a prospect that will scare you coming off the bus with his lanky 5’11 build, but once the lights come on, so does he. Norrell is extremely versatile and lines up all over the field for Lumpkin County. On film, he does most of his damage at receiver, but there are plenty of clips where he is making plays on the defensive side of the ball at DB, such as bringing down interceptions and breaking them off for long returns. The first thing you will notice about Norrell is his speed. He is a very fluid runner with great vision, almost like an RB. This allows him to piece his way through the defense and find soft spots in coverage, it also allows him to be a difference-maker in the run game on sweeps. He is not super twitchy, but his fluidness and vision make up for it in his route running. Whether it is on offense or defense, Norrell is a walking playmaker. With almost no exposure, Norrell, an all-region player in 2021. is one of the best-kept secrets in the northern part of Georgia. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lumpkin Co Highlight <a href="https://twitter.com/LumpkinFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LumpkinFB</a></p> This guy #12 Caleb Norrell <a href="https://twitter.com/CalebNorrell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CalebNorrell</a> is a football player. All over the field last night. Several TFLs, FF, PBU. All Region guy in ‘21. <a href="https://t.co/UPpxjctJ6R">pic.twitter.com/UPpxjctJ6R</a> — NwGa Football (@NwGaFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NwGaFootball/status/1525338669959327746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> RB - <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="265189" first="Zeke" last="Clanton"]</strong> - 2025 - 5’6 - Lanier Christian 1600 yards and 31 TDs. Those are the numbers that Clanton put up during his freshman season at Lanier Christian. Did he play in an 8-man region of high school football? Yes, but if you can play, you can play. Clanton doesn’t wow anyone with his height at 5’6, but he is truly a physical specimen and is built like a truck. On top of that, he is extremely fast and slippery, which makes it easy for him to evade defenders and separate himself from defenders. Perhaps the most surprising part about his game is that he is a very physical runner who doesn’t shy away from contact. His low center of gravity allows him to generate power from his lower body and drive straight through defenders. All in all, Clanton played like a video game whilst putting up video game numbers. He twists and turns his body in numerous different ways to shake off defenders, and isn’t afraid to run them over either. Clanton is one of the more intriguing prospects in the state, and it will be fun to see how the rest of his already prolific high school career unfolds. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">CO 2025 RB: Had a big leg day with 275x2 @Recruit_Databse <a href="https://twitter.com/RecruitGeorgia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RecruitGeorgia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LUFBRecruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LUFBRecruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JR_Sandlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JR_Sandlin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_CoachThacker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_CoachThacker</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachEHickson2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachEHickson2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachTJefferson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachTJefferson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mack_morris6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mack_morris6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KSUEATzone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KSUEATzone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachLiamKlein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachLiamKlein</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachFredT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachFredT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/247recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@247recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UC_Recruiting</a> @ExposureD1 <a href="https://twitter.com/ncsa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ncsa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TopPreps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TopPreps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Compete24_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Compete24_</a> <a href="https://t.co/0udQYpgdL7">pic.twitter.com/0udQYpgdL7</a></p> — [player_tooltip player_id="265189" first="Zeke" last="Clanton"] (@ZekeClanton) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZekeClanton/status/1515026393599553536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> LB - <strong>Jacob Jackson</strong> - 2024 - 5’10 - Evans Like some of the other prospects on this list, Jackson is a player who has overcome disadvantages with his size and has become an impact player at the varsity level. In fact, he was the region defensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2021 where he totaled 114 total tackles with a few sacks and fumble recoveries. Jackson is not some crazy athletic LB who flies sidelines to sidelines and covers a whole lot of ground, but he is a smart player that makes smart plays. He does a great job of sizing up defenders and keeping them in front of him, he also rarely overpursues or tries to lay massive hits on the ball carrier. Instead, he relies on his motor and instincts to make plays. There might be some areas where Jackson can improve, but he possesses a lot of things that you can’t teach. Following a big 2021 season, Jackson has put himself in a position to play beyond the high school level. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Final stats of the year 114 total tackles (86 solo tackles, 28 assisted tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 pass deflection) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hardworkpaysoff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hardworkpaysoff</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gvcfq1XusK">pic.twitter.com/Gvcfq1XusK</a></p> — Jacob Jackson (@JacobJac25) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacobJac25/status/1468775839114354695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> RB -<strong> Bryson Cronan</strong> - 2023 - 5’9 - Augusta Prep Day Cronan is a small school prospect about 150 miles away from Metro Atlanta, so naturally, he has flown under the radar. However, last year he rushed for nearly 1300 yards and found the endzone 20 times. Like Jacob Jackson, he produces despite not having the prototypical size and speed of a D1 RB. Instead, he uses his motor and his vision. His vision is without a doubt his best attribute, he can piece his way through the defense without having to accelerate super fast. Cronan has already produced at a very high level without being the fastest or most athletic player on the field. If he can continue to grow as an athlete while maintaining his vision and make-miss ability, then he will provide plenty more value for someone at the next level. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/underrated?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#underrated</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAMPIG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IAMPIG</a> 🏈😤 <a href="https://t.co/nAexAUEuIU">pic.twitter.com/nAexAUEuIU</a></p> — Bryson “Pig” Cronan (@CronanFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/CronanFamily/status/1525629192846868480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>