The Five: State’s Hottest Recruits (Stock Up)
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We are in the midst of an active recruiting season with college coaches on the road, visiting high schools and evaluating prospects, so stocks are on the rise and talent is being noticed. While many prospects are adding new offers…
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Continue ReadingWe are in the midst of an active recruiting season with college coaches on the road, visiting high schools and evaluating prospects, so stocks are on the rise and talent is being noticed.
While many prospects are adding new offers and bringing in more interest, these guys talked about below are the hottest recruits in the state at the moment and have seen their stock take a huge spike towards national status.
1. (WR) London Humphreys London Humphreys 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR CPA | 2023 State TN – CPA
– This entire offseason has been exciting for this Lions speedster as Humphreys has broken out onto the recruiting scene as a major recruit, holding several offers from Power Five programs and interest from many others. Breaking records on the track this spring, Humphreys has become a local star due to his speed and break away abilities on the football field along with his accomplishments competing in track and field. College coaches have definitely taken notice of this guy as Humphreys has added offers from the likes of Boston College, Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Virginia and others.
A lot of these Power Five offers have come over the last two months where coaches have been able to dive deep into his junior film while also watching his progression over the offseason through clips online or hearsay from scouts. What they have found out is that Humphreys can straight out fly! This dude is a burner that also has good size (6’2 180) and length that translates well to the next level. Watching his film, you can easily see why his stock has exploded this spring and why he is one of the hottest recruits in the state with more offers on their way.
Offers: Air Force, Arkansas St., Army, Austin Peay, Ball St., Boston College, Charlotte, Dartmouth, Eastern Ky, Harvard, Kansas, Liberty, Memphis, Miami OH, Minnesota, MTSU, Navy, Princeton, Rice, Richmond, Tulane, UMass, UT Martin, Vanderbilt, Virginia, William & Mary
2. (WR) Bryson Vowell Bryson Vowell 6'4" | 190 lbs | WR Anderson Co. | 2023 State TN – Anderson Co.
– It took some time for Vowell’s recruitment to take fire but it’s burning hot now as this East Tennessee wideout has added two big offers recently from Iowa and Memphis and those two should spark the interest of many others across the country. Vowell is a big target with a wide radius that creates a mismatch problem for smaller defensive backs on the outside as he knows how to use his body to shield the defender from the ball or climb over top and snatch away. All those traits have been in his arsenal for a while now but he has enhanced those abilities with a strong offseason and continued development with his body, so that’s a big reason why Vowell’s stock has started to take off.
Another big trait that stands out about Vowell is his dedication to his craft and his teammates. He has been quite active this offseason with his 7v7 team and performed well while also maintaining his off the field training. He also has done and will do anything team based with his Anderson Co. teammates whenever possible, which is a big trait that goes over well inside a college locker room. When you dive deeper into Vowell, you see why he has a Big 10 offer and why other high level programs are interested, so expect many others to follow through with an offer sooner than later.
Offers: Iowa, Memphis, Murray St., UT Martin
3. (S) Mose Phillips III Mose Phillips III 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Cane Ridge | 2023 State TN – Cane Ridge
– The Ravens football program has been developing some good defensive backs over the years and Phillips looks like the next one out of Cane Ridge to make it into the collegiate game. Just over the past few months, Phillips has seen his recruitment take off with multiple offers coming his way and interest coming from several Power Five programs. Sporting great size and length, Phillips looks like your prototype safety that shows tremendous range on film and a knack for being around the ball at the right times. He is also a physical hitter that uses his body and size to take advantage of smaller receivers. College coaches have taken notice of these abilities and began pursuing this Middle Tennessee defensive back with hot pursuit and I don’t expect his stock to slow down anytime soon.
Adding more interest and offers during the upcoming college camp scene is the goal for Phillips and I expect him to expand his offer list before cranking things up for the Fall football season. He is too big and talented for him not to eventually see those D1, Power Five offers float his way. Phillips is also a guy that I foresee rising in our next updating rankings as well and that is due to his strong offseason work and upside headed into his senior year.
Offers: Arkansas St., Austin Peay, Eastern Ky, Samford, Toledo, Tulane, UT Martin, Western Carolina
4. ‘24 (OT/G) Ronan O’Connell Ronan O’Connell 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Page | 2024 State TN – Page
– One of the hottest prospects from the in-state 2024 class is O’Connell and I don’t foresee his recruiting action slowing down anytime soon as this Middle Tennessee product is working on becoming a national name and wanted man across the country. The Patriots junior O-lineman has all the traits that college coaches drool over and more and more coaches are catching wind on this big and physical specimen that is still far from a finished product. O’Connell is a big dude that is well put together. He carries his size very well and shows explosive traits watching him on film. This guy shows the ability to develop into a possible left tackle on the collegiate level but at worst can slide over the right side or the interior and dominate.
O’Connell has seen his recruiting stock explode over the last month as coaches have been on the road, visiting high schools and evaluating prospects. Page High School has been a consistent stop this spring and while the Patriots have several others to look at, O’Connell has been the big prize most have been after. Just by looking at his offer sheet, O’Connell is a marked Power Five prospect that will only continue adding in big offers and continuing to make himself into a national recruit, so watch out for this guy going forward.
Offers: Charlotte, Eastern Ky, Florida St., Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Miami OH, Mississippi St., MTSU, Tennessee, Western Ky
5. ‘24 (DL) Hank Weber Hank Weber 6'4" | 255 lbs | DL Brentwood Academy | 2024 State TN – Brentwood Academy
– Over the last several weeks with college coaches on the road evaluating, Weber has become a hot name as he has picked up several Power Five, D1 offers over this stretch with many other offers on the horizon. A two way talent that could be recruited for either line of scrimmage, Weber is a big, forceful competitor that I feel shows the best upside for the college level on defense and most college coaches are recruiting him for that role. He is a powerful guy that knows how to use his hands and arms to either keep O-linemen in place or shed them off towards making the tackle. Weber shows strong pursuit and an active motor on film and someone that has line versatility to play the edge or work inside.
Weber brings a lot of tools to the football field that play up well on the collegiate level and coaches are starting to take notice. It’s hard to find D-linemen that have the size and mobility and Weber has both, so you can see why his recruitment has started to take off. Weber is already ranked as the 13th best prospect overall by #PRZTN and he could move up in those rankings during the next update with continued dominance on the college camp scene this summer. This is a talent that I foresee adding tons of Power Five, D1 offers before it’s said and done while also working towards becoming the top D-linemen in the state for the 2024 class.
Offers: Arkansas St., Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan St., Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
Five Other Hot Prospects: (WR) Adjatay Dabbs Adjatay Dabbs 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Greeneville | 2023 State TN – Greeneville, (LB) Isaiah Thomison Isaiah Thomison 6'3" | 230 lbs | LB Fayetteville | 2023 State TN – Fayetteville, ‘24 (WR) Ondre Evans Ondre Evans 6'1" | 185 lbs | DB CPA | 2024 State TN – CPA, ‘24 (LB) Edwin Spillman Edwin Spillman 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Lipscomb Academy | 2024 State TN – Lipscomb Acad., ‘24 (Ath) Jaheim Merriweather Jaheim Merriweather 6'1" | 190 lbs | RB Bearden | 2024 State TN – Gallatin