Weekly Recruiting Roundup: Underrated 2023’s Rising on the Trail

Recently, offers have come in bunches for 2023s on the recruiting trail, even for those who are under the radar. Here, we provide some of those updates for 2023s that have started to see an uptick in their recruitment. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34053" first="Jace" last="Ward"]</strong> - ATH - 6’2 - McEachern After a big junior season where Ward finished with 20 tackles and 3 sacks, he capped things off with a big spring that gave way to offers from schools like Jackson State, UT Martin, and Fort Valley State. On top of that, he has taken some visits to multiple PO5 schools. After turning on the film, Ward is one of the more rangey LBs in the state. Whether he lines up at the ILB spot or at EDGE, Ward shows a serious motor on tape and some speed. You can see multiple times on tape where Ward covers an incredible amount of ground to make plays. While he spends most of his time at ILB, his ability to fight off blockers with his length and chase down the QB with his motor is perfect for the EDGE spot. If I was a betting man, I would bet that Ward will climb up recruiting boards soon. With a spring full of offers and visits, that claim is backed up by some evidence. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13461776/619d564b5b47fa09b8d2f295" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Devin Clark</strong> - DB - 6’3 - Marietta There are certain prospects that check every single box, but for some reason, they have yet to see their recruitment take off on the field. Clark is one of those prospects. At 6’3 with great speed, Clark has two of the most sought-after qualities in a defensive back. One thing I noticed was that he doesn’t play a whole lot of press coverage, which is likely a result of the scheme he plays in. Regardless, he shows great awareness in zone coverage and is still very physical and uses his length to knock the ball away from receivers. His awareness and ability to play zone coverage plus his potential in press coverage make for a potentially elite corner. Prior to this week, Clark’s recruitment was yet to start. However, he has since added offers from Morehouse and Richmond. Should he have another big senior season, Clark could put himself on the map and develop into a highly sought-after prospect on the trail. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14458614/61796c0690ef610ccc5ce570" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="327238" first="Mason" last="Kidd"]</strong> - QB - 6’4 - Mountain View Kidd was still raw in 2021, but he still managed to throw for over 1600 yards and found the endzone 13 times despite some interceptions and a lower completion percentage. Regardless, stats only tell part of the story, and Kidd showed plenty of promise and potential on film. Kidd is a true "gun-slinger" style QB. He has a longer release and loves to throw the ball down the field, two characteristics of a gun-slinger type QB. On the deep ball, he puts a great trajectory on the ball and can put it right where he wants to. On top of that, Kidd is a serious threat with his legs and has great pocket awareness. When he scrambles, he climbs the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield instead of bailing. From his release to his frame to his ability to run the ball, he reminds me a lot of Tennessee Titans QB Malik Willis. Recently, Kidd has seen offers come in from schools like Northern Illinois, Wofford, Tennessee Tech, and Shorter. With a summer full of camps and visits, I would expect Kidd to see his offer list grow before the season starts. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12873588/617f2584ab9272091069c340" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="330544" first="Chris" last="McMillian"]</strong> - RB - 5’9 - Peach County Before the spring, McMillian already had offers from schools like Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Western Kentucky. This spring, that offer list grew to include Middle Tennessee State, East Carolina, and Troy. As a junior, McMillian finished with 886 total yards and 8 TDs, with most of that production coming on the ground. McMillian is a fluid runner with a wide arsenal of juke moves to shake off defenders. He also has great vision in the backfield and can piece his way through the front 7 and make his way into the open field. To go along with his running skills, he also shows some promise as both a receiver and a blocker from the backfield. McMillian is a complete package at RB that can play every down, and his recruitment has received a recent uptick because of it. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11749549/61106b1fd21b020edc2025ff" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>