Class of 2025 Rankings Update: Biggest Risers

During the offseason it is harder to standout and make yourself a riser during rankings updates. The only ways to do it is through showing a vast improvement of skill set at camps/ 7v7s, through a vast growth spurt while also proving that the skills are still at a high level or better than they were before, and the final way is through the film recheck that I do of the previous fall film. Every once in awhile I come across players that I feel I under projected, and they end up sliding up a few spots. These offseason updates also include large numbers of new names. This specific ranking more than doubled our number of ranked players. Because of that it is hard for the previously ranked players to move up significant amounts when all of these new names are being added in. Despite the difficulty to make these offseason jumps we did have four athletes overcome the odds and make large jumps up the rankings or from the watch list to the rankings. That is who we are covering today. We are going to dive into what caught my eye and led to the upward movement of the stocks of four soon to be sophomores. <strong style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="262079" first="Dakotah" last="Montez"], WR- Green Bay West (<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16134580/61ee41e5c119e90938ce9f93">Dakotah’s Freshman Highlights</a>)</strong> <em>Rise: 30 up to 23</em> Dakotah is one of those athletes who once I re-watched his 2021 film I felt I had been sleeping on him a bit. He already has solid positional size at 6’ 165 lbs, and he moves and controls his body very well through his routes. That control allows for smooth cuts, and quick changes of direction without much lose of speed. The young playmaker also demonstrated some savviness in his route running with head fakes, and other techniques to get DBs to bite. Green Bay West used him to attack every level of the field with that route running and the speed to stretch the defense. Lastly, Montez turned that young, rising skill set into production. He finished 2021 with 32 receptions, 487 yards, and 4 TDs on varsity. I don’t put a ton of stock into production when ranking, but it is well worth noting when a freshman makes a big impact at the varsity level. Dakotah is one to watch at the WR position for years to come. Check out his film above. <strong style="font-size: 1rem">[player_tooltip player_id="262094" first="Brady" last="Hilgart"], QB- Grafton (<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14485703/5fb191df15f5f00a8c4631e1">Brady’s Freshman Highlights</a>)</strong> <em>Rise: 34 up to 21</em> Brady made his move thanks to a combination of me revisiting his freshman film, and his offseason work. The 6’3" 195 lbs signal caller is blessed with prototypical size for the position with an arm that has quickly begun to match that strong frame. Brady has shown this offseason that he is able to attack vertically down the field with velocity and touch depending on windows and defenders’ leverage. The competitive drive is there in droves as he has been hitting camps hard as well as doing very well in 7v7 competitions. That includes a 5th place finish at Nationals. There was a lot of QB movement, and debut in this rankings update, so Hilgart’s ability to climb nearly 15 spots overall, and move up to QB2 was no easy feat. I’m pumped to see how he performs in game action this fall. The tools are there to standout and take over games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="245969" first="MJ" last="Mitchell"], QB- Catholic Memorial</strong> <em>Rise: Watch List up to 22</em> MJ is an athlete that I have been excited to get some sort of film of. It looks like he is firmly entrenched in a QB battle at Catholic Memorial. He has an exciting skill set that would light up Friday nights if he wins the job. MJ’s top strength is his athleticism. The 6’ 160 lbs signal caller debuts as QB3, and the top dual threat signal caller of the group. He has the play speed, vision, and agility to break the back of defenses. They are going to have their work cut out for them trying to cover the field, and also contain him simultaneously. When they do contain him, MJ has quick footwork and an arm that can get the ball anywhere on the field with touch and accuracy. Don’t be surprised to see MJ make another big jump in the rankings after the season. I have high expectations for the soon to be sophomore if he wins the job. The highlights will be must watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="270691" first="Cameron" last="Gray"], WR- Milwaukee Academy of Science (<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16437250/61d869205cb40209040e0812">Cameron’s Freshman Highlights</a>)</strong> <em>Rise: Watch List up to 33</em> Cameron makes a big jump from the watch list up to #32 on the overall rankings. Cameron is a burner at the WR position. In the open field he proves that he has pursuit angle erasing speed down the sideline. He is able to stretch the field before the catch with that speed, and he does an impressive job of attack the ball in jump ball situations. His concentration and timing allow him to come down with it in those high traffic situations. He clearly has a gifted collection of natural athletic traits. Gray is a game changer out wide. He also plays DB, but he looks so natural at WR that I ranked him solely at that position. I’m excited to see him take the next step with more experience under his belt. Definitely an athlete to know. Check out his film linked above.