Notes From the Trail: 2024 EDGE Rushers to Track

<p>The class of 2024 is still a few years away from entering the college level, so there is plenty of time for them to grow and develop on the field. Still, some of these prospects have generated plenty of buzz recently and are going to see their recruitment pick up here soon. </p>   <p>Here are some 2024 EDGE rushers in Georgia that you need to track...</p>   <p><strong><em>Lota Ugokwe</em></strong> - Walton</p>   <p>Last season, Ugokwe was one of the most productive 2024 edge rushers in the state and lead the Raiders in sacks with 7. Despite his production, Ugokwe is still offerless and under the radar, but that is sure to change. At 6’2 220, Ugokwe is already significantly bigger than he was last season, so he has a chance to be an even more physically dominant player as a junior. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Ugokwe plays with a more physical brand of football than most pass rushers. He does have good speed and shows the ability to chase down ball carriers in the backfield, but his pure strength and relentless brand of football are where he stands out. He has longer arms and a strong punch at the line which allows him to create penetration. He shows great grip and arm strength by tossing linemen to the side in order to make plays. Those longer arms and strength allow him to have an effective bull rush and be a consistent tackler. Ugokwe does have some solid speed and bend, so he has the chance to really grow into a complete player this fall. If he does, then schools should be lined up waiting for him. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LotaUgokwe/status/1476228946433912842?s=20&t=S6rNX8LvKCumLEMFeY_2Zw </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id=’334651’ first=’Devin’ last=’Smith’] </em></strong>- Brunswick</p>   <p>Smith has offers from programs like South Carolina, Vandy, Kentucky, Troy, UCF, Coastal Carolina, and others. But I still believe he is one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets. Smith is extremely versatile and athletic. He is obviously an elite pass rusher, but he can also drop back into coverage and hold his own. Smith wins with speed. There are very few linemen at the high school level that can contain him, and I expect that to translate to the college level. He does a stellar job of attacking the outside shoulder and bending around the edge. Once he gets the edge, it’s almost like he is shot out of a cannon, it’s game over for the offense. While I think his future is at the EDGE spot, Smith does show some qualities that would be great if featured in a more traditional LB role. Not only is he a prolific tackler, but he has sideline-to-sideline speed, and having someone like that to patrol the middle of the field is extremely valuable. Regardless, Smith is an elite pass rusher and still has room to grow and develop on the field. He is a P5 caliber prospect that has the athleticism to play on Sunday, if he develops properly. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/datboy_dd/status/1466773727522209797?s=20&t=YZAIwAeCaDU7yIhPIE-DRA </div></figure>   <p><em><strong>Collin Kungu</strong></em> - Alpharetta</p>   <p>Kungu should truthfully be listed as an athlete, but he is someone that can be a game wrecker when attached to the line, and he showed it last season. After having a produce sophomore season where he finished with 4 sacks and nearly 40 tackles, Kungu transferred to Alpharetta, where he will have a bigger stage to showcase his talents. If I had to describe Kungu’s game, I would describe him as a "heat-seeking missile". Once the ball is snapped, he flies to the ball with speed that can not be contained by offensive linemen. He doesn’t have an arsenal full of pass-rushing moves or a nasty bull rush, but he has next-level explosiveness off the line and plays with a high motor. I think we will start to see Kungu slide back in the next couple of years and settle into a Nickel or Safety role, but he should continue to be a big factor in the pass rush, as he has the explosiveness and tackling ability to be a force in that part of the game. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CollinKungu8/status/1514421770157236234?s=20&t=yCWjBru6MGzGQwxHAauMUA </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Dayshawn Copeland</em></strong> - Hancock Central </p>   <p>Copeland is a small school product, so he has naturally fallen under the radar. Regardless, he is a physically dominant player that shows the ability to be a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball. At 6’3 230 pounds, Copeland already has great size and overwhelms practically every lineman at the level of football he is playing. To go along with his size, he is an incredibly explosive prospect that flies to the ball. Copeland has some elite first step explosiveness which allows him to create instant penetration. After that, he just bulldozes through blockers until he gets to the ball carrier. He is an extremely violent player that will wreck anything in his path and play through the whistle. On film, Copeland splits time pretty evenly between DE, EDGE, and ILB, but his skill set remains the same and translates to all positions he plays. I am excited to see how Copeland develops over the next two seasons and he is absolutely someone to track. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/d1day4/status/1517850573696995328?s=20&t=Q7c9sk0lrMD94mYUUxiLFA </div></figure>

The class of 2024 is still a few years away from entering the college level, so there is plenty of time for them to grow and develop on the field. Still, some of these prospects have generated plenty of buzz recently and are going to see their recruitment pick up here soon.