New Additions to the 2024 Rankings
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The offseason before and Junior season are arguably the most crucial time in the recruiting time table. They’re at a spot where coaches should be starting to find out about , if not already know about them. Being on the…
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Continue ReadingThe offseason before and Junior season are arguably the most crucial time in the recruiting time table. They’re at a spot where coaches should be starting to find out about , if not already know about them. Being on the radar of college coaches going into the junior season is crucial, because that way they will be evaluating the recruits film and starting to compile information on the recruit to go with their film. The Junior season is also a period where college caliber players should really be graduating from flashes to regularly imposing their dominance over lesser players. Today I look at some new additions to our 2024 rankings that I believe will do just that.
Kareem Jennings Kareem Jennings 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Benedictine | 2024 State OH is 6’4 230 pound defensive end from Benedictine high school. Jennings plays with a low pad level and heavy hands. He has a good get-off. If this were Madden I’d give Kareem a high awareness rating. He’s very keyed in on what the offense is doing and fundamentally sound. He fires, but he’s patient. He doesn’t run himself out of plays. Jennings has offers from Akron, Toledo, and West Virginia.
I was able to take in a scrimmage that Pickerington Central participated in this fall in Centerville. One of the players who really stuck out to me was offensive linemen Justin Terry Justin Terry 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Pickerington Central | 2024 State OH . Terry checks in at 6’4 285 pounds. While he played tackle for the Tigers I like him better as an offensive guard at the next level. He has the frame to continue to add weight. He has good feet and athleticism. He just needs to continue to work on his strength and finishing his blocks and he has a chance to land D1 offers in the near future.
Toto Luani Toto Luani 6'1" | 190 lbs | DB Milford | 2024 State OH is a rangy safety from Milford HS. I like him as a strong safety at the college level. At 6’1 190 pounds he has a good frame for a defensive back. He can flip his hips and run with receivers, but he’s also a willing tackler. He also has a great feel for zone coverage as well. I’m excited to see Luani this fall as an incoming junior. I don’t think he always played as fast as he naturally is. I think as he gets more comfortable with the speed of varsity football, he’ll start to play faster and faster.
Elijah Davis Elijah Davis 6'2" | 285 lbs | DL Lakota West | 2024 State OH is a young man who caught my eye last year as a sophomore. At 6’2 285 Davis has a great frame for an interior defensive lineman. The thing that popped for me when I watched him was his get-off. His twitchiness gives him an immediate advantage against opposing linemen. He also does a good job of using his and can get a bull rush as needed. In my mind Davis is definitely a power 5 player at the next level.
One of the bigger running backs in our 2024 class is Warren Harding’s Ryan Powell Ryan Powell 6'0" | 210 lbs | RB Warren Harding | 2024 State OH . At 6’0 190 pounds, Powell, has the size to run between the tackles. He displays good vision and is very much a north and south runner. Even though he likes to get upfield he still has some “make you miss” to his game. Ryan has a really nice jump cut that is quick and very effective. This offseason Powell jumped on the D1 with several MAC offers and offers from Syracuse and Boston College.
Preston Hopperton Preston Hopperton 5'11" | 185 lbs | WR Streetsboro | 2024 State OH is a dynamic slot receiver. A lot of times the slot receiver position is held for guys who are quicker than fast. This is not the case with Hopperton. Preston is a slot who has legit track speed. What makes him lethal at the slot position is that he can make the underneath plays, but opposing defenses MUST respect his ability to stretch the field vertically and hurt you deep. At 5’10 180 pounds Hopperton, while not big, is very well put together. With a 335 pound bench max he also has a freakish size/strength ratio for an in coming junior. He puts that strength to go use blocking in the running game. Hopperton translates well to the D1 FCS-D1 G5 levels.