💎Diamonds in rough: c/o 2023 Series
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Western Pennsylvania is a region that’s rich with football talent yearly. The transfer portal has altered recruiting for high school prospects in terms of visibility. Due to the abundance of eligible recruits, some high school athletes have become recruiting collateral…
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Continue ReadingWestern Pennsylvania is a region that’s rich with football talent yearly. The transfer portal has altered recruiting for high school prospects in terms of visibility. Due to the abundance of eligible recruits, some high school athletes have become recruiting collateral damage. I’m going to be highlighting some of the underrated or unheralded prospects around western pa in the 2023 & 2024 classes. These recruits spotlighted are either uncommitted or haven’t been offered altogether in a lot of cases. These gems will be introduced in a series of articles to adequately spotlight their abilities.
The senior athlete posted a season-best 8 receptions for 256 yds & 3 TDs last week. He’s consistently productive & the biggest playmaker for Hampton high school. Haselrig runs crisp routes and makes reliable strong-handed receptions. He’s been earning a lot of FBS & FCS attention recently. Haselrig remains offerless by D1 programs, but he’s secured a D2 scholarship from the PSAC program Clarion.
Jenkins currently has an offer from one FCS program (VMI) & a host of division two schools as well. Josh is a perfect example of how the transfer portal has limited good high school prospectus athlete’s collegiate opportunities. That’s the only way I can make sense of him having only one FCS offer. The Left-handed QB has a strong arm and a quick discharge. He’s good at reading coverages & finding his weapons vertically. Jenkins is a great athlete that’s capable of playing multiple positions hypothetically. Although the senior prospect is athletically versatile, he’s more than qualified to play the college Quarterback position.
Nelson currently has accumulated 13 touchdowns, 29/899 yds receiving for a whopping 32.1 yds per catch average! He’s a skilled route runner that has wiggle & elusive rushing skills. Nelson’s speed is good & he’s an experienced reliable playmaker with the game on the line. Xavier can take a kick to the house at any time which is valuable to any college program. I think he is capable of playing multiple specialist positions collegiately hypothetically. Nelson hasn’t been offered but projects as a scholarship program-level contributor.
The Sto Rox senior is explosive with speed. He’s a good return man & he plays smothering man & zone coverage on defense. He’s quick-twitched & displayed a great vertical leaping ability. The competitive senior runs good routes & is a big playmaker. Deigo has tremendous ball skills with a competitive edge in one on one situations most of the time. Ellis currently has a couple of D2 offers and has received some FCS interest thus far.
Anez is another underrated WPIAL athlete still on the market. He is good in press man and has the speed to stick with receivers. Jordan is receiving interest from FBS, FCS, & D2 schools respectively for his recruitment. Anez is consistently productive on one of the best WPIAL squads in western Pennsylvania. He’s explosive laterally and elusive with the football in hand. I believe he will be a great return man in college as well. Jordan possesses a lot of versatility & upside as a collegiate prospect.