8 All-Star Sophomores in the MAC Red

As we all should know, the MAC Red league is one of the most well-rounded and talented leagues in Michigan. With countless alumni now in the NFL, this is one of the leagues to keep a close eye on every year. This article will focus on the young talent in the MAC Red, specifically the best C/O 2025 Sophomores, and there are many of them! Now, take a look at my very detailed analysis of 8 of the best Sophomores in the MAC Red.   OLB | [player_tooltip player_id='278012' first='DiMari' last='Malone'] | 6'0 200 | Dakota   Malone has been playing an interesting role for Dakota, and it's a role I rarely see at the High School level. As an outside linebacker, DiMari embodies more of a college role. That is, he's consistently asked to drop back in coverage as well as stopping the run, and his role is based much on the offensive formation. The defensive scheme alone allows him to develop a more well-rounded set of skills, and he's flourishing in the Dakota system. With pass coverage, his highlights display clean and textbook skills with many PBUs. In the run game, he's extremely quick to react, hits hard, is aggressive, and has great pursuit angles. The only knock I can give in the run game is that he sometimes gives a slight read on his assignment before the snap (leaning forward, slight chop of feet). Because of talent, scheme, and his current resume, I expect DiMari to acquire many more offers by the time his High School career ends. Right now, he has offers from Bowling Green and Morgan State.    WR | [player_tooltip player_id='247647' first='Deshaun' last='Lanier'] | 5'11 165 | Chippewa Valley   One of the most decorated Sophomores in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='247647' first='Deshaun' last='Lanier'] has been balling out for Chippewa Valley. The main selling point: SPEED. Lanier is one of the fastest receivers in the state and overall fits the mold at Chippewa Valley incredibly well. You simply can't line up man-to-man with Lanier because he'll torch you. He also returns Punts, where he displays great speed and, at times, excellent vision. I think there's room to improve when it comes to overall elusiveness and vision (although both are very good now), and I hope to see him play a bit more DB. The offers from Ole Miss, CMU, and UMass don't lie, as he's a proven talent who works extremely hard year-round. If he continues to improve consistently, I'm confident he'll rack up more Power-5 offers.    WR | [player_tooltip player_id='437956' first='Daniel' last='Phillips'] | 6'3 180 | Romeo   Without watching any film, 6'3" and an offer from Central Michigan immediately gives a great impression of [player_tooltip player_id='437956' first='Daniel' last='Phillips']. Upon first glance of film, I'm very impressed by his release and his ability to catch 50/50 balls; both extremely important skills of tall WRs. His overall awareness, physicality, and focus are great. In addition, Phillips is a relentless blocker, and you can tell that's an area of his game he takes pride in. In the future, I would love to see him use his size to his advantage and develop lots more YAC yards, which requires better athleticism, vision, and overall elusiveness. Still, Phillips is a phenomenal WR that any team in Michigan would love to have. Phillips has an opportunity to develop into a very unique, special prospect if he gives it his all.    WR | Jack Bejin | 6'0 160 | Anchor Bay   Bejin is a sophomore receiver extremely involved in the Anchor Bay offense. He lines up all over the field, and makes big plays all over the field. His concentration is great, as he's able to pull in balls before being hit. His speed is good, as he's seen outrunning unskilled/unfocused DBs. I'd like to see more full routes, but from what I could see, his route running looks good. I was also able to find his T&F stats, and it looks like he runs a 1:01 400M, which is good for a sophomore. His overall play in the MAC Red leaves he extremely optimistic about his future. He's a good receiver now playing on varsity, but with a great offseason, I think he can surprise himself with how dominant he can become.    WR | [player_tooltip player_id='247687' first='Conner' last='Temple'] | 6'0 170 | Eisenhower   Temple is a well-rounded and consistent receiver for Eisenhower, with a ton of big-play ability. One of his biggest strengths is his concentration and his ability to catch contested balls. He has an amazing highlight against Utica, where he flawlessly watched a contested pass in the endzone and toe-taps to secure the score. This year's stats won't jump out of the page for you, but that's ok. He's a very consistent threat with a very high upside. If he continues to work during the offseason and really puts time and effort into making sure his body is ready come next season, he can be an extremely improved player.    ATH | Isaiah Domey | 6'0" 245 | Anchor Bay   Domey is the most unique player on this list, having time playing LB, DL, and FB. On the offensive end, the highlights are more sparce but the has a TD play where he wrecks an unsuspecting DB before catching a pass and taking it to the house. On the defensive side, Domey is a hard-hitter and aggressive player that is visibly bigger than most, even on film. Anchor Bay loves sending Domey on the blitz where he oftentimes punishes a blocker, RB, or QB. He obviously loves to hit, and I love seeing him use his size to his advantage. Domey is simply fun to watch, and he has college potential, but I don't yet know what position best suits him. Needless to say, I hope for a productive offseason and further dominance from Domey next season.    ATH | Gerry Hanson III | 5'11 160 | Anchor Bay   Hanson has done a lot for Anchor Bay this season, and I'm heavily interested in seeing his future progression. Hanson is a consistent playmaker as a WR/DB, is obviously a trusted player, and has multiple offensive plays drawn up to get him the ball. Offensively, Hanson often catches the ball via screen as the Z, and he isn't afraid to run deep routes either. Now, the screens are hit-or-miss, and I think Hanson can significantly improve his elusiveness, though for a class of 2025 guy, he's got the foundation. In fact, he's already an above-average receiver in the MAC Red, which is one of Michigan's best leagues. Defensively, He has a good amount of PBUs and event INTs. He's an aggressive DB that has shown to make good plays and recover from mistakes. All in all, Hanson is already ahead of the curve, and he has an opportunity to be a phenomenal player in a year or two.    QB | Chris Lafear | 5'10 165 | Anchor Bay   As a sophomore, Lafear is an extremely impressive MAC Red QB. He's a QB that has lots of experience both under center and in the shotgun. Therefore, he's excellent at throwing on the run, and he oftentimes runs his way out of sacks. He's also great in pure-passing situations where the defense knows it's a pass. He throws a dart and is generally accurate with his deep ball. Lafear has film throwing on both sides of the field, balanced, unbalanced, you name it. Moving forward, Lafear could be one of if not the best QB in the MAC Red come senior year.

As we all should know, the MAC Red league is one of the most well-rounded and talented leagues in Michigan. With countless alumni now in the NFL, this is one of the leagues to keep a close eye on every year. This article will focus on the young talent in the MAC Red, specifically the best C/O 2025 Sophomores, and there are many of them! Now, take a look at my very detailed analysis of 8 of the best Sophomores in the MAC Red.