Players You Need To Know-Thanksgiving-2024 Class + Bonus 2023!
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WR Colin Reese – Cannon Son of former Independence great WR under the same name, Colin has proven to be a playmaker in his first season at Cannon School, helping lead them to the playoffs in a step up in…
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Continue ReadingWR Colin Reese – Cannon
Son of former Independence great WR under the same name, Colin has proven to be a playmaker in his first season at Cannon School, helping lead them to the playoffs in a step up in classification.
The biggest thing about Colin is he is a deep threat that opens things up for the other talented players on the Cougars offense. He has a very high average per-catch rate for that very reason.
I think Colin’s future on the next level is in the slot and also in a kick return/punt return special teams threat, and those roles have become very valuable. I expect Colin to be playing on Saturdays.
DL Jahdae Laurenceau – Cary
I did not know much about Jahdae, but he was named All-Conference this past season, and once I looked at his film and saw his size, I was immediately able to see why.
At 6’3 and 225 pounds, Jahdae moves with the grace of a much smaller player playing defensive end. It looks like in his role he is a read-and-react player, and he has good technique with his stance and get off. But he also shows some pass-rush moves when he is allowed to turn it loose and rush the passer.
He also plays some TE on offense and is a very good blocker at the point of attack – on one down block the defender is pushed 10 yards away from the play with ease. Very good overall player.
LB Khiyale Washington – Mountain Island
Watching Khiyale’s Junior film was a lot of fun. I have been keeping up with him since he was an 8th grader, so to see this progress is really cool. He is a very fast outside linebacker/strong safety type.
One of the things Khiyale does really well is blitz from depth – he has really good closing speed which allows him to do this – he picked up multiple sacks on his film where the QB seemed to underestimate how fast he was.
Another impressive thing is Khiyale’s tackling ability in space. He shows no hesitation and always is able to square up the defender and get him to the ground – a lot of times in solo tackling situations.
QB
Brady Hibbard
Brady
Hibbard
6'3" | 195 lbs | QB
Forest Hills | 2024
State
NC
– Forest Hills
Brady had a strong junior season for the Yellow Jackets, who had their best year in a while, winning 9 games and hosting a 1st round playoff game at home. Brady threw for over 1800 yards on the season with 25 TD passes.
At 6’3 and 195 pounds, he has a good size for the position and already has received college interest from multiple colleges on the next level. He shows excellent basic fundamentals for the position and grew immensely from his sophomore year.
I love Brady’s arm strength and general accuracy – he throws to some good players at receiver, and he allows them to be great with nice ball placement where they can make plays after the catch consistently.
LB
Billy Wilkes
Billy
Wilkes
6'1" | 185 lbs | LB
Providence | 2024
State
NC
– Providence
The younger brother of former Providence great LB Jack Wilkes, he is showing that the apple does not fall from the tree. He had 128 total tackles this year in a breakout season for him individually.
On a Providence Defense where he always was the focal point of the defense, he was able to shed blocks very well and take great angles to shut down ballcarriers. 58 solo tackles is a direct reflection of that effort.
He also shows enough in the passing game to be a future 3-down linebacker at the next level, with good speed and coverage discipline. At 6’1 and 185 pounds, that is a good frame to continue to add weight and get even better for his senior year.
RB Dakauri Davis – Garner – Bonus 2023 Analysis
I wanted to add Dakauri in because I think he is really flying under the radar a bit. He has rushed for over 1500 yards this past season and 13 Touchdowns.
Looking at his film, if he breaks away into the open field, no one catches him. At 5’8 and 190 pounds. He is physical – he has a couple of highlights where he flat runs over some defensive backs.
He only has one offer, and I’m sure that’s because most people feel you can find a running back anywhere. But Davis will help a program on Saturdays – he runs hard, has home run ability, and he looks like one of those backs that gets better as the game goes along. A fun film to watch.