High-end ‘23 & ‘24 Recruits Rising As The Spring Nears
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Drew VanVleet Drew VanVleet 6'4" | 185 lbs | QB Bishop Chatard | 2023 State IN – Bishop Chatard – QB – 6’5″ 195lbs – 2023 VanVleet will leave Bishop Chatard with one of the best careers the school has…
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Continue ReadingDrew VanVleet Drew VanVleet 6'4" | 185 lbs | QB Bishop Chatard | 2023 State IN – Bishop Chatard – QB – 6’5″ 195lbs – 2023
VanVleet will leave Bishop Chatard with one of the best careers the school has ever seen, including leading them to another state title this year. VanVleet has a long frame with as much raw arm talent as you like to see. He’s good in the pocket, doesn’t panic, and can maneuver or step up when things get mucky. He’s able to side step as well. He throws with good anticipation and will at least give his guys a shot rather than go down sacked. However, he doesn’t make poor decisions so let’s not get those 2 confused. He’s got good ball placement and understands where to put it. I will say there are times his feet don’t get set or he’ll stay a bit loose with them, but it’s not bad and when he gets to school that’ll be cleaned up really quick. VanVleet reads the field fairly well, can step up, and put it on a line. He’s also a decent athlete who can take off and move the chains. When you watch him, you can see why he’s got D1 talent and if his coaches are able to get the most out of him, VanVleet could be an elite QB at the collegiate level.
Twitter: @drewvv11
Willie Feagin Willie Feagin 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Bishop Noll | 2022 IN – Milford Prep Academy – WR – 6’0″ 180lbs – 2023
Feagin is a fun slot WR with a ton of upside on the football field. My understanding is he’s an Indiana recruit who played in New York this past season. Whatever may be the case, he had a fantastic year and is worth taking a look at. Feagin has a decent get-off and can run some decent in-breaking routes. The out-breaking routes are still a work in progress, but I don’t anticipate it taking him long to master the route tree because of his ability to control and contort his body. Feagin has a special ability to make guys miss, cut on a dime, change direction, and look like Kadarius Toney with the ball in his hands. He’s fun and bringing him down is harder to do than you think because he’s greasy and slippery. He’s a reception machine and always finds a soft spot in the zone and then in the Redzone is as good as anyone despite not having a 6’4″ frame. In 6 games this year he caught 50 passes and 11 TDs for 837-yards. The production when he was on the field is off the charts and he’s still learning and developing. There’s a lot to like with Feagin and I imagine he’s going to go somewhere and be an impact player at some point.
Twitter: @Willie_Feagin15
Landon Short Landon Short 6'4" | 200 lbs | WR Speedway | 2024 State IN – Speedway – WR – 6’4″ 200lbs – 2024
Short is a match-up mismatch on the outside for most young Corners and he’s taken advantage of them just as he should. He’s obviously got an incredibly lengthy frame that allows him to go up and pluck balls out of the air over top of guys all the time. He’s a big threat in the Redzone as well and can use his frame to do the same thing he was in between the 20’s. I’ve yet to see a defense have an answer for him up the middle near the seams. Short doesn’t have speed that’ll burn you but he’s quick enough to keep a DB on his toes. With his size I do wonder if some schools will look at him as a TE. He’s strong, great in the middle of the field, and if he figured out blocking and all the nuance that comes with TE he could be a great one. If not, he’s more than capable of having success on the outside. I do think once he blossoms in the weight room and if he did some speed training he could dominate on the outside at the next level. He’s got the frame, the ball skills, and another year to develop. Short could easily be one of the hotter names in a year from now and it wouldn’t shock me one bit.
Twitter: @Laannddoonn
Levance Vaughen Levance Vaughen 6'0" | 270 lbs | DL McCutcheon | 2024 State IN – McCutcheon – DL – 6’1″ 245lbs – 2024
Vaughen is a decent Defensive Lineman who has shown a ton of versatility over the past few years and is still improving. This past season was by far his best and he’s still got another season to showcase what he can do. He’s lined up right over the Center as a true Nose quite a bit. I believe I’ve seen that he’ll line up as wide as 3-tech, but that’s for good reason. Vaughen is a decent run stuffer and can fight off blocks to make the tackle as it comes his way. Time and time again, he’s able to wrong-arm the lineman and get free immediately. He’s able to cover 2 gaps at once as well because he can get off blocks on both sides of him. He’s even been targeted in double teams because he can really impact the Center of the line and get in the QBs head. In 2 years of varsity, mind you in the middle of the line, Vaughen has 74 tackles in 17 games. Over 4 tackles per game and even 1 of those being TFLs and Vaughen is disrupting game-plans. In terms of physical development I think there’s room to grow in the weight room, but he’s not weak naturally by any means. Vaughen is someone who is a steady contributor who will come out with a ton of experience that some school will take and run with.
Twitter: @VaughenLevance
Jalen Thomas Jalen Thomas 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Yorktown | 2024 State IN – Yorktown – RB – 5’10” 160lbs – 2024
Thomas is a very interesting back to watch. He’s a powerful runner who is hard to bring down, yet has decent side to side agility and vision. He’s not strictly a downhill back but he’s more than capable of doing so because he’s so hard to tackle. He keeps his legs churning, his upper-body doesn’t fold, and somehow he’ll get out of some insane spots. He trusts what he’s seeing develop right infront of him and doesn’t hesitate or second guess. He does run a bit high out of his pads sometimes and can be run down from behind but it doesn’t impact his game. The pad level can easily be cleaned up and as he develops in the weight room and hits some speed training I think he’ll be just fine. Thomas is a back who can handle more than 20 carries a game and is also a back who gets better the more touches he gets. This past season he really broke out and showed just about everything he’s capable of. His 1255-yards on the ground with his 15 TDs back that. Thomas is a back who can come in and either help some right away or develop and help a ton down the road. A lot to like with him and what he offers coming out of Yorktown next year.
Twitter: @Jalen__Thomas