Under-the-radar Gems from the Legacy RISE Showcase

The RISE Showcase headlined a lot of big names, but it also showcased a bounty of players who are lesser known. With these lesser-known athletes came a few that proved to be especially impressive. So today, I'll be going over four under-the-radar athletes who impressed me last weekend!   RB | [player_tooltip player_id='601926' first='Nathan' last='Stark'] | 5'7 175 | Brighton   Stark was the most surprising RB prospect at the showcase. The eye test is an immediate pass, as he's strong as an ox, plus he has a full beard and long hair as a sophomore. I had an eye on him during positional drills and was impressed by his agility, change of direction, and overall explosiveness. During 1on1s with linebackers, he was able to juke a few guys out. Stark was named as one of the best RBs of the showcase and narrowly missed MVP honors. I'd bet that Brighton's run game will be just as dominant with Stark as the 3-down back.    QB | [player_tooltip player_id='1122586' first='Cayden' last='Hardy'] | 6' 165 | Groves   I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know much about Hardy until [player_tooltip player_id='1678934' first='Devin' last='Gardner'] told me a few things about him. Upon watching a few reps, he looked better than what I thought a Groves QB would be, but his tape tells an entirely different story.   [player_tooltip player_id='1122586' first='Cayden' last='Hardy'] is an extremely talented dual-threat QB on a run-heavy team, but don't let the style of offense fool you. Over 13 games, Hardy totaled 1,038 yards, 13TDs, 4Ints, and just under 300 rushing yds. His highlights show a complex play-action game with a lot of reps throwing on the run, sitting back and dissecting a defense, and run options. I'm impressed by his throw power and accuracy in the short-mid game, especially on the run. He's a little inconsistent with the deep ball but is still above average. As a runner, he uses his speed to get the edge and oftentimes runs out of bounds. In other words, he's a very smart runner. I encourage you to watch his tape! This is a very underrated passer that will be included in the next 2024 rankings update.    WR | Mekhi Wingfield | 6'2, 195 | Concord   It's not every day you see a great receiver from 8-man football, but here we are. Heading into the showcase, Windfield stood out with great size, a great build, and once he got going, I realized he has incredible speed. Unfortunately, I didn't see him do too much in the receiving game, as he dropped a few passes and struggled to get hot against the competition. Nevertheless, his size and athleticism warrants a look. There is a lot of natural talent here, and his tape looks like he's a grown man against children.    DL | Camren VanSolkema | 6'2, 270 | South Christian   I was impressed by what I saw from VanSolkema last weekend. The South Christian product lined up all over the D line and impressively went right through some offensive linemen. I loved his initial step and burst. Hands were violent, and leverage was consistently won. One of the better if not the best power rusher in the entire showcase!   His highlights show immediate penetration into the opposing backfield with great run-stopping. Surely on my radar as a great defensive lineman who deserves high-tier D2 or MAC offers.

The RISE Showcase headlined a lot of big names, but it also showcased a bounty of players who are lesser known. With these lesser-known athletes came a few that proved to be especially impressive. So today, I'll be going over four under-the-radar athletes who impressed me last weekend!