Class of 2024 Rankings Update: New Additions
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The Class of 2024 Rankings are LIVE! We went from 240 up to 375 in the new update. Among those 130+ new additions are some absolute studs. Those studs are going to be the focus of this article. I am going to dive into the film of the highest debuting student athlete at each position. This class is going to give us some amazing moments and memories this fall. So, let’s become more familiar with them now. First up, our highest ranked new QB addition.
With Sun Prairie splitting into East and West teams, we were able to see several new athletes break out on the varsity stage. One of those standout student athletes was West QB Brady Rhoads Brady Rhoads 6’5″ | 215 lbs | ATH Sun Prairie West | 2024 State WI . Brady looks the part of a next level QB with his 6’5″ frame. That 6’5″ frame can move too. Brady doesn’t hesitate to tuck the ball and take it himself. He has the athleticism to hurt a defense with their backs turned to him in coverage. Brady is also gifted with a live arm. He can get the ball downfield with all his cleats in the ground or from awkward angles. His highlight are filled up with perfectly placed passes, and I expect to see his accuracy continue to rise as his overall footwork continues to develop. With that will come a rise up the rankings. Rhoads will be a player to watch this fall.
One of my favorite players that I watched during this rankings update was the Marshfield RB/FB. It is hard to miss the 6’2″ 230 lbs running back. He towers over the majority of defenders he faces. The power he plays with matches the frame also. As a blocker, Braden plays like an undersized OL. He has a powerful punch that sends defenders to the ground. He also has the leg drive to drive defenders out of the running lane. As a runner, Braden is a freight train. He lives behind his shoulder pads, runs his feet through contact, and has the body control to take body shots and keep moving forward. Where Braden really stands out is that he also can play all there downs because of his receiving abilities out of the backfield. It looks like he has natural hands, has the athleticism to outrun LBs, and is just as angry of a runner after the catch as he is between the tackles. I am excited to see a huge season from the Marshfield athlete. He will be a surprise for many.
A breakout player for me during this update was Andrew Eichmann Andrew Eichmann 6’5″ | 200 lbs | WR Sussex Hamilton | 2024 State WI . He also handles kicking duties, but the 6’4″ 200 lbs WR has the tools to breakout this summer, and fall. Outside of his prototypical size for an outside receiver, the trait that jumps off the tape is his speed. Eichmann can easily take the top off the defense when he reaches his top speed. If he gets off the line clean, good luck keeping up with him downfield. The big man shows off a large catch radius as well. He has multiple examples of him making the difficult, concentration catches on the fringe of his catch radius. Andrew is just scratching the surface on the nuanced parts of the position too. As his route running continues to grow he is going to become even more of a DB’s worst nightmare.
Our top new addition at the tight end position comes to us from a talented River Falls team. Cody checks in at 6’3″ 210 lbs with room to continue to fill out his frame. At this point in his development, Cody is best as a receiving threat from the traditional, inline TE position. From that position, Olson has been effective at getting clean releases through all the traffic in the trenches. He has enough athleticism to pull away from second level defenders covering him in man. While his blocking isn’t as developed, Cody has the tools to develop that part of his game. He is able to get himself in position to have the leverage advantage. He has shown good hand placement. He stays with his man. If he can further improve his strength we will see a jump in that part of his game.
Our final new addition on the offensive side of the ball is the dominant Mount Horeb OL. Austin has built an athletic looking 6’6″ 255 lbs that will be able to support further growth. Austin established himself as one of the best in the state since Week 1 of 2022. He has an excellent blend of reactive athleticism and stoutness in pass protection. He can easily slide, change direction, and mirror pass rushers. Then he can instantly drop his hips to stuff bull rush attempts. In the run game, Austin moves with power. His heavy hands get a powerful initial contact and then his leg drive paired with his upper body strength give him an unfair advantage to bulldoze defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage. Don’t be surprised to see him continue to rise the rankings.
Highlights
The highest debuting defensive lineman is breakout student athlete Jamison Klein Jamison Klein 6’2″ | 225 lbs | DL Oconomowoc | 2024 State WI of Oconomowoc. The 6’3″ 220 lbs DE has a long frame, 6’5″ wingspan. He uses it to his advantage already. With his active hands, Jamison is able to keep himself clean of OL hands. His get off, range, and close to the QB jump off the tape. He is a hard defender for OL to get in front of, and hard to get away from for ball carriers. When Klein doesn’t choose to go with speed to win he is able to smoothly transition that speed into power. Power that can drive OTs into the lap of the QB. Big year is in store for the Oconomowoc DE.
Hudson High School has been a factory when it comes to producing high level DE/OLBs. The next man up looks like Sam Dickman Sam Dickman 6’3″ | 225 lbs | DL Hudson | 2024 State WI , our highest debuting LB in the rankings update. Sam has the frame you love to see off the edge at 6’3″ 220 lbs. He has experience lining up in a two point, and three point stance. We have also seen him line up all across the DL and find success. His initial burst off the line is very quick, and it makes him a nightmare for OL. On the edge against the run, Sam can take on blocks to force the run inside. That isn’t it, though. Dickman has shown he can also quickly shed the block, and then take down the ball carrier himself on many occasions. Overall, Sam has an impressive blend of power and speed to his game. He has solid bend when he rushes around the edge. Bonus on top is that Sam also has experience and success in coverage. He is a smooth mover out in space, and changes direction well.
The 6’1″ 185 lbs junior is the highest debuting defensive player overall in the 2024 rankings update. The safety is a special prospect, and has earned a Top 10 ranking in his debut. Thomas earned that by proving he is a dominant three level safety. He has the range to cover a deep half, or line up 15 yards deep and make tackles near the line of scrimmage against the run. D’Onofrio also is reliable in man to man coverage. He has the speed to run with receivers, and he has the quick feet and hips to be able to stay in the hip of receivers through breaks in routes. Thomas also has soft hands to generate turnovers in coverage. Lastly, Thomas is one of the most consistent, reliable, and hard hitting tacklers of any defender in the state.
The Greenfield ATH earned our highest debuting ATH spot because of his play at both TE and DE. I didn’t want to put him into one position at this point, so he makes it as one of the top athletes in the group. Checking in at 6’3″ 215 lbs, Tanner has the budding frame to continue to play either side of the ball. At TE, Tanner is a well balanced prospect. In the run game, he has the strength to generate push, and utilizes good hand placement to maximize his power and control over his opponent. As a receiver, Phelps has soft hands, catches the ball away from his body, and uses his size to create separation. I’m looking to see him continue to develop his route running, which will make him even more of a mismatch. At DE, you see the same traits flip to that side of the ball. He displays the same impressive hand placement, the power to set the edge, or bull rush. Phelps also has an impressive arsenal of pass rush moves. He is a hard an to block because he can attack in multiple ways. A name to know.