High Steppers: Class of 2024 Athletes
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Texas has been known for decades as a breeding ground for the best athletes in the country. Players who can lineup at multiple positions and be a playmaker, are a rare breed. Playing multiple positions, enables these skilled players to…
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Continue ReadingTexas has been known for decades as a breeding ground for the best athletes in the country. Players who can lineup at multiple positions and be a playmaker, are a rare breed. Playing multiple positions, enables these skilled players to get their hands on the football and be game changers. Here several highly ranked High Steppers in the class of 2024 who fit that profile.
Hampton can strike from anywhere on the field, from any distance and he will lineup at multiple positions. As a receiver, he has an explosive burst off of the line of scrimmage, his fluidity in his hips enables him to shake free from contact routinely and his superb route running, leaves defenders reaching for air. Hampton is phonebooth quick and can cut on a dime. As a defensive back he has superb ball skills, uses excellent eye discipline to diagnose plays quickly and his on the ball production enables him to be a ballhawk in the secondary. Pulling double duty for Daingerfield High School in 2022, Hampton put stellar numbers, with 44 receptions for 1,029 yards, 9 interceptions with 5 returned for touchdowns. Aeryn is a national recruit, recently naming his final 7 schools: Oregon, Texas, Nebraska, Michigan, Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama.
Bussey is one of the most explosive players in the country. He has superb short area quickness, his ability to explode at the second level makes him special. Terry glides when he runs and it appears that his opponents are stuck in the mud. Just put the football in his hands and watch him work. Bussey has next level speed, he is phone booth quick and he is a threat to make a house call from any distance on the football field. As a defender for Timpson High School, he is a sure tackler in the open field, he uses great leverage when attacking the ball carrier and his closing speed shuts down running lanes. In 2022, Bussey had over 1,400 all-purpose yards, with 20 touchdowns and 27 tackles with 2 tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball. Collegiate programs from around the country are flocking to East Texas to recruit Bussey. Terry has offers from Alabama, LSU, Texas, Arizona State, Colorado and just made recent visits to Baylor and Texas A&M.
Jenkins is one of the most versatile defenders, who can line up and strike from any angle defensively. He takes proper angles when tackling in the open field and he closes on the ball carrier like a lion pouncing on it’s prey. Carter has a swiss army knife skill set defensively and Jenkins is a plug and play defender that causes havoc. From his safety position, he gets into his backpedal smoothly, he flips his hip fluidly and he tracks the football with excellent eye discipline. When he moves into the tackle box, he is a thumper with the speed to cover wide outs in the slot and when his blitzes he delivers heavy weight blows. Carter has a powerful, compact build and makes opponents feel it when he lays the wood. Jenkins has off the charts athleticism, which makes him an attractive recruit to college programs and his stock is shooting thru the roof. Memphis, Houston, Duke, and Colorado have all shown Jenkins love.
Highlights
Sample is serving up large doses of crazy work no matter what side of the ball he lines up on. He is a big play waiting to happen, his athleticism is off the charts and he makes teams pay with his ability to close the deal from anywhere on the football field. As a wideout, he has elite burst off the line of scrimmage, he has excellent short area quickness, which enables him to get free early in his route at the point of attack and his fluidness combined with his twitchiness make him a matchup nightmare. What makes Sample special is his explosive elevation to extend and highpoint the football in traffic. He has the elite body control to contort his body mid-air and win on the 50/50 contested grab. He has an extended catch radius, strong, soft mitts that engulf the football and he is aggressive when the football is in his vicinity. In the open field, Sample is shifty in space, he explodes to second level and he has the next level speed to separate from defenders. When he lines up in the Katy Jordan secondary, he has the skill set to lockdown his side of the field. His arm length enables him to get hands on receivers early in press-man, he uses excellent technique in is on ball coverage and he has great ball skills when the ball is in the air. In 2022, Zechariah racked up 1,024 all-purpose yards, 21 tackles, with 3 interceptions, that included a pick 6. His stock is rising, as he most recently has picked offers from Tulsa, Arizona State and UNLV.
Highlights
Put the ball in Reaves hands and watch him go to work. His versatile skill set enables him to be a plug and play type of athlete. Jordan has a long, lean, compact frame. When lines up at running back, he runs with great pad level, he shows excellent patience in the hole and he has the burst to explode through the second level to paydirt. As a receiver, he is hands catcher with great arm length and he has strong reliable mitts. On special teams in the return game, Reaves sees the field with great vision and he has the ability to make one cut and get vertical quickly. In 2022, the Houston Lamar playmaker was a 1st team all-district all-purpose performer, District Special Teams Player of the Year and a second team all-state retuner. Texas Tech was the first school to offer Reaves, but he has interest from Arkansas, as well as Utah.