Offensive 2024 Breakout Candidates? February Edition

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The class of 2024 is exceptionally talented! We continue to take a look at some players that can have a big senior year on the offensive side of the ball in this analysis of breakout candidates on the recruiting scene. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jake Lynch - OL - Cox Mill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jake Lynch is a 6'3 295 pound Offensive Lineman that shows a lot of great things on film. The first thing that really stands out is his ability to short and long pull, form fit on defenders, and take them for a ride! I love seeing that from OLs and Lynch seems to take pleasure in it - he is a masher on short pull kick-out blocks and shows nastiness in finishing blocks. He has good punch and is stout in pass blocking - most of what I saw on film was from the guard position, however, his profile says he can play tackle and center as well. That is a major plus in recruiting. I expect him to start getting recruiting interest soon, as OLs are always popular as they are discovered through the camp season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='398229' first='Jack' last='Ludwick'] - OL - Ardrey Kell </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6'3 and 255 pounds, Jack has been someone I have seen up close covering games and camps over the past couple of years. He has been a 3-year starter for a very good football team, and he plays center. We all know that your center has to be your smartest offensive lineman, and Jack carries a 4,5 GPA and a 1450 SAT score. That alone will give him interest in high academic football schools. On the field, he excels at run blocking - especially straight-ahead drive blocks or 1 techniques to his left or right. This is not an easy thing as centers have to perfect snapping and stepping simultaneously, and Jack does an excellent job with that. He moves and resets his feet well in pass protection, and he uses good technique versus defensive tackles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaemias Morrow - ATH - North Rowan </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although Jaemias and I share the same last name, I can assure you that we are not related, lol. But he is a super-talented young man; I'm not quite sure why he hasn't got more attention from a recruiting standpoint. At 5'10 and 180 pounds, he accounted for 28 total touchdowns last year and was named the Special Teams Player Of The Year for his county. 21 of those touchdowns came on offense, where he is a dynamic running back. In several of his highlights, he doesn't have much blocking, but he makes a couple of guys miss and just blows by everyone else for touchdown runs. He rarely gets caught in the open field - and his 3 kickoff return touchdowns came against his team's toughest opponents. You could see in the biggest of games he stepped up and played his best. He has an excellent vision in the run game, and I love his one-cut-and-burst running style. He also plays some defense and had a few defensive touchdowns playing a mix of outside linebacker and defensive back. But make no mistake - this is a playmaker that excels with the ball in his hands, period. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Randall King - WR - Northern Nash</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are knowledgeable on Eastern NC football, you may say Randall has already broken out! But, as an introduction to everyone and college coaches - this is a very talented young man in an area you may not consider first when you think about prospects in this state. At 6'2 and 180 pounds, Randall is excellent in the quick screen game - once he gets the ball in his hands, it's like basketball on the football field. He has very good agility and electric speed once he gets past a defender - he just doesn't get caught from behind. Another thing I love is his ability to high-point the football in jump ball situations, he can consistently win against defensive backs here. The last thing, he just has some incredible hands. He makes an insane catch in the State Championship with one hand versus multiple defenders over the middle of the field as an example. Under-recruited is definitely the case here - he should definitely start seeing interest sooner than later. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ben Mauney - QB - Burns </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've covered Ben before as I have seen him in camps and games throughout his career, but his progress is very impressive. At 6'3 he is a true dual-threat quarterback - his profile states that he runs 4.55 in the 40-yard dash. I will definitely say that I saw him run away and around a very athletic and talented Monroe team in the playoffs, so there is some truth to that number! His accuracy on the run is impressive, and he can light up defenses playing man coverage all night long. Academically he boasts a 4.42 GPA, and he also plays baseball - something that is a major plus for quarterbacks, as they learn how to deliver the ball from different arm angles. Going into his senior year, I expect recruiting interest to increase as Ben adds another offseason in the weight room to enhance everything he delivered on film this past season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->