5 Prospects In The 2024 Class With Unrevealed Upside

<p>We're taking a look at 5 recruits in the 2024 class who are not only good players, but their upside may not be fully revealed yet for one reason or another. All 5 of these guys are talented and make lives for their HS coaches a little bit easier.</p>   <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='541783' first='Cole' last='Burton'] - East Central - QB - 6'0" 195lbs</h2>   <p>Burton has had a great career up to this point and his progression and development on the field has been cool to see. His growth from his sophomore year to his junior year was very pleasant. A bunch of minor details improved up on which all added up to a ton of new success. Statistically, he put up just under 62% completion, 1800-yards, and 28 Total TDs as he helped guide East Central to a State Championship. The tape shows a lot to like and for good reason. He's able to extend plays with is legs and keep his eyes downfield. His shoulders remain square and he can let it rip fairly accurately on the move. In the pocket is when he's at his best. Burton is able to go through some full-field concept progressions and get the ball out on time. His footwork is up and down, but something you can tell he works hard on. Overall, it's not bad by any means and is something that helps him on the field on a regular-basis. Burton's ball placement is where he thrives the most and what gives him such a steady play-style. He's accurate and not only that, but throws a very catch able ball. Burton certainly checks quite a bit of boxes when you're talking on and off the field traits. Yes, coming from a triple-threat he doesn't have a ton of yardage, but he's always been fairly efficient and they still like his ability to throw enough that they throw much more than a traditional triple threat. Burton is a high-ceiling QB with composure under big lights with a truly unknown upside because he hasn't fully been unleashed yet.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@ColeBurton28</strong></p>    <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='345329' first='Noah' last='Schneider'] - East Central - OL - 6'3" 285lbs</h2>   <p>Schneider is one of the walking trees that East Central has up front that protects Burton. Not only that, but Schneider is someone I covered just about a year ago and to see the difference on tape, then on what I had to say is pretty cool. He's grown about an inch and put on just over 10lbs of muscle, likely because of how often he's in the weight room. He's gotten much more violent and explosive off the line of scrimmage and bend fairly well. He's primarily played LT protecting the blindside and doing a fantastic job. While I do think that he can be a bit top heavy when he gets on the move, I don't anticipate that being an issue and easily cleaned up. He's a good athlete and has a strong frame from head to toe which only helps him in multiple phases as he's developing for the collegiate game. Schneider still has the animal streak to his game and lets loose when the ball is snapped. I genuinely appreciate high effort, high motor, high energy guys because I want players who simply love the game. Love the game the right way and you can really flourish as a player. I mentioned the weight room a bit ago and that's because he's in the 1000lbs club. He can power-clean 295, squat 525, and bench 365lbs. Schneider is a recruit who loves to work and is genuinely improving everyday. When the right school gets a hold of him, they're going to find out why you don't just drive past small Indiana towns.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@NoahSchneider73</strong></p>    <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='541922' first='Braxton' last='Strong'] - Peru - TE/DL - 6'4" 235lbs</h2>   <p>Strong is continuously improving and developing. Whether it be on the football field, in the weight room, or on the track, he's always outside doing something to improve his physical traits. Heck, if it's cold outside he'll bring hurdles inside and run through the halls of the school sprinting, after hours of course. The point being, he's a grinder. Someone who is going to put work in behind the scenes simply because he wants to better himself. On the field, he just knows how to make plays. Whether he's on offense at TE or on Defense at DE, he's going to make a big play. Offensively, he really does have all the traits to be an elite TE. He's thick, is really flexible, is already asked to play on the end of the line in a 3-point stance, and lines up as a WR just as often. He's fantastic with the ball in his hands and is a violent runner. He's able to throw guys off of him, make them miss, or hurdle right over them. Wherever he is on the field, defenses have had to pay quite a bit of attention because if he's not catching a ball he's blowing some lineman off the ball. Defensively, he's the exact same. Explosive, violent, and can get after the QB in a flash. They line him up on the outside and let him go to work. He's shifty, can find angles and holes, and get home. On the year, he put up 4 receptions a game from a true TE position while also playing on the defensive line enough to record 27 tackles and 5TFLs. The 4 receptions doesn't sound like a lot, but catching over 30 passes for an offense that struggled that get an identity all year, Strong was the one consistent thing they could rely on week in and week out to make plays. Big plays, too. He hit a 68-yarder this year and can go up and over defenders. In short, Strong is a really good football player hidden at a really small school with a ton of upside, raw talent, and the right work ethic who is going to make some coach look like a genius.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@BraxtonStrong</strong></p>    <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='689628' first='Kamden' last='Zeisloft'] - Leo - ATH - 5'9" 180lbs</h2>   <p>Zeisloft had an absolutely fantastic season and broke out in all 3 phases of the game. He showed flash and potential the previous few years, but everything seemed to come together for him because he was all over the field. Defensively, he's a ball-hawking safety. He can sit deep and read play development or play closer to the LOS and read the quick game. There's been times Leo has put him in the second level and then times they put him in the backend, primarily on the field side, and let him cover the most space. His range is fantastic and he's got fairly decent speed and acceleration. Offensively, he's been a lethal slot WR who has a good feel for his body and keeping it under control. He'll find a soft spot in the zone, make a man miss, and drag a defender with him as he picks up an extra yard or two on the way down. Not just that, but he returned a handful of kicks this year and proved to be versatile in Special Teams as well. On the year, he put up 49 solo tackles, 6 INTs, 6 PBUs, and forced 2 fumbles defensively. He then put up just under 700 all-purpose yards on the year and 6 TDs. Overall, a fantastic breakout year from a previously unknown recruit that should be picking up much more traction in the near future.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@KamdenZeisloft</strong></p>    <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='689627' first='Zavyn' last='Slayback'] - Lawrenceburg - DB - 5'9" 160lbs</h2>   <p>Slayback is a play-making DB with great speed and seemingly unlimited range. He's able to accelerate faster than dang near anyone he comes across on the field. He's also willing to layout a big hit and put his body on the line for the play. He usually takes good angles and is able to cut them off right where he should. He's able to make most of those tough open field tackles as the last line of defense. He put up 68 tackles and 4 interceptions on the year. He was as reliable as any Safety in the state last year and is one big reason they were such a good defense last year. Having a DB with such range and good ball skills can really help alleviate a ton of pressure on the backend of a defense. All of that said and it doesn't begin to get the full picture of what Slayback brings to the table. He's big in the weight room and is squatting 395lbs while just at 160lbs as of now. He's put on just about 23lbs since the start of the 2021 season and its been a lot of muscle from the weight room. Slayback is still learning and developing while being one of the better players for a defense that had 7 shutouts this year, including 6 straight. Those guys in Lawrenceburg swarm the ball and suffocate the offense, and Slayback is one of the the guys who leads the way and should be keyed in as someone to keep an eye on this fall.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@Zavyn_Slayback</strong></p>

We're taking a look at 5 recruits in the 2024 class who are not only good players, but their upside may not be fully revealed yet for one reason or another. All 5 of these guys are talented and make lives for their HS coaches a little bit easier.