Making the Jump: Watch List to Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Redzone rankings are broken down into two sections. The overall rankings followed by the Watch List. At Prep Redzone WI, the Watch List is for athletes who have made it onto our radar, but they don't have the film to go off of to establish a ranking. During each rankings update I go through the Watch List to see if any of them have new film to use, thus allowing them to jump up to the rankings. The recent Class of 2025 Rankings Update saw several athletes make the Watch List to rankings jump following the release of their sophomore highlights. Toady, we dive into what the film has to show us for those athletes. We start with a new member of the Top 10 rankings...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["384586"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The 6'3u0022 205 lbs sophomore OLB broke out this season and launched himself into the Top 10 of the Class of 2025. Mitchell is an impressive prospect that I believe will see his recruitment start to take off rapidly over the next year. He is a long, lean athlete who excels out in space. You don't see many athletes his age and size move like he does out in space. Nigro is already one of the top LB when it comes to playing behind his initial alignment. As a sophomore, Nigro broke up 12 passes and picked off another. He has a big range, changes direction easily, and has the burst to top speed needed to be in a zone coverage. Then against the run he is aggressive, plays downhill, takes on blocks with power, and is one of the top tacklers in the class. Keep an eye on the Marquette product. Monster things ahead for him.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af79f8b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["262120"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The Neenah sophomore played in a S/OLB role in 2022 and it fit his skill set perfectly. Jung is an athlete that fits the mold of a three level safety. A safety that has the stout power to play down near the line of scrimmage. He can fit off or around blocks and make tackles that stop RBs in their tracks. Luke can also play 15 yards deep, read the field, and show off the range to get to the ball in time. Whether that be attacking downhill to the line of scrimmage when he reads run or getting over to the sideline to break up a pass. Luke already plays like a veteran on the varsity field, and we still get to watch him do his thing for two more seasons.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a00d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["384572"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A student athlete who is just starting to tap into his potential is the 6'6u0022 250 lbs DT out of Oak Creek. Kevin is starting to mold himself into a trench monster for his defense. The big man is able a natural athlete. He has good positional speed to chase down plays and he has the lateral agility needed to get himself in better position to beat a block or gain the leverage advantage. He also has very heavy hands that he uses to swat hands away and punch back OL. The DT is so strong and stout too. His highlights show that he can hold the line of scrimmage against power or zone blocking schemes. It doesn't matter if they get him moving laterally or attack right at him. Lastly, Kevin uses his length to his advantage. The separation he can create allows him to defeat blocks quicker than most. He is on his way to being a D1 level talent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a072"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["384575"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Another defender that I was hyped to see make the jump to the rankings is the Franklin DL [player_tooltip player_id='384575' first='Ben' last='Hefter']. The 6'2u0022 230 lbs sophomore stepped up for Franklin in 2022 and in 2023 I predict we see him break out. The tape shows us the traits to do it. Ben is an athletic DE. His lateral movements look natural, quick and easy. He uses that to make himself difficult to land a good block on. It also allows him to only need to beat half a man instead of taking them on square. The underclassman also has the range to be disruptive all over the backfield as well as on the edge. I'm excited to see what he brings to the field this fall.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a0ce"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["384577"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The 6'3u0022 220 lbs sophomore from Monona Grove played both sides of the trenches in 2022. Today, we are going to dive into his defensive play. Jacob is a strong, stout athlete. Despite being 220 lbs, Jacob plays DT. The strength he plays with allows him to. The way he is able to take on double teams and not give up ground is a rare trait for his age and size. When one on one, Bonjour is able to get his hands on, jam the OL, and then lock them out so he has separation to get off the block to make the tackle. As he continues to grow I expect to see his film to continue to become more and more impressive. He is an athlete that deserves to be on the radars of the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a127"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["384578"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"An athlete who is going to shred apart defenses for the next couple seasons is the athlete at QB for Neenah HS. The 5'11u0022 165 lbs dual threat QB dominates with his legs. As a sophomore, he rushed for over 1,100 yards while leading his young team deep into the playoffs. Evan is utilized in a lot of read options and his quick, correct decision making has been the source of his big plays. After the read, Evan has the next level acceleration to burst through running lanes. With the ball, Evan shows the skill set of an RB. He has the vision and instincts to find the weaknesses of the defense. He also has surprising contact balance. You will see him play through a lot of contact. I'm looking forward to his development as a passer this season, but either way Evan has next level athleticism. Big seasons are ahead for the Neenah underclassman.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a183"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269725"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Pewaukee HS has fielded one of the most consistently dominant defenses that I have seen over the past few years. With that has come several Need-to-Know recruits. One of the next ones coming through the pipeline is 6'3u0022 185 lbs sophomore LB [player_tooltip player_id='269725' first='Jackson' last='Servais']. Jackson already looks to be well on his way to developing the instincts needed for the position. He moves with the flow of the play against zone, and will play downhill and aggressive against power. Jackson also does an impressive job of moving around the box. Many of his highlights showing him getting to the ball clean of blockers. His speed and agility are keys to his consistent success there. Servais also has the range, and speed when blitzing, to be very disruptive in the backfield. He is one of the top LBs in his class.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640a65af7a1df"} /-->