Sleeper Players – March Edition – 2025 Class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are always some players that we see that are good players, but for some reason don't get media or recruiting attention. This is the first edition of Sleeper Prospects for the 2025 class. Let's check them out:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DE [player_tooltip player_id='664451' first='Antonio' last='Armstrong'] - Kings Mountain </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've got Antonio as a sleeper, but that really isn't going to last much longer in all honesty. I was a little surprised earlier in the offseason that he wasn't getting much interest from a recruiting perspective, but I think once teams saw the meteoric rise of teammate Curtis Simpson this past season, and the things that Antonio is putting on film, colleges are smartly getting ahead of the curve of this 6'3 225 pound impressive athlete. He played both end and tackle for Kings Mountain, and on the inside, his quickness in shooting gaps resulted in a number of impressive tackles for loss. He does a great job also in playing a read-and-react style by getting his hands on an offensive lineman, locking out, reading the play, and then disengaging by using his hands well to make plays. He's just now realizing how good he can truly become in my opinion. Antonio recently shared that he is visiting Alabama soon, to give you an idea of his talent level. Impressive prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id='190657' first='Jared' last='Lockhart'] - Porter Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6'4 and 175 pounds, Jared will be on a lot of watchlists for sure with that size and two more years to continue to grow on the high school level. I think Jared is a dual-threat prospect where you have to respect his running game, but as he matures and gets faster, he will really be dangerous there. Throwing the football, he exhibits good touch on the fade route down the sideline, he completed a good number of those against man coverage. He makes good reads against zone coverage and lets it rip; I think he has good arm strength. As Jared continues to grow I think he will gain more recruiting interest for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LB/DE [player_tooltip player_id='601655' first='Amari' last='Green'] - Riverside </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standing at 6'2 and 200 pounds, Amari exhibits a great burst coming off of the edge when rushing the passer. That has led to the 5 sacks he collected last season along with the 11.5 tackles for loss noted for him on his highlights. I think Amari is another one of these prospects that will benefit from more time to mature his body and refine his technique to enhance the positive qualities he is flashing currently. I think he tackles well in space, and in the run game, he keeps the edge well and doesn't let anything get outside of him. Notably, he shows the talent to be able to run ball carriers down from behind to maintain that edge. Really good potential with him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ATH Takeo Massey - East Mecklenburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I first saw Takeo when he was a freshman at a local camp, and he stood out because of his size at the time - a legit 6'3 - and the way he just moved very fluidly. I have him listed as an athlete because though he played quarterback primarily this past season, I think he has a future on the next level at a defensive back position - most likely free safety is my projection for him. He has a couple of highlights playing defense that look impressive - namely one where he sniffs out a trick play, makes the interception and returns it for a touchdown. He also shows some very good athletic ability as a running quarterback. NC State appears to be the only school showing him some recruiting interest for now, and that's a good eye on their part. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id='1303793' first='Justice' last='Washington'] - Mountain Island </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing out of the slot wide receiver position I think will be Justice's future, but at 5'6 I think he has some good abilities established already. He is good at running the seam and bender routes versus man or zone looks and knows how to read the coverage and adjust his route to make life easier for his quarterback. He makes tough catches against man coverage and is able to turn upfield and gain yardage after the catch consistently. The other thing I like about Justice is his ability to be a willing blocker - he shows a couple of blocks on his film that allowed his ball carrier to gain additional yardage and keep the team moving down the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->