Ten 2024 Panhandle Prospects You Need To Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>March is here, which means it's time to begin thinking about the 2023 West Texas high school football season. Here are 10 2024 prospects you need to know in the Panhandle region:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caydin Blakely, Jr., Frenship (DE)</strong>: Blakely was a First-Team All-District selection as a junior at defensive end. Twelve (12) of his 22 tackles were for loss, including 4 sacks, so the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder wreaked havoc in opposing backfields all season long. Blakely was a nominee for the &nbsp;Texas High School Fan Vote 6A Defensive Lineman of the Year. He should generate plenty of interest from colleges in the fall. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Devoryea Boyd, Estacado (ATH)</strong>: Boyd excels on both sides of the ball as a WR and DB. He finished with 38 receptions for 590 yards and 7 TD, and is well known for his highlight reel receptions. Possessing a 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame and elite athleticism, Boyd routinely leaps over smaller defenders to haul in 50-50 balls. He was one of the standouts at this past weekend's West Texas Showcase at Cooper Lubbock High School. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Holton Hendrix, Cooper Lubbock (OL)</strong>: The 6-foot-4, 270 pound Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the top offensive linemen in all of West Texas. He's already committed to nearby Texas Tech. He was named Offensive Lineman MVP at last weekend's West Texas Showcase as he flashed strong hands and mobility in keeping defenders at bay.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hudson Hutcheson, Frenship (QB)</strong>: A classic West Texas gunslinger, Hutcheson will direct what should be one of the most explosive offenses in Class 6A this fall. Last season Hutcheson threw for 3,742 yards (2^nd most in Class 6A) and 37 TD, displaying uncanny accuracy (74 percent) that earned him District MVP honors. He added almost 500 rushing yards and 11 TD, making him an elite dual threat QB. He'll be fun to watch in 2023. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Samuel Johnson, Canyon (RB)</strong>: Johnson helped Canyon achieve a 10-win season and a second-round appearance in the Class 4A, Division 1 playoffs in 2022 by rushing for 868 yards and 12 TD on 153 carries. With a 5-foot-11, 212-pound frame, the powerfully built Johnson is difficult to bring down one-on-one.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='626922' first='Kasen' last='Long'], Shallowater (OL)</strong>: Shallowater is a Class 3A school but that won't prevent the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Long from fulfilling his dream of playing major college football. He's committed to nearby Texas Tech. With his impressive size leaving plenty of room for growth in terms of size and strength, Long projects as an offensive tackle at the next level. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eddy Mpela, Amarillo (LB)</strong>: The Sandies reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs last season with Mpela serving as one of the defensive leaders with 75 tackles and 6 QB hurries from his linebacker spot. The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Mpela moves well and can help in run defense or cover receivers downfield.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='618298' first='Braylen' last='Norman'], Highland Park (WR)</strong>: Norman has good size (6-foot-2, 165 pounds) that he utilized last season on his way to 70 receptions for over 1,200 yards. He's excellent on long range passes but exhibits the moves to get open in the intermediate passing game as well. He awed scouts at last weekend's West Texas Showcase in Lubbock. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Willie Parker, Coronado (LB)</strong>: Parker impressed scouts at last weekend's West Texas Showcase with his speed, quickness and ability to cover a lot of ground at the second level. He had 66 tackles, 5 sacks and 14 TFL for Coronado last season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Treshun Wilson, Tascosa (RB)</strong>: The powerful 5-foot-10, 185-pound Wilson powers through and over defenders. Tascosa LOVES to run the football (3,317 total yards on the ground in 2022) and nobody on the Rebels was better than Wilson, who was Tascosa's lone 1,000-yard rusher with 1,002 yards and 11 TD on 151 carries. He should get 175+ carries in the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/FrenshipSports/status/1603528056563503106","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/FrenshipSports/status/1603528056563503106 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BlakelyCaydin/status/1595649720529068032","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BlakelyCaydin/status/1595649720529068032 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/THSRebels/status/1595027925333680128","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/THSRebels/status/1595027925333680128 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RivalsNick/status/1629995331105480704","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RivalsNick/status/1629995331105480704 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->