2025 Watch Listers Who Look to Break Into The Rankings

Today I look at some of our watch list players who I believe are on the verge of breaking through into the rankings. As I tell athletes all the time, everyone develops at different rates and everyone's journey is different. It's not where you start, it's where you go. There are many reasons why players move up and there are reasons players fall due to how and when players develop. Some of that is just how quickly they physically mature and some of that is how hard players are willing to work to get where they hope to go. Physical and skill development are never linear progression from player to play. So it's important that no matter where you stand ranked or unranked, that players are putting in the training and skill work to continue that progression. So here are some players, that with that continued work should work their way up into the rankings.   DB [player_tooltip player_id='444894' first='Reese' last='Powell'] (Licking Heights) 5'10 170- Powell plays both sides of the ball for the Hornets. As of right now I'd project him to the defensive side of the ball at the safety position. Whether its in run or pass defense Powell is an athletic safety who's extremely comfortable in space. In the run game Powell takes good pursuit angles and flies to the ball. Once he arrives, he's ready to deliver a blow, and he gets the man down. He understands defensive leverage when taking on blockers. In the pass game he plays with good vision and anticipation. He covers a large amount of ground in little time, again taking good angles to the ball. Because of his anticipation and ability to cover ground he's one of the rare players that I think you can throw in a single high safety position and feel totally comfortable. I expect Powell to have a big offseason heading into his junior season. <a href="https://twitter.com/ReesePowell15">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8393063/6359e968386d9c0c1c32dced">Hudl</a>   ATH [player_tooltip player_id='257677' first='Aiden' last='Jones'] (Washington) 5'8 150- Aiden "Rocky" Jones is a player I fully expect to break into our next rankings. He's a small, but dynamic athlete from Washington Courthouse. On offense he plays running back and on defense he plays cornerback position. As a running back, Rocky has great vision and explosiveness (lateral and vertical). He gets to top speed in a hurry. Once he gets into the open field, he's very elusive as he's able to make quick and dynamic cuts that makes guys miss. He then has the speed to pull away and take it to the house. Due to his size, at this time I probably like Jones a little more on defense. Due to Jones dynamic athleticism and speed, I love him as a slot corner at the next level. He's going to be able to mirror nearly any receiver and he'll have the speed and the loose hips to run just the same. He's fearless in run defense and gets into the backfield with ease that will result in TFL's. I can't wait to see where Jones can take his career, because the talent is undeniable. <a href="https://twitter.com/AidenJonesOH">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15605469/636c476c19a53f0f948026a7">Hudl</a>   DB [player_tooltip player_id='742338' first='Trimonde' last='Henry'] (Xenia) 5'11 150- Henry played both Safety and Wide Receiver for the Buccaneers. With his length and ball skills he fits both positions well. We have him at defensive back right now, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if he gained a lot of interest on the offensive side of the ball in the future either. His combo of length along with his speed and athleticism just play to a plus level on the defensive side of the ball for me. He has the closing speed to make plays that many safeties can't. For that reason, I like him at the free safety position. He's a FS who will come up and make tackles in the run or short pass games as well. For a sophomore he has a good understanding of the game plan and what they wanted to do as you can see him calling out offensive plays and defensive positioning for his defenders. I really think Henry could also play Cornerback at a high level as well. I look forward to seeing physical development as he adds good weight and strength, I think he could shoot up our rankings. This will be a big offseason and fall for Trimonde! <a href="https://twitter.com/TrimondeHenry_">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15300623/63655f1b4bb2370ba4caa6a3">Hudl</a>   ATH [player_tooltip player_id='444511' first='Julius' last='Spradling'] (Sidney) 5'9 150- Spradling is a versatile and dynamic player who does many things for the Yellow Jackets. He plays slot, cornerback, and returns both kickoffs and punts. On offense Spradling lines up as both a running back and slot receiver. I think he projects to the latter on the offensive side of the ball. Spradling has the quickness and the footwork to get free releases against. In his route Julius shows quick and explosive cuts that create separation. He has plus body control and hands to make the more difficult catches. He's elusive in the open field as he has the suddenness to make guys miss. He also has been used as a gadget player on reverses. For his size, he's strong. There's a play on his film where he throws a violent stiff-arm that puts the defender on the ground. While he doesn't possess elite speed, he has enough to make chunk plays. His ability to make plays on special teams makes him even more valuable. I'm interested to see where things go for Spradling as he continues to add weight and strength and work on his long speed. <a href="https://twitter.com/jspradling7">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13382690/6367ecbf19a54707741f9ad6">Hudl</a>   DB [player_tooltip player_id='328828' first='Tyree' last='Green Jr'] (Reynoldsburg) 5'9 160- Green does a lot of different things for the Raiders as he played wide receiver, cornerback, and returned kickoffs for the Raiders. While he can make plays on offense, I like him on the defensive side of the ball at this point. Though he's a smaller player he's not afraid to throw his body around and make plays. With fluid hips and change of direction he thrives with the play in front of him. I like Green most as a safety right now, but I think as he gets bigger and stronger, I could see him also becoming a really good slot corner. The athleticism and technique are there for Tyree, he just needs to continue physically developing. <a href="https://twitter.com/tygreenjr02">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16242654/637503d20c53d804e8f3a489">Hudl</a>

Today I look at some of our watch list players who I believe are on the verge of breaking through into the rankings. As I tell athletes all the time, everyone develops at different rates and everyone's journey is different. It's not where you start, it's where you go. There are many reasons why players move up and there are reasons players fall due to how and when players develop. Some of that is just how quickly they physically mature and some of that is how hard players are willing to work to get where they hope to go. Physical and skill development are never linear progression from player to play. So it's important that no matter where you stand ranked or unranked, that players are putting in the training and skill work to continue that progression. So here are some players, that with that continued work should work their way up into the rankings.