Community Film Room: April Edition Part II

As the month of April continues to roll on, so does the film. More and more unranked prospects have submitted their film for evaluation, which gives Prep Redzone Kansas the opportunity to discover more potential candidates for the rankings. The first film session of April featured a promising group of prospects, and the players highlighted in this second session are no different. Part II has some similarities to Part I; being that there's three Class of '24 prospects headlining the group. There is a slight difference however, as two freshmen also make an appearance.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of ‘24: </h2>   <a href="https://twitter.com/drewtolar2?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Drew Tolar</a> – Cheney, 5'11”, 165, DB, '24   With the exception of [player_tooltip player_id='334744' first='Kason' last='Messenger'], the times we've highlighted prospects from Cheney, they've typically come from the offensive side of the ball. But that doesn't mean there aren't talented defensive prospects on their roster. For example, <a href="https://twitter.com/drewtolar2?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Drew Tolar</a> is a safety folks need to know about.    The 5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect is a very underrated safety from the 3A ranks. One of the major takeaways from his film is his ability to cover ground quickly. There are multiple occasions in his highlight reel where his 4.5 40 speed either helped him recover, or corral the opposition from behind. Another thing that stood out from his film was his length. Tolar's long arms helped breakup eight passes during the '22 campaign, and they played a factor in wrapping up ball carriers as well.    <a href="https://twitter.com/leebruce24?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Bruce Lee</a> – Belle Plaine, 6'1”, 190, WR, '24   Traditionally, the higher classification levels in Kansas typically draw the most attention from recruiters. However, this Class 1A prospect may intrigue some folks. His name may sound familiar, but it's not exactly the Bruce Lee that comes to mind. This is <a href="https://twitter.com/leebruce24?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Bruce Lee</a> of Belle Plaine, and he's looking to put everyone on notice this season.   One thing about Lee is, he plays bigger than what he actually is. He isn't exactly small either. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound wideout isn't the highest leaper, but he is capable of hauling in the 50-50 balls. Lee also possesses the the strength to fight through arm tackles. In terms of explosiveness, Lee is more of a possession receiver. But, what he lacks in lateral quickness, he makes up for with his straight-line speed. If he can work on his agility and continue to develop as a route runner, then he could be in for a monster senior year.    <a href="https://twitter.com/kallenhigdon?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Kallen Higdon</a> – Rose Hill, 6'5”, 295, OL, '24   It wasn't long ago that the Rose Hill Rockets produced standout offensive tackle, Noah Bolticoff. He was one of the top prospects from the Class of '21, and was highly touted for his size and athleticism. Fast forward to present day, the Rockets may have another next-level tackle on their hands. <a href="https://twitter.com/kallenhigdon?s=21&t=sGuXARfiU73A1hdQ4qGDNQ">Kallen Higdon</a> isn't quite the prospect Bolticoff was, but he does boast a similar frame, and Higdon also showed promise as a first-year starter in 2022.    Two things are clear after watching Higdon's film. One, he possesses nimble feet for a big man, and two, he plays with some nastiness. Higdon's quick first step allows him to immediately seal off his assignment, and he then uses his strength to drive them back multiple yards. He could improve his kick slide in pass protection, but he does do a great job of keeping edge rushers at a distance with his long reach.      <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of ‘26:</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='780090' first='Ryder' last='Campbell'] – Maize, 6'2”, 175, WR, '26   The Maize Eagles' offense is set to have quite a few new faces this fall. Maize's coaching staff will be tasked with replacing All-State wideouts, [player_tooltip player_id='166970' first='Bryce' last='Cohoon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='87658' first='Justin' last='Stephens']. [player_tooltip player_id='442624' first='Bryson' last='Hayes'] is expected to become the Eagles' No. 1 target, and they'll also return [player_tooltip player_id='259840' first='Jaeden' last='Martin'], but [player_tooltip player_id='780090' first='Ryder' last='Campbell'] is an underclassmen looking to get into the mix as well.   Campbell was one of the go-to targets in the intermediate game for Maize's freshman squad in 2022. The 6-foot-2 prospect proved to be a sure-handed receiver over the middle, which could likely be his role on varsity this season. Campbell's elevated his game since his freshman season, as he's looked more explosive competing with Wichita Wheat's 15U team during 7-On-7 action. He's trending in the right direction ahead of his sophomore year.    [player_tooltip player_id='780131' first='Nick' last='Pittman'] – Bishop Carroll, 6'2”, 285, OL, '26   At times, it can take an offensive linemen a few years to develop before they make their varsity debut. That's usually the case for prospects from Class 6A and 5A. There is however one lineman from the upcoming sophomore class that could reverse this trend. There's no guarantees that [player_tooltip player_id='780131' first='Nick' last='Pittman'] of Bishop Carroll will see the varsity field during the '23 campaign, but his debut could potentially come sooner rather than later.   Pittman didn't put together much film from his freshman season, but the film he did have from 2022 looked promising. These two clips from his freshman game against Junction City showed some nice things. He's already able to quickly shoot his hands at a young age, and on top of that, he does a great job of getting his hands inside on the opposition. After he gains control, he proceeds to drive his assignment out of the play.

As the month of April continues to roll on, so does the film. More and more unranked prospects have submitted their film for evaluation, which gives Prep Redzone Kansas the opportunity to discover more potential candidates for the rankings. The first film session of April featured a promising group of prospects, and the players highlighted in this second session are no different. Part II has some similarities to Part I; being that there's three Class of '24 prospects headlining the group. There is a slight difference however, as two freshmen also make an appearance.