Film Review Mid-Penn Conference Top 2026 Prospects Part 1

This is my 1st article on 2026 prospects. 2026 prospects are current freshmen, so they are very young players in the development stage of playing football. Some of the players on this list are in the early stages of development. Also, remember these players have 3 full seasons of high school football left. Here is part 1 of the Mid-Penn Conference.    [player_tooltip player_id='402458' first='Messiah' last='Mickens'] Trinity. Mickens played running back last year for Trinity. This is obviously where to start for the Mid-Penn with the best player in the state according to our ranking system here at Prep Redzone. Mickens has elite speed and when he gets into the open field he is gone. He hits the hole really well and has good quickness to make people miss. He is also a physical running back who always runs through contact. He also catches the ball very well out of the backfield. Mickens is a good athlete and a complete running back. Mickens is one of the best running backs and prospects in the country.    [player_tooltip player_id='402457' first='Maurice' last='Barnes'] Bishop McDevitt. Barnes played linebacker and running back for Bishop McDevitt last year. He is a very good athlete that runs very well. At linebacker, he is an athlete who flies around and makes plays. Several times on film they just put him as a stand-up linebacker and just have him rush off the edge. He was unblockable when they did this because he created so much chaos for the offense. He is also good at dropping in coverage and making plays in coverage. At running back Barnes is explosive and hits the hole very well. Once he gets into the open field he uses his speed to run by defenders. Barnes projects as a high Division 1 College Football prospect.    [player_tooltip player_id='212414' first='Elias' last='Coke'] Harrisburg. Coke played wide receiver and safety for Harrisburg last year. He stands 6'2" and definitely looks the part. At wide receiver, he has good speed and runs right by defenders. He also does a nice job catching the ball in traffic. Coke also shows the ability to make difficult catches. A 50/50 ball he dominates with his size and strength to make the catch. At safety, he shows good coverage skills and does a nice job of coming up and tackling from his safety position, especially in the open field. Coke has gotten plenty of Division 1 offers to play College Football already and this list should continue to grow.    [player_tooltip player_id='402470' first='Tyler' last='Merrill'] Cumberland Valley. Merrill played left tackle primarily for Cumberland Valley, a very impressive accomplishment for a freshman. Merrill has good size, standing 6'5" tall. He has good technique and it starts with his stance which is very good. He has good feet and moves well against fast edge players. He is very good at blocking down on defensive tackles. Merrill also shows the ability to do well in pass blocking. Merrill looks like a legit College Football player and should get plenty of looks soon.    [player_tooltip player_id='402452' first='Kevin' last='Brown'] Harrisburg. Brown played right tackle for Harrisburg last year. He has good strength and uses it well at the point of attack. He is 6'5", so he has the ideal height for the offensive tackle position, and he should have the ability to add weight to his frame. He is a good athlete who does a nice job against edge guys trying to rush to the quarterback. He also showed a good ability to go and block linebackers and chase them downfield to make key blocks. Brown has a ton of talent and should only get better going forward.    [player_tooltip player_id='649757' first='Zachary' last='Brown'] Central Dauphin East. Brown played linebacker for Central Dauphin East last year. He is a very strong and athletic player who makes many plays for the Central Dauphin East defense. A big part of Brown's game was Central Dauphin East sending him on blitzes to attack the offense. They would send the blitzes from different angles to use Brown's athleticism to create havoc for the offense. Brown is also good at reading and reacting to the play and then coming downhill to make a tackle. Brown is an athletic tough linebacker who makes a ton of plays all over the field. He should only get better going forward as well.

This is my 1st article on 2026 prospects. 2026 prospects are current freshmen, so they are very young players in the development stage of playing football. Some of the players on this list are in the early stages of development. Also, remember these players have 3 full seasons of high school football left. Here is part 1 of the Mid-Penn Conference.