2023 St. Charles Players to Watch: Defensive Linemen
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As we head into the last days of May, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, it is time to start previewing what lies ahead in the upcoming season. While there is a lot…
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Continue ReadingAs we head into the last days of May, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, it is time to start previewing what lies ahead in the upcoming season. While there is a lot of talent spread throughout the state of Missouri, an area that I believe gets overlooked at times from a football standpoint is St. Charles County. This area isn’t in the headlines as much as schools in cities like St. Louis or Kansas City but there is still a ton of talent to be seen. With that being said, I have started a “St. Charles County Players to Watch” series. After covering the offensive side of the ball, I will turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball with some intriguing defensive linemen to watch heading into the 2023 season.
Jayshawn Richmond Jayshawn Richmond 6’1″ | 200 lbs | DL Lutheran-St. Charles | 2024 MO is an incoming senior that is very high on my radar. He is coming off an impressive junior season in which he finished with 91 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Richmond is a dangerous pass rusher from the defensive end position. He has an explosive first step and is able to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles on his way to the quarterback. Richmond also plays with a nice amount of bend which he uses to get around opposing offensive linemen to shoot the inside gap. Once he gets to the quarterback, he does a good job of running his feet through contact to secure the sack. Jayshawn doesn’t currently hold any offers but has received some college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.
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Joining Richmond on the Lutheran St. Charles defensive line is Isaiah Rubio Isaiah Rubio 6’2″ | 255 lbs | DL Lutheran-St. Charles | 2024 State MO . He is coming off a solid junior year of his own, finishing with 72 tackles and two sacks. Rubio also plays defensive end and does a great job of using his speed to his advantage to burst into the backfield before opposing offensive linemen can react. He also plays with a very high motor, showing the willingness to keep working to get to the ball carrier when the play is away from him. On his way to the ball carrier, Rubio has shown the ability to fight through blocks and he is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Isaiah currently holds an offer from Mississippi College and I expect more to come his way as he has received interest from multiple college programs and has the talent to produce at the next level.
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A third and the most highly touted of a talented trio on the Luther St. Charles defensive line is Keylan LaGrant Keylan LaGrant 6’3″ | 215 lbs | LB East St. Louis | 2025 IL . LaGrant had a very impressive sophomore year, finishing with 65 tackles and five sacks. He is an athletic stand up edge rusher that explodes out of his stance and has the speed to shoot into the backfield before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to react. LaGrant has also shown the ability to play out of a three-point stance and stack/shed blocks quickly against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier or quarterback. Keylan explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. LaGrant currently holds offers from Arkansas, Memphis, Boston College, and West Virginia, and I expect that list to grow as he is a true Power 5 caliber prospect.
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Will Snodgrass
Will Snodgrass
Will Snodgrass is an incoming senior defensive lineman that has jumped onto my radar recently. He had a strong junior season, finishing with 84 tackles, 12 tackles for loss,eight sacks, and three fumble recoveries. Snodgrass is a very impressive pass rusher from the stand up defensive end position, using his speed to burst past opposing offensive tackles before they can get a chance to block him. He also has some impressive pass rush moves that he is able to use to defeat blocks. Against the run, he does a great job of reading the play and shedding blocks quickly to get to the ball carrier. Will doesn’t currently hold any offers but is definitely a player to keep an eye on going into his senior year as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.
Brady Pulley
Brady Pulley
To wrap up this list, I have incoming senior Brady Pulley from Francis Howell North. Pulley had a solid junior season, finishing with 42 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, and one pass deflection. He lines up at defensive end where he is a very impressive pass rusher. Pulley has a quick first step which he uses to get a good jump start on opposing offensive tackles and uses his speed to run right by them. He also shows the ability to shoot the inside gap before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to react. Pulley also plays with a very high motor, showing the ability to fight through blocks and run all over the field to make tackles in the open field. Brady doesn’t currently hold any offers but deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.