2023 St. Louis Players to Watch: Defensive Linemen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we are headed into the middle of May, the 2023 high school football off-season is in full swing with teams and players preparing for the upcoming season. As has been the case for quite some time now, the city of St. Louis is abundant in talent on the gridiron. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at some of the top returning players in the city heading into the 2023 high school football season. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I will turn my attention to the defensive side of the ball by focusing on some of the top returning defensive linemen in St. Louis in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["322134"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='322134' first='Caleb' last='Redd'] is one of the most talented prospects in St. Louis heading into the 2023 season. He had a very impressive junior year, finishing with 63 tackles, 21 sacks, and one fumble recovery. Redd is a stand-up edge rusher that is very dominant as a pass rusher. He has explosive speed which he uses to blow by opposing offensive tackles and also has an impressive arsenal of pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Once he gets into the pocket, Redd does a great job of finishing at the quarterback. Against the run, Redd does a great job of getting to the ball in a hurry and is a very reliable tackler in the open field. Caleb has a long list of Power 5 offers and I expect that list to continue to grow as he is a truly special talent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["126224"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Joining Redd on a very talented De Smet defensive front is incoming senior [player_tooltip player_id='126224' first='Michael' last='Phillips']. Michael had a solid junior year, finishing with 32 tackles and five sacks. Phillips lines up at defensive tackle and uses his explosive first step to shoot into the backfield before the opposing offensive lineman can block him. He also has the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Phillips is a very reliable tackler in the open field. He is also a dangerous pass rusher, showing a constant effort to get to the quarterback and the ability to finish once he gets there. Phillips currently holds offers from Indiana State, Northern Iowa, and Marshall, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber defensive tackle.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["172169"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Another dominant defensive lineman from the 2024 class that has stood out to me is [player_tooltip player_id='172169' first='Demetrius' last='Jones'] from Lutheran North. Jones had a very strong junior season, finishing with 94 tackles and 15 sacks. He is an explosive defensive tackle that is very dominant against the run and pass. Jones has the speed to blow right by opposing offensive linemen to shoot his gap and also has the strength to fight through blocks on his way to the ball. He plays with a very high motor, showing the ability to run down the ball carrier from all over the field and is very reliable tackler once he gets there. Demetrius has several Division I offers and I expect that list to grow during his senior year as he is a very impressive defensive tackle.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["185474"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='185475' first='Cameron' last='Clayborn'] is another talented defensive tackle that has stood out to me. As a junior, Clayborn played a key role in Cardinal Ritter's Class 3 State Championship run, finishing with 96 tackles, nine sacks, and one fumble recovery. Clayborn has an explosive first step out of his step which he uses to shoot into the backfield quickly to cause disruption against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Clayborn does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle. He also has the speed to run down ball carriers all over the field. Clayborn also uses this speed to his advantage to blow by opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher. Cameron recently picked up his first offer from Yale and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["130172"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='130172' first='Archie' last='Carruthers'] is another talented incoming senior defensive lineman that has caught my attention. Archie had a strong junior season, finishing with 49 tackles and six sacks. He lines up at defensive end and plays with a very high motor. Carruthers is able to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles as a pass rusher and is constantly fighting to get to the quarterback. Once he gets to the quarterback, he does a great job of finishing with a sack or at least putting a hit on the quarterback to make them make a difficult throw. He also has a nice amount of bend which he uses to shoot the inside gap and avoid blocks. Archie doesn't currently hold any offers but has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["275034"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Another incoming senior defensive lineman that has stood out to me is [player_tooltip player_id='275034' first='Zamier' last='Collins']. Zamier played a key role in St Mary's Class 4 State Championship run this past season, finishing with 70 tackles and six sacks. Collins is a stand-up edge rusher that is a very dominant pass rusher. He uses his speed to blow right by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Once he shoots into the pocket, Collins does a great job of finishing at the quarterback. Against the run, Collins uses his high motor to run all over the field to get to the ball carrier. He has also shown the physicality to run straight through blocks on his way to the football. Zamier doesn't currently hold any offers but should pick some up during his senior year as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["215751"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"The lone non-senior on this list is [player_tooltip player_id='215751' first='Lucas' last='Allgeyer'] from MICDS. Allgeyer is coming off a strong sophomore year in which he finished with 89 tackles, eight sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He is a physical, explosive defensive tackle that causes a ton of disruption. Allgeyer has the speed to fight through blocks on his way to the football and also has the speed to blow right by opposing offensive linemen. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Allgeyer does a great job of finishing his tackles and not allowing for any extra yards to be gained. Allgeyer currently holds offers from Toledo, Miami (OH), Navy, Marshall, and Tulane, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646681593d34b"} /-->