2023 Kansas City Players to Watch: OL
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As we head into the end of June, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. To prepare for the upcoming season, I have taken the past couple months to preview some of the top talent in certain areas…
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Continue ReadingAs we head into the end of June, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. To prepare for the upcoming season, I have taken the past couple months to preview some of the top talent in certain areas of Missouri. Continuing this trend, I have started a “Kansas City Players to Watch” series focusing on the top returning players at each position in Kansas City. After covering the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions, I will now wrap up the offensive side of the ball with the top returning offensive linemen in Kansas City for the 2023 season.
Andrew Sprague Andrew Sprague 6’8″ | 260 lbs | OL Rockhurst | 2024 State MO has established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the country in the class of 2024. Sprague is a big, physical left tackle that is dominant in the run game. He explodes out of his stance and has shown the ability to finish his blocks through the whistle. Sprague has also shown the ability to pull from the tackle spot and pick up blocks in the open field. Andrew is also very reliable in pass protection. He has impressive footwork and a does a great job of mirroring opposing pass rushers off the edge. Sprague is committed to Michigan where I can see him developing into a key piece of their offensive line once he gets there.
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Tyler Kerkhoff Tyler Kerkhoff 6’4″ | 275 lbs | OL Staley | 2024 State MO is another incoming senior offensive lineman that is very high on my radar. Kerkhoff lines up at left tackle and is very impressive as a run blocker. He is a true mauler in the run game, exploding out of his stance and driving his man down the field. Tyler finishes his blocks through the whistle, resulting in several pancake blocks. He also does a great job of getting up to the second level and picking up blocks in open space. Kerkhoff is also reliable in pass protection, showing the ability to get back in his pass sets quickly and mirror opposing pass rushers off the edge. Tyler currently holds offers from Tulsa and Memphis, and I expect more to come his way as he is a true Division I caliber offensive line prospect.
Logan Westling Logan Westling 6’5″ | 290 lbs | OL Oak Park | 2024 State MO is an incoming senior offensive lineman that recently jumped onto my radar. Westling is a left tackle that plays with a ton of physicality. He does a great job of running his feet through contact and finishing his blocks through the whistle in the run game, resulting in several pancake blocks. Westling also does a great job of picking up blocks in the open field on long runs. In pass protection, Westling has good footwork and has shown the ability to mirror opposing pass rushers off the edge. He also does a great job of picking up stunts/blitzes, keeping his head on a swivel to find someone to block. Logan currently holds an offer from Dordt University and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.
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Another offensive lineman from the 2024 class that has caught my attention recently is Quinton Bradley Quinton Bradley 6’3″ | 300 lbs | DL North Kansas City | 2024 State MO from North Kansas City. Bradley lines up at left tackle and is very impressive in pass protection. He has shown the ability to mirror opposing pass rushers off the edge and use his strength and physicality to drive them out of the picture. Bradley also does a great job of constantly keep his head on a swivel in his pass sets to find someone to block. Quinton is also impressive as a run blocker, showing the ability to explode out of his stance and drive his man down the field. Bradley currently holds offers from Central Missouri, Pitt State, and Missouri Western, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.
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Isaiah Woodyard
Isaiah Woodyard
Joining Bradley on the North Kansas City offensive line is fellow incoming senior Isaiah Woodyard. Isaiah lines up at left guard and is very impressive as a run blocker. He is very explosive as a down blocker stepping to his inside gap quickly and keeping his feet running through contact to drive his man out of the picture to create a running lane. Woodyard has also shown the ability to pull and pick up blocks in open space as a lead blocker. Isaiah currently holds one offer from Central Methodist and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to be a productive offensive lineman at the next level.
To wrap up this list of talented offensive linemen, I have incoming junior Jalen Williams Jalen Williams 6’0″ | 290 lbs | OL Oak Park | 2025 State MO from Oak Park. Williams lines up at left guard and is dominant in the run game. He is a physical mauler, showing the ability to explode out of his stance and drive his man down the field. Williams finishes his blocks through the whistle, resulting in several pancake blocks. He has also shown the ability to pull and get up to the second level to pick up blocks in the open field. While Williams doesn’t currently hold any offers, he will be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.