Recruiting Spotlight- Prospects On The Rise!

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We check out some prospects that have been heating up on the recruiting trail-getting both our and some collegiate attention recently!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["882896"],"_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='882896' first='Ethan' last='Ridley'] is fresh off a freshman campaign that has established himself as one of the top DBs in our 2026 Rankings- in a loaded Hewitt Trussville defense he found his way into a starting role last year and made the most of it. Ridley is a terrific tackler that isn't scared of getting low and delivering hits- his willingness to get involved in the run game and his effort to pursue after the ball carrier is extremely impressive at his age. In addition to that, Ridley has shown the ability to make big plays in huge moments in games, on film he's consistently shown making forth down stops and plays along the goal line that heavily benefit his team. With the speed, size, physicality, and effort he plays with, Ridley is absolutely going to be a prospect in his class were going to see blow up more and more. Just yesterday, Ridley announced he had picked up his first offer from UAB- and with the film and play he's already presented more are surely headed his way!","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["883398"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='883398' first='Mal' last='Waldrep'] is a dominant offensive linemen that has seen his recruitment take off on a whole new level in the last few weeks- the Central offensive linemen is looking like one of the top OL prospects in the state's 2025 class and will absolutely be featured in our next Rankings update. Waldrep is a force on the offensive line that has the skill and talent to play both on the interior and the outside, but especially thrives at OT. At OT, Waldrep dominates the line of scrimmage- his power, footwork, hand usage, and ability to move show in every aspect of the game. If he is in pass protection there's no chance the pocket will get disrupted on his side of the line with his ability to stonewall every pass rusher lined up against him, and in the run game, Waldrep excels at moving the line of scrimmage for the ball carrier, allowing lanes to open up and making an impact at the second level as well. It doesn't matter how you come at an offensive linemen like this- they will find a way to pancake and embarrass you as a defender- and with this skill Waldrep has really been getting noticed recently- receiving offers from Georgia, Clemson, and Florida State within the last few weeks!","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["883399"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='883399' first='Carde' last='Smith'] is another 2025 OL prospect  that's really starting to get some traction in the recruiting world and rightfully so, his size and abilities are nothing to look over. Standing at 6'6 300, Smith has a massive physical presence on the field- moving him is a chore that requires multiple defenders, and even then, good luck. Smith has the strength and power to pair with his size that makes it near impossible to get past him- he routinely puts defenders in the dirt and paves the way for his offense to make plays. Smith also has a great deal of flexibility at his size that allows him to get low and gain leverage against faster EDGE/DE players- allowing him to keep a wide variety of defensive linemen at bay away from his quarterback. In the last month, Smith has gotten a lot of attention- picking up offers from Texas A@M, UAB, Mississippi Valley State, and more!","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["883418"],"_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='883418' first='Latori' last='Williams'] is a talented LB that has become a force and leader of Central's loaded defense, his play provides a ton of juice for his teammates and it can be seen easily on film.  Williams has a lot of versatility to him- he can play inside and outside backer both very well, and has a multi faceted skill set that allow him to effect the game in a lot of different ways. Williams is terrific against the run- he plays with great patience, waits for the right moment, and is able to close in extremely fast to wrap up and make tackles. If the play is headed away from him, Williams also has the pursuit skills to hunt down and make plays on the ball carrier all around the field- making him a constant threat for opposing offenses to worry about. Last fall was a big year for Williams, as he picked up a ton of different offers but ended up pledging his commitment to Georgia Southern earlier this month!","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["212200"],"_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='212200' first='Tristan' last='Lyles'] is a dynamic EDGE/DE that is going to be a player on our radar for the next several seasons, as a freshman Lyles already looks like one of the top players in our 2026 class, and has a ton of potential to build off of going forward. Lyles has great size and speed and plays with a ton of intensity, all throughout a game his effort does not go unnoticed as he will do everything in his power to make plays for his defense. Against the pass, Lyles does a great job sticking his hand in the dirt and flying off the line of scrimmage to get to the quarterback, and against the run he excels at setting the edge and not allowing the ball carrier to get past him. Lyles has a great set of skills as both a pass rusher and run stopping EDGE/DE and is going to be a player we will all be hearing more and more from soon. Just recently, Lyles picked up his first offer from UAB, with more on the way soon!","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649c6afed1199"} /-->