PrepRedzoneIL 2024 Rankings Update: Hardest Hitters
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PrepRedzoneIL is continuing to truck along with our 2024 rankings update coverage and have a fan favorite up next here for our wonderful subscribers as we highlight the Hardest Hitters in the rising senior class. There’s nothing I like more…
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Continue ReadingPrepRedzoneIL is continuing to truck along with our 2024 rankings update coverage and have a fan favorite up next here for our wonderful subscribers as we highlight the Hardest Hitters in the rising senior class. There’s nothing I like more in football than a big hit. To me, it’s the most exciting play in the game, capable of creating a turnover, shifting momentum, getting the crowd fired up, and mentally shutting down the recipient for the rest of the contest. When you’re watching as much tape as I do when preparing a rankings update, some prospects simply leave your mouth agape and saying”wow, that kid is a thumper.” It’s my favorite thing to find when grinding film, and the PRzIL 2024 rankings update left me with that feeling impressively regarding several Land of Lincoln rising seniors. To continue with our 2024 rankings coverage, we’re highlighting and breaking down the hardest hitters that make up our rankings list, as well as what makes them such a thumper, how that game translates to the next level, their recruitments, and more. This is a fun one! Hope you enjoy.
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Wheaton North’s 6’4, 250 lber. Joe Barna Joe Barna 6’4″ | 240 lbs | DL Wheaton North | 2024 State IL held a more-than-healthy offer sheet comprised of the likes of Oklahoma, Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Mizzou, Washington State, Purdue, Toledo, Kent State, Old Dominion, Tulane, Wyoming, Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio, Bowling Green State, Central Michigan, Ball State, Northern Illinois, and Iowa State before recently shutting things down and committing to the homestate Illini on June 27th. In addition to playing B1G football in the Land of Lincoln, Barna is also one of the state’s hardest hitters, which is a terrifying reality for opposing QBs who have to deal with the 250 lber. coming off the edge as a DE. The two-way starter, who earned First Team All-Dukane Conference honors last fall, absolutely crushes QBs when he makes contact. Thanks to his heavy and active hands, bend, ability to go speed to power, and general high-motor playstyle, Barna can get to QBs uninhibited and with a full head of steam, where he likes to hit shoulder pad to shoulder pad and make sure his opposition feels his full 250 pounds. I also like how he slams ball carriers into the ground full force, which can’t feel good to experience, and between the slams and the full-throttle hits in the backfield, Barna created some of the biggest collisions I saw when watching film for the 2024 update. Crushing, crumpling, and sending opponents flying are the first few descriptors that come to mind when watching him hit, and I’m scared in advance for QBs who have to feel his wrath in 2023. Barna is a strong kid who can freeze and shed blocks well while he finds the ball, can start/stop and make plays in space, and made a big impact in both run and pass defense last fall. The strength, body control, high-energy relentless motor, and hard-hitting playstyle fit in very well for future B1G play and he makes for a great in-state land for Bret Bielema & the Illini staff.
I broke down Kenwood Academy’s two-way standout and P5 prospect Mako Grant Mako Grant 5’11” | 185 lbs | ATH Kenwood Academy | 2024 State IL in depth for my recent PRzIL feature highlighting the top uncommitted rising seniors in the state, so for this feature I’ll focus solely on his prowess at the contact point. If you want to read more about Grant, his recruitment, production, offseason, and overall skillset, check out the recent article here! Grant’s second play of his junior highlights is one of the most explosive collisions I came across watching hours of tape for the PRzIL 2024 update, where the DB/LB hybrid comes from the slot, takes a couple read steps before sticking his cleat in the ground and getting upfield, and meets the opposing RB, who is spinning off another tackle attempt and is just getting his head around, with a beautiful, clean, and pure stick right in the RBs chest plate that sends the kid completely off his feet and horizontal to the turf before Grant finishes him into the turf for a final blow. If you’ve played football and laid a good shot on someone before, you’ll know that you barely feel a clean hit like that, which is not to say the opposition does, and this hit is about as clean as it gets. Grant’s build (5’11, 185 lbs.), physical strength, consistency in accelerating through contact, and natural pad level make him a bowling ball of explosive power at the contact point, and he sends opponents flying with an ease and force that I don’t see too often when scouting prospects. Additionally, he’s a heckuva prep RB who Oregon recently offered to play the position, and will lay a menacing truck stick with the ball in hand as well. There’s power, physicality, and aggression in his game, and made him an easy choice for one of Illinois’ hardest hitters. Make sure to peep that linked article for a deeper breakdown of his game and recruitment.
Massive Mount Carmel LB Parker Startz Parker Startz 6’3″ | 220 lbs | LB Mount Carmel | 2024 State IL brings great size (6’3, 220 lbs.) and high-quality competition experience into his future home’s LB room, as the Ohio Bobcat commit became a big addition to their 2024 class on June 28th when he committed to the MAC heavyweight competitor. Oh, and he’s also only 16 years old, is coming off a 7A state championship with the Caravan, and held over 10 D1 offers from the likes of Marshall, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Army, Toledo, Ball State, Miami (OH), Bowling Green State, Western Michigan, and Akron. Plus, he’s one of the state’s hardest hitters, a fact that became quite clear after watching his junior tape during the PRzIL 2024 rankings update. Startz packs a massive punch off only a couple of steps of momentum, and when that massive frame makes contact, it freezes, wrinkles, and always drives ball carriers backward, even in big-time 1-on-1 situations with RBs in holes between the tackles. The strength, size, technique, and go-hard attitude into contact is a tough mix for opponents to withstand, and he also annihilates blockers, laid big hits in the run & pass game as well as on special teams, and consistently negates positive gains once he puts his pads on opposing ball carriers. This will very much come in handy at the next level, and Startz also closes well, reads and reacts well, is comfortable in space, and can bang between the tackles or pursue out to the sideline. Additionally, he’s got some strong plays and hits on kickoff coverage, which when combined with his size should help him get college reps early. I can’t wait to see what kind of hits he pops off as he helps Mount Carmel’s quest for another state championship in 2023. Ohio got a good one!
Highlights
It’s always fun to have offensive linemen included on a list of hardest hitters, as they are the biggest and should-be-baddest players on the gridiron, with the bulk to have their way with & move opponents against their and the strength to lay massive hits no matter who is in front of them. Of all the talented linemen on the PRzIL 2024 rankings, Lake Park’s 6’3, 270 lb. OG and DT Nick Cairo Nick Cairo 6’3″ | 270 lbs | DL Lake Park | 2024 State IL was in a class of his own when it comes to hitting, and was an easy, no doubt addition to this list of Land of Lincoln thumpers. Teams such as Lindenwood and Indiana State have recognized and appreciated his affinity for contact and reached out with official offers to the First Team All-Conference selection, whose junior highlights are filled with giant hits on both sides of the ball. Even compared to the other physical standouts on this list, Cairo goes absolutely all-out into contact, driving his hands, hips, facemask, and pads up and through opponents like the Kool-Aid Man runs through walls. There’s a noticeable effort in how hard he comes into contact and accelerates and drives through opponents no matter their size or the situation. Cairo sends kids flying backward further and easier than anyone on this list and is looking for big hits at any time and any place, which includes pass protection and when working to the second level as an OG, something that is hard to pull off for offensive linemen. His body control and timing of these hits is also impressive, and when manning the DL spot he absolutely envelops opponents when he gets ahold of them and always makes sure to finish with his full weight on top of a ball carrier. It’s violent, natural, and impressive all at once, and at 6’3, 270 lb. he packs a punch most players simply aren’t capable of creating into contact. It looks like he’s trying to kill his opponents when he comes in for a hit, in a good way of course, not cheaply or unfairly. Additionally, he’s a heckuva athlete at his size, who can run down RBs from the backside out to the edge, and I’ll reiterate his body control being impressive, as he can start/stop & change direction like a LB, leading to a ton of plays made in space for the big man. He runs like a deer and hits like an F150. Seeing how football is a physical game, Cairo excels in that crucial aspect of the sport, and with the way he moves and hits, I’m surprised his offer sheet isn’t longer. Someone is going to get a game-changing presence to their O or DL rooms, you better not miss out!
Nothing grabs my attention like a 6’4 DB, and 6’4, 185 lb. safety/WR Taylor Powell Taylor Powell 6’4″ | 185 lbs | ATH East St. Louis | 2024 State IL certainly kept it once I got a look at him. Formerly at Althoff Catholic in Belleville, Powell is committed to Northern Illinois and is on my list of Illinois 2024s with the highest upside in the state, not to mention my list of the state’s hardest hitters. Those are two serious catalogs to be a part of, and to make things even sweeter, Powell has transferred to powerhouse East St. Louis for his senior year of action, placing him in prime position to raise his stock and skillset as both a prospect and player. With notable and eye-catching length and a frame capable of adding a ton more weight, Powell’s range, closing speed, and overall pace help him lay the wood in impressive fashion from his safety spot, as he can cover a ton of ground and bring a full head of steam in contact, which, when combined with his size, can create highlight-reel hits from the defensive secondary that send receiver flying and collapses them into the turf for painful-looking pops fit for a big hit compilation on Youtube. He’s a classic keep-your-head-on-a-swivel safety with imposing size who knows how to use it, and you better not think about going over the middle on this dude. He’s also dynamic, and can cover man-to-man, make people miss in the open field and 1-on-1 situations, run solid routes, and burn pursuers after the catch. There’s a ton to like and NIU got a really strong DB prospect who is about to have a big year at ESL. I get more and more excited the more I talk about him, and those hits certainly can rattle a WR and change the dynamic of a passing game for an opposing offense. PRzIL can’t wait for his senior film to start coming out.
We got some linebackers on deck to finish up this list of the state’s hardest hitters in the 2024 class, and first up we’ll be heading west to Aurora and Butterfield Road where Marmion Academy’s 6’3, 210 lber. Jack Lesher Jack Lesher 6’3″ | 210 lbs | LB Marmion Academy | 2024 State IL has been crushing opponents the past three years for the the Cadets. He now finds himself among his classes hardest thumpers, and holds a FBS offer from Akron for his efforts, as the Zips also appreciate his hard-hitting ability on the gridiron. The physicality also extends to the wrestling mat, where he won a Class 3A 182 lb. state championship this past spring. The wrestling background certainly helps in the physicality department, which you see in the opening play of his 2022 highlights, where he sticks a RB right in the chest and squashes him like the poor kid didn’t even see it coming. He hits opponents so hard he sends them airborne, can go chest to chest with powerful RBs in the hole and easily send them backward, and even has a couple wrestling-esque slams where he lifts the RB off his feet and hard into the turf on his head in WWE-like fashion. He overpowers and man handles ball carriers like they’re JV players, and is a total thumper at the point of attack and brings so much power into the contact point that even bigger TEs can’t help but leave their feet. Lesher posted 73 tackles, 2 TFLs, 5 PBUs, and 1 INT last fall and is poised for a big senior year. Nothing helps make a big hitter like a wrestler!
Highlights
We’re heading back to the offensive side of the ball but moving into the backfield for our next PRzIL 2024 hardest hitter. At 6′, 230 lbs., St. Rita rising senior RB Derrick Stewart Derrick Stewart 6’0″ | 230 lbs | RB St. Rita | 2024 State IL packs a heckuva wallop and brings a rare physical presence to the RB position. Playing against some of the best competition Chicago and Illinois have to offer, Stewart set an aggressive and explosive tone for his offense at the point of attack that I’m sure his OL loves to block for and emulate. Stewart posted 233 carries for 1,362 yards and 9 TDs in 2022, and those were tough yards, as the 230 lber. is a classic downhill, North-South runner who seeks out and dominates through contact with the ball in his hands. He’s able to absorb and deliver hits like a varsity RB against middle schoolers, which is how he makes would-be tacklers look in his junior highlights. Stewart’s so strong that kids bounce off him like those internet videos of two people running into each other with exercise balls, sending them backward and onto their butts or off their feet while looking like he’s on a simple walk through the park. He’s got a truck stick like a F250 Super Duty and also shows off solid burst for his size, balance, and a nose for the endzone, and a knack for finishing runs. You won’t find RBs who can move like him at his size too often, and the skillset will at the very least land him short-yardage opportunities at the next level. However, he absolutely has the ability to be a featured back in an offense, and with different programs running different running attacks, I think it’ll be vital for him to find the right place to call home at the next level. Right now, Valpo and MSU-Mankato are his lone offers, but that’ll quickly expand if he can continue his physical dominance in his senior film. No matter what, don’t get in Stewart’s way, he’ll make ya pay!
Highlights
Prospect’s massive 6’1, 225 lb. LB Grady Catanzano Grady Catanzano 6’1″ | 225 lbs | LB Prospect | 2024 State IL is next up on PRzIL’s list of hardest hitters in the 2024 class, and with his weight room prowess, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he got the nod for this heavyweight feature. Catanzano squats an impressive 605 lbs., benches 355, and power cleans 300 pounds for some eye-catching numbers going into his senior year, and Catanzano for sure knows how to put them to good use on the gridiron. The size and strength combine to make him a candidate to play early in college compared to his peers, which also equates to physical dominance at the high school level, particularly into contact. The off-ball LB does a great job of driving his feet through contact, and when he gets to the contact point initially you can see it freeze and shock ball carriers who were not expecting to get hit by a SUV on their routine run or catch. He rag dolls opponents when he gets his paws on them as well, and can and will toss them backward and aside five+ yards in powerful fashion that leaves the helpless RB, QB, or WR wondering why they feel so small and feeble. Especially if he gets a clean shot on you head-on and squared up, you’re going to be knocked backward like you ran into a wall, and you can see opponents curl up and brace themselves if they see #52 bearing down on them. Additionally, Catanzano does a good job of reading his keys, staying patient, and then triggering on the ball to destroy plays before they fully develop, closes with pace, is comfortable tackling in space, and can adjust and change his pursuit path to the ball carrier, and can shed blocks and continue upfield quickly. Culver Stockton and Valpo are his lone offers right now, but he’s got a ton of MAC and Mountain West interest who I’m sure are keeping a close eye on him and his future senior tape. Going to be a big fall for #52!
Highlights
We’re sticking with the LB position but heading back to the powerhouse CCL for Marist’s 5’11, 200 lb. tackle machine Duke White Duke White 5’11” | 205 lbs | LB Marist | 2024 State IL . An 8A All-Conference pick in 2022 who posted 101 total tackles (62 solo) and an INT in 2022, and is natural low pad level, sturdy and powerful build, and general aggression going into a tackle made him a straightforward selection for the PRzIL 2024 hardest hitters going into the fall. White is very quick to find, close, and make contact with a ball carrier, and can get up to full speed in short fashion, which allows him to come into a tackle with a full head of steam and a laser-like focus on his target, which he is seeking to destroy. He plays like a heat-seeking missile on the gridiron and comes into contact with so much speed and so low that he naturally dumps and slams opponents when he brings his hips through, putting them into the ground on their back with force and menace. White also knocks ball carriers back significantly when he makes contact and is the best form tackler on this list, which, when combined with his strength and power, make for some beautiful tackles and collisions that take opponents’ legs out from under them and leave them wondering what in the world just happened. He just sticks people, and once he gets on you there’s nothing you can do. The ability to diagnose, trigger, and eliminate ball carriers is one of the fastest in the state, he plays with speed and aggression and is capable of banging it out between the tackles or pursuing out to the edge. He’s also hard for blockers to square up and uses that natural pad level to get up and under blocking attempts to continue his path to the ball. No offers yet! Someone is going to get a steal.
Don’t come over the middle on Carter Barenbaum Carter Barenbaum 6’1″ | 185 lbs | DB Grayslake North | 2024 State IL . The Grayslake North 6’1, 185 lber. owns two of the harder hits I saw from DBs while grinding tape for the PRzIL 2024 rankings update and hardest hitters selections, which included him absolutely wrecking a Grant Community WR running down the seam with an outstretched hand, where the poor kid hit the turf like concrete hitting water, whereafter he stays on the turf wondering who let a pickup truck onto the field. There’s also a great hit on a Mundelein wideout that is so clean that Barenbaum sends him more than five yards and hard into the turf without looking like he even hit anything. The rest of his highlights are reminiscent of a projectile, as when he locks on and sets his sights on a target they are in for a world of hurt. It’s exactly what you want from a safety, which will aid him greatly at the college level, and additionally the 185 lber. is a total ballhawk with great range in both run support and pass defense and can cover a ton of ground from the MOF to make plays to either hash or sideline. Barenbaum is long, always around the football, is conscious of the football and looks to force fumbles in a tackle, and possesses good speed and length. He’s an asset in both the run and pass game and holds offers from heavyweight DII and DIII programs at this point. If he goes that route, he’s going to be a baller at the next level, he’s got a complete skillset and like everyone else on this list, is a total thumper.
Highlights
I’ve mentioned it before, but I have family in the Sugar Grove/Elburn/Kaneville area, and their two kids are Kaneland grads, so I spent many summers in that area of Illinois and got to know some now-graduated Knight football players while I was at it. For that reason, Kaneland is always near the top of my list of teams I root for and closely follow, and boy is their 2024 class stacked with talent across the board. In addition to their many offensive weapons, Kaneland has one of the hardest hitters in the 2024 class and a kid I would not want to go head-to-head with at 6’2, 230 lb. LB Damian Wilson Damian Wilson 6’2″ | 235 lbs | LB Kaneland | 2024 State IL . Looking at him on tape, with his massive size, big shoulders, and intimidating black & silver of the Knights uniform, he’s reminiscent of old-school LBs of throwback football, and he’s got the physicality to match. He crushed more than his fair share of QBs, putting a giant lick on them initially before putting his full weight down and on top of them to finish the hit. A QB trying to finish a throw is a tasty target for a defender, and Wilson made the most of his opportunities, pulling off bone-crunching hits that left the QBs dazed, confused, and on the ground reconsidering if they still want to play football. He can easily attack and displace blockers with such force that they look like they’re 100 pounds, and absorbs and dishes out contact without looking fazed in the slightest. Wilson can rag doll, physically dominate, and overpower opponents in 1-on-1 tackling situations as well as anyone in the state of Illinois.
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