Some of WA’s Fastest Rising Prospects (2024) DEFENSE

Some of WA&#8217;s Fastest Rising Prospects (2024) DEFENSE

Jordan Johnson July 28, 2023 @ 05:40 PM

With the 2024 PRZ Rankings just being updated and released, it's always interesting to see which athletes made the biggest jump, and what they bring to the table. Have a look at a few individuals within the top 100 and where they are ranked now.       Complete 2024 WA Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/washington/rankings/2024-rankings/">https://prepredzone.com/washington/rankings/2024-rankings/</a>         DEFENSE         #27 [player_tooltip player_id='915278' first='Bryson' last='Ross'] 6-3 180 DB Eastside Catholic    Ross had a phenomenal off season on the camp circuit, adding offers from the likes of UNLV and Nevada. His play at multiple collegiate showcases had coaches comparing him to Boise St standout JL Skinner and others. He has gone somewhat under the radar with all the talent at Eastside but that looks to be changing.    #37 [player_tooltip player_id='915283' first='Brenton' last='Handsford'] 6-3 240 OLB Capital    Just a big, physical kid, who can move. Capital struggled going 3-7 on the season but Handsford was a problem for opponents, typically beating double and even triple teams. Both App State and Montana have offered the big man as you can expect numerous other universities to get in the mix over the next few months.    #52 [player_tooltip player_id='338815' first='Antone' last='Araujo'] 6-1 190 FS O'Dea     O'Dea is just flat out loaded. Araujo garnered a lot of Ivy League interest, receiving offers from Penn and Dartmouth, after earning 1st team all-conference honors at free safety last season. The Irish will feature double digit D1 offer athletes and likely a #1 ranking within Washington.     #68 [player_tooltip player_id='449558' first='Landon' last='Schafer'] 6-2 190 DB/ATH Anacortes    Everyone is aware of the Beaner kids and how well Anacortes did last year finishing 9-2. That said, Schafer is a physical presence in the secondary and can also be a primary weapon on offense to boot. Expect him to have a monster senior campaign   #73 [player_tooltip player_id='915303' first='Owen' last='Prinz'] 5-10 175 CB Bishop Blanchet    Prinz averaged close to 5 tackles per game with multiple INTs and PBUs last season. His offer a few weeks ago from Valpo helped solidify all his hard work. He will be listed among the top defenders in the Metro Conference.    #77 [player_tooltip player_id='643371' first='Cage' last='Sommerville'] 6-0 170 DB Chiawana   Look for Sommerville to be a POY candidate within the conference on D. He helped Chiawana go 10-1 last season, picking off multiple balls while being an extremely physical safety and a force stopping the run.    #87 [player_tooltip player_id='115348' first='Adrian' last='Shields'] 6-1 215 LB Seattle Prep   Shields has good film and will team with 6-7 D1 bound lineman [player_tooltip player_id='643347' first='Chris' last='Lino'] to give the Panthers a shot this coming season. He will have to play lights out if they want to compete within the conference against the likes of O'Dea and Eastside Catholic.    #100 [player_tooltip player_id='338845' first='Aisake' last='Liu'] 6-4 250 DL Auburn Riverside   For the last two years Liu has been a big contributor up front for the Ravens. He has the ability to play on the interior while projecting as more of an edge rusher. He has one of the biggest upsides of any D lineman in WA.