4 Late Bloomers On the Rise

<p>Every year, there are a handful of seniors across the country who play themselves onto the radar a little late. Through the first two weeks in Georgia, there are a few that have generated a little buzz. Here are some "late bloomers" to have your eye on this fall. </p>   <p><strong><em>Trevon French</em></strong> - LB - East Paulding </p>   <p>French is an intriguing size-speed prospect who is just starting to emerge on the recruiting scene. French comes in at 6'3 200 with noticeable length. He is still thin, but he has a proportional frame with room to add mass all across his body. He is versatile enough to play as a traditional LB, line up at EDGE, and even drop back into coverage. He has the speed and range to engage receivers in the flat and has shown the ability to use his length to break up passes and make windows even tighter over the middle of the field. French isn't a thumper by any means, but he proves capable of engaging contact and strikes with intent. French is capable of striking and shedding blockers when attacking the run and sizing himself up to the ball carrier, putting himself in an ideal position to make a play on the football. He does a good job of dropping his helmet and shoulder into the core of ball carriers and driving them to the turf. When rushing off the edge, French does a good job of using his length to strike blockers and give himself space to operate. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Tre_french1/status/1691603266453328217?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Faisal Sokoya </strong>- DB - Milton</p>   <p>Sokoya has started to break through this year for Milton and is yet another active member of their already pesky secondary. Sokoya isn't a physical specimen, but he has plenty of length at 6'0 and has plenty of room to add to his 170-pound frame. Sokoya is an intelligent, reactionary defender who is consistently making plays on the football. He has the speed and mirroring capability to run with receivers stride for stride. He has the change of direction and instincts to quickly shift his momentum and come downhill or redirect himself to play the football. Off the snap, Sokoya shows really good footwork and has a good understanding of when to flip his hips and carry routes downfield. As a tackler, Sokoya is more than willing to take on blockers and can up-end ball carriers in the open field. He might not be the prospect that'll blow up playmakers, but he can hold his own physically with anyone on the field. Sokoya is simply in the right place at the right time on seemingly every snap. He will put himself in a position to consistently make plays, whether that means plays on the football or as a tackler. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/FaisalSokoya/status/1663552436517359620?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Cozzé Valentino-Meyer</em></strong> - DB - Brookwood</p>   <p>Valentino-Meyer is a long, lanky DB prospect who has started to make some noise so far this year for Brookwood. He comes in at 6'3 185 and plays a downhill, physical brand of football. He spends the majority of his time at S, where he can come downhill and strike. However, he can also slide down and play in the box where he has more of a direct impact on the run game. Valentino-Meyer comes in on the lankier side at 185, but that doesn't stop him from laying some mean contact and driving ball carriers backward. He does a good job of squaring his shoulders to the football and maintaining a firm base to launch off of when he is approaching for a tackle. He strikes with good pad level, launching into the midsection of ball carriers and generating drive from his lower body. Once fully grown, Valentino-Meyer could be a physical force in the secondary with good measurables. He will offer a lot of smaller schools a body type they don't have. He is worthy of D1 buzz and should generate some if he continues to produce. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CozzeMeyer/status/1693606017974636643?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Tyree Cook</em></strong> - WR - Osborne </p>   <p>Cook is an impressive 2024 prospect who has some intriguing physical upside and offers a unique skill set for college programs. Cook stands at a commanding 6'4 200. He is super thin at this point of his development, but he moves naturally which means he should fill out and maintain some of his playmaking abilities. Cook plays sort of a WR/TE hybrid. He does a good job of squaring up to the defender when blocking and firing his hands. However, I believe he projects as a weapon on the outside. Cook's speed and playmaking ability with the ball in his hand is worth a look. He can take a screen to the house on any given play, attacking an opening and exploding downfield to break away from defenders. Cook runs like a deer, building tons of energy and momentum downfield as he eats up grass with his long strides. When given an opening, there aren't a lot of players on the field that can catch him if they don't have an angle. In the downfield passing game, he can quickly deplete space between himself and the DB and then blow past them to get downfield. He is a three-level playmaker with upside. Cook is worthy of an FBS look due to his size and speed combination. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TyreeCook9/status/1695813565393797487?s=20 </div></figure>

Every year, there are a handful of seniors across the country who play themselves onto the radar a little late. Through the first two weeks in Georgia, there are a few that have generated a little buzz. Here are some "late bloomers" to have your eye on this fall.