5 Defensive Hidden Gems From Week 1

<p>Each week, prospects across the state will produce at a high-level and receive little to no media attention. My job each week is to bring some hidden gems to the table that impress on Friday nights. Here are a few impressive defensive hidden gems from week 1. </p>   <p><strong><em>Josh Anderson</em></strong> - 2024 - DB - East Coweta</p>   <p>Anderson is one of the impact players for East Coweta and made his mark this past weekend in a big way, totaling nearly double-digit tackles in a win over Starr's Mill. Anderson holds D1 offers, and he certainly looks the part, standing around 6'0 180 with long arms and an overall athletic frame. Anderson is quick on his feet and dissects the run game well, showing the ability to mirror the ball carrier and let the play come to him instead of getting antsy and overpursuing. He strikes a little high, but he strikes with enough force to knock ball carriers off their feet and has the length to tangle them up when needed. Anderson spent most of his time around the line of scrimmage, but one would have to imagine that his footwork and ability to read and react translates to playing in space as well. By the looks of it, Anderson is always putting himself in the right position to make plays and has the natural instincts needed to produce at the S spot. Anderson received all-region honors last season and is well on his way to putting up similar numbers as a senior. </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/Joshanderson23_/status/1693627249545585052?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Gabriel Falade</em></strong> - 2024 - LB - Lanier</p>   <p>Falade is a dynamic EDGE rusher who flashes some serious pass-rushing upside against South Forsyth. Falade doesn't check typical D1 boxes for EDGE defenders at 6'0 215, but he has 33.25-inch arms and has the bend, plethora of moves, and pursuit to get after the QB. Falade did an excellent job of baiting blockers and making them pay by running right by them when they reach or by slipping off the inside/outside shoulder once he gets them off-platform. Falade also threw in a spin move and some arm action to further overwhelm blockers on certain reps. Similar to a WR at the top of his route, Falade showed excellent flexibility and change of direction while attacking the blocker and ultimately created enough space for himself to operate. When you have a defender who lacks major length, this is a huge attribute that can compensate for such a thing. At the top of his rush, he gets north and south once he clears the blocker and begins his pursuit of the QB. He runs hard and is generally a good athlete, which makes him dangerous once he is clear of traffic. Falade picked up a small-school offer last month and is someone that I will be tracking closely throughout the rest of the season. </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/CJacksonPRZ/status/1694037759739023777?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Quavion Pitts</em></strong> - 2025 - DL - Langston Hughes</p>   <p>Pitts made an impact on national TV this past weekend as Langston Hughes edged out a classic win against Carrollton. Pitts is a stout 6'1 235 who is best against the run. He competed all night with his opposition, winning and losing some reps. However, in the final drive, he stepped up by nearly recovering a fumble and also disrupted the final game-winning attempt from Carrollton. On top of that, he made some decent plays against the run earlier in the game. As you could imagine, Pitts is an edge-setter who can seal off the outside simply by pushing the blocker backward. He also has the ability to collapse running lanes from the outside and make the world close in around the RB, if you will. His skillset doesn't translate well against the pass, but he did show the ability to rush off the outside and has the ability to get a lot better in that category. I expect Pitts to be an unsung hero for Langston Hughes this year and improve each week as he gains more experience. His first test against Carrollton was a pretty good one. </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/PittsQuavion/status/1693591962551558399?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Sam Anderson</em></strong> - 2025 - ATH - Calvary Day</p>   <p>Even though his future is likely at LB or S, Anderson slid down to play EDGE/DE in week 1 and still produced despite playing out of position. As you could imagine, his speed coming off the edge frequently flustered the QB and was too much for blockers to overcome. He packed a surprisingly strong punch for a 6'2 prospect coming in at 195 pounds, gaining leverage on blockers and ripping through them when needed. He was skinny enough to slip right between blockers, which gives him some inside pass-rushing presence. Perhaps what is most important when evaluating Anderson is his range, since his speed is on bigger display on those snaps. He showed the ability to come from the backside and navigate through traffic to get after the QB. He also took good angles to the football and maintained outside leverage. Simply put, Anderson has the sideline-to-sideline speed that will allow him to cover a lot of ground once he slides back to LB or S. For now, Anderson is viewed as a defensive athlete with projectable traits to the next level. </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/samandersons16/status/1672598957489364992?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='275973' first='BuddyRow' last='Garrer']</strong></em> - 2025 - DB - Aquinas</p>   <p>Garrer has been turning heads on the camp scene for the last few years, and it appears his junior season may be the year where he really plays himself onto the radar. Garrer is a gifted athlete with outstanding speed, instincts, and explosiveness. On top of that, he also plays with a physical edge. In week 1, we saw a S prospect who was able to shift his momentum to come downfield to jump routes and make physical plays against the ball carrier. We also saw a prospect who could play centerfield and run sideline to sideline to make plays on the football. Garrer has shown in the past that he is capable of playing WR, and the ball skills certainly translate. Garrer can do it all in the secondary. He can sneak up on WRs by sitting in zones over the middle of the field and can also close the distance between himself and the football in a hurry. Garrer turned heads in week 1, but it's clear that he has a big season ahead of him and will be a true stock-up guy to watch for the rest of the year. Garrer holds an offer from Marshall, and it certainly won't be his last. </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/BuddyRow0001/status/1671104731853324291?s=20 </div></figure>

Each week, prospects across the state will produce at a high-level and receive little to no media attention. My job each week is to bring some hidden gems to the table that impress on Friday nights. Here are a few impressive defensive hidden gems from week 1.

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5 Defensive Hidden Gems From Week 1

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