5 Sleepers Who Impressed In Week 1

<p>One of our major purposes here at Prep Redzone is to identify sleeper prospects that are outplaying whatever their recruiting status is. There were numerous sleepers that impressed me in week 1. Here are a few that caught my eye. </p>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='227215' first='Jordan' last='Triplett'] </em></strong>- ATH - 2024 - Frederica Academy</p>   <p>Triplett, an Air Force commit, exploded during week 1, totaling nearly 400 yards of total offense including 352 on the ground. Triplett manned the QB position in week 1, but he has the stout 5'11 210 frame to be a hard-nosed runner at the collegiate level. Triplett isn't a speedy runner, but he relies on his elusiveness and physical presence to make plays in the run game. He can easily shed off poor tackling attempts and keep his lower body churning to move the pile. In 1v1 situations in the open field, he has an effective stiff arm in his arsenal used to put defenders on the dirt. Triplett navigates traffic well, showing the ability to quickly redirect his body horizontally and keeps his eyes up to locate running lanes downfield. It's difficult to project where Triplett will stick at, but he has the elusiveness, vision, and physicality to hold his own between the tackles. His week 1 performance suggests he will be an extremely productive rusher this fall. </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/jbtriplett4/status/1692889581710942223?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Carson Wilson</em></strong> - WR - 2024 - Parkview</p>   <p>Wilson is often overlooked thanks to the sheer amount of talent that Parkview rolls out at WR. However, Wilson is making a name for himself and looks the part of a reliable playmaker. Wilson is a thin 5'11 170 and is the clear archetype to do most of his damage after the catch in the open field. He has good speed and change of direction which allows him to create his own space by making defenders miss. He plays with good spatial awareness, playing with eyes in the back of his head and navigating through traffic efficiently without sacrificing yards. Wilson showed the speed to take the top off the defense, which gives him value in the deeper part of the field. When you turn on the tape from last year, you will see a crisp route runner who can slip right beneath soft coverage and make his way to green grass. You will also see a guy that can get right up in the grill of DBs and lose them with one quick jab. Wilson has several FBS offers and should see his offer list grow with an impressive senior 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/CarsonW848/status/1693086766339678411?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='618658' first='Jaden' last='Howard']</em></strong> - ATH - 2025 - Grovetown</p>   <p>Howard is a dynamic two-way player with some juice in his pads. Howard went over 100 yards on the ground and punched it in the endzone twice. Howard rides blocks well while the play develops, then he attacks the opening with aggression and scampers hard downfield. He is a north and south runner who has the burst to lift and separate from defenders, but he possesses the lateral agility to make the first guy miss and get defenders off-balance. Howard is a downhill tackler from the S spot, putting up 8 tackles on the board during week 1. Similar to how he plays the RB spot, he puts his foot in the ground and flies to the ball with violent intentions once he gets a firm read on the football. Howard's upside as an RB is intriguing. If you don't catch him in the backfield, he can be a dangerous rusher once he gets going north and south. </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/Jaden3Howard/status/1693173331715862591?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='411240' first='Austin' last='Guest']</em></strong> - QB - 2025 - Creekview</p>   <p>This past weekend, Guest tied together all the physical tools that we were already aware of and put together his best all-around performance to date. Guest put together 282 total yards of offense and 4 total TDs, including 143 yards on the ground. Guest, who is one of the best runners in the state at the QB spot, showed the ability to ride his blocks through the first level then kick things into another gear and trot away from defenders. His stout, RB-like frame allows him to shrug off tacklers and absorb contact well. As a passer, Guest made what could be the best throw of his career, throwing a fadeaway pass across the field right into the basket of the receiver. Guest is an exceptional athlete who can make plays with the ball in his hand. However, his marksmanship is underrated and he has proven capable of making some of the hardest throws on the field. </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/1692977844320624897?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1186985' first='Luke' last='Metz']</em></strong> - ATH - 2025 - Mill Creek</p>   <p>Metz is a physically impressive prospect who wore a lot of hats week 1. The 6'3 210 pound junior spent time at LB, DE, TE, and also ran down the field on kickoff duty. Metz is still fairly raw and has room to fill out, but he plays with a physical edge and moves well for his size. He looked the most natural at LB, showing the ability to locate the RB in the backfield, mirror his movements, and take good angles to the football. He also got after the QB as a blitzer, flashing his pursuit skills. Metz also lined up at DE and TE where he was able to showcase the physical side of his game a little more. There is a chance that Metz grows into an EDGE-type prospect. At some point, his athleticism paired with his size could make him a dynamic size-speed prospect coming off the edge. Until then, he is a prospect with some intriguing upside and is certainly worthy of your attention throughout the year. </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/lukeMetz25/status/1693282471809286241?s=20 </div></figure>

One of our major purposes here at Prep Redzone is to identify sleeper prospects that are outplaying whatever their recruiting status is. There were numerous sleepers that impressed me in week 1. Here are a few that caught my eye.