Breakout Candidates in the OK-Red
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The OK-Red may be the best league that gets the smallest amount of attention. This is a huge 8-team league with great Division 1 schools and boundless college talent. For part 1 of standouts, I’ll be going over a few…
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Continue ReadingThe OK-Red may be the best league that gets the smallest amount of attention. This is a huge 8-team league with great Division 1 schools and boundless college talent. For part 1 of standouts, I’ll be going over a few players from Rockford, Grandville, and East Kentwood.
QB | Drake Irwin Drake Irwin 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Rockford | 2024 State MI | Rockford | Hudl
The 3rd QB in just as many years for Rockford, but please don’t brush that off as “Drake isn’t good.” I’ll be the first to say I was dead wrong about Mac VandenHout last season. I thought- okay, here’s another athlete at QB; he’ll do fine, but he’ll be inconsistent. Mac proved me wrong immediately, and I won’t make that same mistake with Drake. I have seen Drake throw the ball a few times, and he’s looked great. The Rockford Coaching Staff is phenomenal at player development, and Drake quickly went from someone I didn’t know to someone I’m quite high on. It is still unclear just how good Drake will be, though he threw the ball as accurately and as consistently as lots of Division 3 prospects I’ve seen.
DL | Jaxson Engelberg Jaxson Engelberg 6'2" | 260 lbs | DL Caledonia | 2024 State MI | Caledonia | Hudl
Jaxson played well last year. He was a good defensive lineman with a decent understanding of the game, and he did well. This offseason, he’s worked his tail off, and I believe he could be a major breakout star. Specifically, he looks way better with pass rush. Jaxson uses his hands quite well and has demonstrated good bend a few times, something I had not seen from him before. Excited to see what he brings to the table!
DB/RB/ATH | Elisee Kanda Elisee Kanda 6'0" | 200 lbs | DB East Kentwood | 2024 State MI | East Kentwood | Hudl
This is a super easy pick for me. Elisee was another guy who I think did super well last season, but this offseason has been unreal for Elisee. First off, he’s transformed his body and has gained a ton of muscle. Elisee is a whole lot more powerful while only getting better athletically. He’s going to play a lot of RB this season, and I believe he’s ready for it, and he’s going to thrive. I’ve also seen some instances of leadership from Elisee, and he’s overall a very outgoing, bubbly, and funny individual.
T | Rylan Granderson | East Kentwood | Hudl
As long as Rylan has kept up with football over the spring and summer, he’ll be a greatly improved player. He’s got the size. At 6’3″ 300, he’s big enough to play at the next level. His film shows great power with him manhandling some linemen once he gets his hands on them. Overall, I feel he was off-balance way too much last season. He seems to have cleaned that up during a few offseason camps, and I hope that shows into this coming season. If Rylan is able to clean up some fundamental work, he’ll be great.
QB/ATH | Cash Ruff Cash Ruff 6'4" | 205 lbs | ATH Grandville | 2024 State MI | Grandville | Hudl
The more I watch Cash and research his offseason, the more I love what he’s doing. Cash is the heart and soul of the Grandville offense. He’s an incredibly well-built and conditioned athlete who is perfect for any option offense. He’s not going to get the college attention he deserves based on the offense he runs, though with what I’ve heard of Cash’s work ethic, he’d develop extremely well in college.