Rising Sophomores Trending Toward D1 Offers

<p>This article features five athletes who have gotten little college attention so far but could go as far as going D1 in the future. A few of these predictions are longshots, but a few of them I'm quite confident in. So, here are five rising sophomores trending toward D1 offers! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='568188' first='Drew' last='Esper'] | Traverse City West | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15154630/Drew-Esper/about">Hudl</a></h2>   <p>Esper was one of those guys at the top of my "watch in person" list. I saw him a few days ago at a scrimmage, and he did not disappoint. Honestly, Drew wasn't the biggest or even most athletic man on the field, but the thing that separated himself from the pack was unwavering confidence and great IQ. Offensively, Drew was able to make subtle moves to get around guys, and he always kept his feet moving through contact. Defensively, I was extremely impressed by his instincts and unfearful style of play. Even though he's going into his sophomore year, he went toe to toe with Seniors with D1 offers and impressed me a ton. If Drew stays on this trajectory, then I am confident he'll earn himself Division 1 opportunities. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='422578' first='Jesse' last='Phillips'] | GR Union | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17404283/Jesse-M-Phillips-Jr/about">Hudl</a></h2>   <p>I've been keenly aware of the rising talent over at Union for a while, and [player_tooltip player_id='422578' first='Jesse' last='Phillips'] may be the best of the bunch right now. Right now, his best position is at DB/S. When I've watched him this offseason, Jesse is excellent in coverage and has great instincts to go up and make plays. The 0:11 mark in the highlights below shows this perfectly, as he's able to jump the route and take it to the house. As Union continues to face great competition, keep an eye on Jesse in the secondary. He also plays RB, and I feel like his athleticism will translate to the position though I'd love for him to put on more muscle. Regardless, Jesse is a player who could 100% earn D1 offers later in his high school career. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='420250' first='Rylee' last='Armbrustmacher'] | Groves | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17936948/Rylee-Armbrustmacher/about">Hudl</a></h2>   <p>Groves has been a sneaky-good team in terms of talent and record. Rylee is a rising star in the receiving core with good athleticism and catch radius. His various offseason highlights show dominance in 7-on-7 situations both on offense and on defense. The highlights below shows his catch radius, and he has many more highlights like that on Twitter. Knowing how Groves develops their skill players, Rylee could be a D1 talent soon.</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/RArmbrustmacher/status/1635020844400513031 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TE/WR/ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='762939' first='Joshua' last='Hammonds'] | Groves | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17936900/Joshua-Hammonds/about">Hudl</a></h2>   <p>Hammonds has everything he needs to be a future Division 1 football player. For starters, he has great size, especially for a sophomore at 6'2" 200lbs. He's also a lacrosse standout and has a 3.44 GPA (Twitter). His current highlights showcase dominance at the JV/Freshman level, but his Twitter shows a lot of insanely promising stuff at Legacy. He's far from D1, but he's got the size and playmaking ability to get to that level if he stays the course. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">RB | [player_tooltip player_id='568050' first='Jakoby' last='Lagat'] | Goodrich | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16271320/Jakoby-Lagat/about">Hudl</a></h2>   <p>I love Jakoby's upside. Playing some Varsity last season, Jakoby is a powerful running back and linebacker who is not afraid to hit. His film showcases phenomenal power and good speed, mostly on the JV level. Outside of film, Jakoby has had an awesome offseason with 7on7, camp, and weight room work. There's a reason why I have Jakoby ranked as the #2 RB behind only [player_tooltip player_id='206418' first='Jayden' last='Terry'], and that's because I see phenomenal potential and trajectory with Jakoby. Look for Jakoby to be a full-time varsity starter this season! </p>

This article features five athletes who have gotten little college attention so far but could go as far as going D1 in the future. A few of these predictions are longshots, but a few of them I'm quite confident in. So, here are five rising sophomores trending toward D1 offers!