The CMS Best – Defensive Linemen

Matt Morrow August 22, 2023 @ 10:01 PM

The CMS Best series highlights the best players in the 20 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools in Charlotte. In this edition, we will be looking at the best Defensive Linemen in this group – a group that can get after the quarterback, as well as shed blocks and slow down the run game.   [player_tooltip player_id='719690' first='Charles' last='House'] - North Mecklenburg   A dominant defensive tackle, House has offers from Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Florida, and Virginia Tech among many others. At 6'5 and 295 pounds, he moves with great speed off of the football at the snap. Using that quickness, he ties it well with his hands and can instantly shed blocks in the interior of the defense in the run game. He also can transition well to pass rush and push the pocket from the interior with great strength. He has a couple of well-executed pass-rush moves in his arsenal also. He is a Class of 2025 Prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='941794' first='Elijah' last='Littlejohn'] - West Charlotte   A Class of 2026 prospect, Elijah stands at 6'2 and 210 pounds. You may wonder what makes him one of the best in Charlotte? Well, outside of the fact that he has already been offered by Michigan, he has excellent quickness off the edge of the defense. His frame is one that will easily add weight as he gets older, and he is advanced further than most players in his class already. In his first game of the season, he had 8 tackles, 2 sacks, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. Any defensive lineman making that impact in Game 1 deserves to be on this list.   [player_tooltip player_id='964927' first='Eli' last='Anders'] - Hough   A Class of 2024 prospect, Eli also had a standout game in Week 1. He had 6 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and a sack against a highly-rated 5A school out of South Carolina. He is a Class of 2024 Prospect who stands at 6'4 and 230 pounds. He committed to play college football at Georgia Southern earlier this summer. He has a great get-off when speed rushing versus offensive tackles, and can execute a rip move through the tackle's shoulder to get immediate pressure on the quarterback. He also does a good job of maintaining leverage and keeping his outside arm free in the run game.   [player_tooltip player_id='693045' first='Ian' last='Coleman'] - Butler   Holding offers from Boston College and Charlotte, this Class of 2025 prospect will be a major key on the defensive line for the Bulldogs this season. Coming off of a 10-sack season last year, Coleman does a great job of using a strong and quick first step to win from his defensive end position to get pressure on quarterbacks. Coleman is strong enough in the run game to be an impact and not a liability when run plays come right at him. At the next level, I'm sure coaches will be excited about his size and frame and he could potentially add weight to become a more versatile player all over the defensive line.   Tavarus Boone - Olympic   At 6'4 and 240 pounds, Boone is a Class of 2024 prospect who currently holds an offer from Alabama A&M. Boone is a true 3-down defensive lineman, and I think he can play on both the interior and the end positions on the defensive line. He uses his hands to play off of blocks well in the run game and shows great motor to make plays downfield and chase down ball carriers. He shows a good rip move versus offensive tackles when rushing the passer, and has very good speed in short spaces to get sacks and hits on the quarterback. A bit of a sleeper prospect at the moment.

The CMS Best series highlights the best players in the 20 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools in Charlotte. In this edition, we will be looking at the best Defensive Linemen in this group – a group that can get after the quarterback, as well as shed blocks and slow down the run game.