PRZCJ’s Stock Risers of the Week: Week 10
In this article:
Tripp Nix HEIGHT 5'11" POS QB CLASS 2025 Tripp Nix School: White County White County fell short to Lumpkin County in heartbreaking fashion, 61-55. Regardless, Tripp Nix stepped up and performed at a high level against an undefeated squad, totaling…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTripp Nix
Tripp Nix
White County fell short to Lumpkin County in heartbreaking fashion, 61-55. Regardless, Tripp Nix stepped up and performed at a high level against an undefeated squad, totaling 7 total TDs on the night. Nix is a dynamic QB prospect who can get things done with his arm and with his legs. He has a quick release and is capable of tight-roping the ball into small windows. Against Lumpkin County, his arm strength and ability to step up in the pocket gave him the chance to fire the ball between the hashes. He also got outside the pocket, attacking the flats. Either way, he threw the ball with good velocity and hit his receivers in stride, giving them room to run after the catch. Nix is a gifted runner who can make things happen once he gets in space. On Friday, he flashed some patience and finesse as a runner, letting his blocks develop around the goal line before jumping across the plane for 6.
Bland has been producing all year, but his explosive performance on Friday against Denmark raised his stock even higher. Bland is a smaller RB, but he plays several roles for Lambert and is a threat to score on every snap. Bland is a speedy scat back, showcasing the ability to outrun defenders and quickly rack up yards when he hits the open field. Against Denmark, he showcased the knowingness of when to bounce the ball outside vs when to stay between the tackles. He might not be a physical force running up the gut, but he is capable of squeezing running lanes and flashes impressive moves in the short area when he goes against LBs and other next level defenders. As a receiver, his route running ability out of the backfield is what will be his major selling point to college coaches. He does an excellent job of making quick cuts and moves to get defenders off-balance and then taking advantage of the leverage he creates as a route runner. He is a natural pass catcher as well, sticking the ball out of the air, tucking it away, and quickly getting vertical. Bland has had an incredibly impressive junior season and has set himself up to receive major recruiting attention between now and the 2025 signing day.,
Highlights
Corey Watkins Jr
Corey Watkins Jr
Watkins is a leverage based runner who completely exploded against Loganville, rushing for 369 rushing yards and totaling 4 total TDs, including 3 on the ground. His leverage comes from his build. He is a thick 5’8 190, naturally built as the low-man and as a result flashing good contact balance. Watkins isn’t a burner, but he is extremely patient and elusive, stacking moves as he navigates to open field. He has the ability to stop on a dime and quickly jump across the face of defenders, resulting in weak tackling attempts and giving Watkins another open lane to run through. Watkins also showed some receiving upside, again catching defenders off guard by quickly changing direction in his route and getting behind the safety. He then made a TD grab in a crowd. Watkins is built like a bell-cow back. He can take on contact and create his own yards when needed. After his explosive showing, he is certainly someone who will be on my radar going forward.
CJ Wiley CJ Wiley 6’4″ | 200 lbs | WR Milton | 2025 State GA has already solidified himself as a bonafide P5 WR prospect, but somehow, he elevated his stock even more with a record breaking 254 receiving yard performance. Wiley is well-documented as an elite “traits” prospect. He comes in around 6’4 200 with room to grow, flashes good speed for his size, and is capable of expanding his already large catch radius even more thanks to his leaping ability. Against West Forsyth, he looked the part of an elite athlete that has started to tie the finer parts of his game together. He is always a mismatch downfield and will win by way of jump balls. However, on Friday, he showed that he is more than capable of running underneath routes and working back towards the QB. As he continues to stack these performances while also flashing the elite athleticism that has gifted him numerous P5 offers up to this point in his career, he is only going to see his stock soar going forward. It’s hard to find many 2025 WRs in the country that check the boxes quite like Wiley.
Highlights
Newkirk is just a freshman, but his performance on Friday sounded some recruiting alarms as he rallied off numerous explosive runs while also flashing some athleticism. Newkirk is still blooming in his physical development, sporting a super wiry frame. He is a tough runner who plays with absolutely no hesitation. Once he has the ball, he quickly routes himself to an area of the field where he can explode past defenders. There is a lot of horizontal movement in his game, but he shows the discipline to pick out a running lane and get vertical when necessary. Newkirk relies mostly on his speed to make plays right now, but he showed the ability to finish runs by lowering his shoulder and by jumping over tackles to will himself into the endzone. As he starts to grow physically and hones in on his technique, he will grow into a more complete back and will likely yield some college attention as a result. He has a certain moxy and swagger as a runner that most freshman RBs don’t have.