Twitter Film Analysis: Players to Know Before the Season Ends
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We are nearing the end of the regular season for high school football in Virginia. Since I began my role with Prep Redzone midway through this high school season, I wanted to cover some players I may not have the…
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Continue ReadingWe are nearing the end of the regular season for high school football in Virginia. Since I began my role with Prep Redzone midway through this high school season, I wanted to cover some players I may not have the chance to watch live this season but are making impacts for their teams. I specifically focus on four seniors who have yet to make college commitments and a young sophomore who is making big plays at quarterback.
Jaelyn Allen
Jaelyn Allen
Jalen is a multiple-position athlete for the Spartans and has received offers from Cincinnati, Marshall, and Richmond so far, and I expect more will come. As a junior, he was named First Team Linebacker and Second Team Tight End on the All-River Ridge District teams and First Team All-Region Defense. He has continued to be dominant in his play as a senior this year.
Tight End
Jalen has solid height for a TE and good weight. He is a threat in the run and pass game for the Spartans. As a blocker, he is dedicated to technique. He has very good footwork, is quick off the ball, and does not take false steps allowing him to create good positioning and leverage against his defender. At the point of attack, he can quickly engage with one or both hands in his initial hit, and then refit them into the block. From there, his physical toughness and drive take over allowing him to finish the block. As a receiver, he comes out of his stance in the same manner as if he was run blocking, but has a burst of acceleration into his route to create good separation quickness. He has good ball tracking and adjust to throws, and runs with good physical toughness after catch the catch.
Linebacker
Jalen has very good height and weight for a linebacker. He has good instincts and is strong enough to play on the EDGE and athletic enough to play off the ball. He can fight through blockers and has very good tackling where he wraps up and drives through the ball carrier. He can be a difference-maker on the defense, and in a game against Franklin County this year, he had double-digit tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a sack.
DJ has been receiving a lot of attention from D1 Schools but has yet to decide on where he will attend. I believe he will find a home at an interior OL position at the college level, and he has very good height and good weight for that. DJ wins with his strength and physical toughness. He may not be the most athletic offensive lineman you see, but he can get himself into position to overpower his defender and pave the way for his running backs. As a pass blocker, he is patient and keeps a good half-man relationship, and does not overset or lunge.
Simeon Moore
Simeon Moore
Simeon is a three-sport athlete for Magna Vista and a dual position player as QB and DB for the football team.
Quarterback
Simeon is a dual-threat QB whose ability should not be ignored. Standing at 5’11”, he has marginal height for a prototypical QB, but he has very good athletic ability and his Hudl film shows very good throw accuracy from the short screen pass to the deep ball. He also runs a listed 4.5 40-yard dash, and his speed shows in his film.
Defensive Back
The film shows Simeon as an off-coverage Cornerback. He does a good job of keeping his hips sunk in his backpedal and reacting to the QB and the WR’s route concepts to make a play on the ball. He is a willing tackler and can come up and fill a run lane and make the tackle or force the RB inside toward pursuit.
Simeon is only a sophomore and is putting up great numbers, and his team is 7-0 on the season. Teams should take notice of Simeon over the next two years.
Jerel Rhodes
Jerel Rhodes
Jarel is a team captain for North Cross and a playmaker on the field. He has received two Division 1 offers and his film indicated that he should have more.
What sticks out is his very good athletic ability. He has very good acceleration, change of direction, lateral agility, and foot speed and quickness. He also displays very good physical toughness, willing to lead block for his North Cross’ other star RB Kam Johnson Kam Johnson 6’0″ | 215 lbs | RB North Cross | 2024 State VA (see below), and also plays special teams kickoff coverage, kick returner, and defense. As a runner, he can make small elusive moves to force missed tackles while not losing speed and runs with aggression.
Jarel should be on more teams’ radars who are looking to add a running back.
We have featured Kam in two articles previously and he is the top-ranked 2024 RB in Virginia in our rankings. So far he has only received one Division 1 offer from VMI in addition to some non-Division 1 offers. He is the power back of the North Cross backfield that he shares with Jarel Rhodes. He has solid height and very good weight. His running style will wear down a defense, he is relentless and tough to bring down. He has good foot speed and acceleration and can break away in open field from the defense. Arm tackles will not bring Kam down, and multiple defenders are needed to make the tackle.
I would expect to see more offers come in for Kam due to his physical style of running which can a benefit to any offense.