Blue Crossbowl Sleepers: DII-A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday, I made the two-hour trek down to Chattanooga for the DII-A state championship. It was a fun matchup between two talented squads. Ultimately, Middle Tennessee Christian pulled away in the second half and won the game 28-13. Today, I wanted to look at some of the game's top sleepers. These are young men who haven't seen a ton of attention on the recruiting trail just yet, but I think deserve more praise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Middle Tennessee Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>RB: [player_tooltip player_id='150295' first='Eli' last='Wilson'] [player_tooltip player_id='150295' first='Eli' last='Wilson'], 5'11" 2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can stop and start on a dime with no wasted steps. Shows quality top-end speed, shake in space, and a gamer mentality on the field. Made big plays for MTC on both sides of the football and won the game's MVP.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>LB: [player_tooltip player_id='1089076' first='Brooks' last='Jones'] 6' 190</em>, <em>2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Super sudden and a thumper that plays with no fear. Jones scrapes down the line with his pads square to the line, he has good overall range and can detach from blocks at the point of attack. He plays like a banshee and will give you everything he's got for four quarters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>DE: [player_tooltip player_id='855039' first='Harris' last='Haynes'], 6'5" 230</em>, <em>2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This kid has a good-looking frame and the bend to go with it. He can dip &amp; rip around the edge, he's quick to slice inside on twists, and will get his hands up if he can't get to the quarterback. He consistently wins the hand placement battle and fights to get lockout before shedding blocks in the run game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>OLB: [player_tooltip player_id='1089073' first='Seth' last='Harris'] 6'4" 200, 2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Moves well in space and has the body control to make tough tackles in the open. He's got a sporty feel to him and could play multiple positions at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Friendship Christian </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>OL: Jayden Buchanan, 6'5" 310, 2027</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This young man has a ton of upside and is just a freshman. He moves well for a big man and shows adequate balance &amp; body control. He's got a bit of a nasty streak to him and has no issues displacing second-level defenders. He's a division one talent in my eyes as a guard and I think colleges will come calling soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>RB: [player_tooltip player_id='1027726' first='Tyson' last='Wolcott'] 5'8" 160, 2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This kid played his heart out and left it all on the field. For a smaller back, he runs extremely hard, he's got a strong upper-half that he uses to throw overpursuing defenders by, and is quite slippery through congested areas. He catches the ball out of the backfield well and has the creativity to make something happen on his own. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->