Must See Section V Football Players in 2024
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More players coming into the 2024 season that you will want to see. These players all had some impressive 2023 tape that they put on display for all to see. Check out a description of their play below and even…
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Continue ReadingMore players coming into the 2024 season that you will want to see. These players all had some impressive 2023 tape that they put on display for all to see. Check out a description of their play below and even click their highlights for more.
Tavion Byrd Tavion Byrd 6’1″ | 175 lbs | QB University Prep | 2025 State NY is a 6’1” dual threat QB that will be entering into his senior year next season at University Preparatory Charter. When it came to this past season, Byrd threw for 1,508 passing yards, 17 TD’s, rushed for 341 yards, and had 4 rushing TD’s. Byrd has a strong arm that allowed him to hit many deep TD’s this past season. Many times, Byrd was able to scramble out of trouble and find his intended man down the field. In the situations where Byrd had to find a man down the field, his field vision really stood out in being able to diagnose his progressions to find the correct read. This is a QB that has the speed to run away from the entire defensive unit, so defenders were always on their toes when Byrd did decide to take off. When it came to Byrd’s pure passing accuracy, he was able to make some tough throws, including some outside the numbers and into some very tight windows. Byrd did look very calm and strong in the pocket when making challenging red zone throws such as deep corner routes in the end zone. University Prep has a strong senior QB that will be leading them in 2024, and certainly is not shy to make big time plays for his football team.
The strong Shawn Blake Shawn Blake 5’10” | 240 lbs | OL Brighton | 2025 State NY is an upcoming senior that was able to handle the trenches extremely well as a center, guard, and NT for Brighton in 2023. The want and willingness to drive the opposition into the turf was tremendously consistent throughout Blake’s film. So many times, Shawn would take his block in front of him and pancake them into the turf with his pure leverage. Winning at the point of attack was off the charts for this young man, and down blocking is one of his biggest strengths in the run game. I was also amazed by the get off that Blake had off the snap of the ball, and the push that he was able to create in the run game. The pure will to win each battle, you can tell, just screams off the tape when you watch Blake make a block for his teammates. Even when Shawn had to make a pull and lead block, Blake had tremendous quickness to get to the defender. Right when Blake got to that defender on that pull block, he took him right out of the play in a second to create the lane for the ball carrier. In pass protection, to no surprise, Blake had good leverage and a strong ability to combat quick inside moves. This not only is one of the best offensive linemen to watch, but one of the best football players to watch coming into 2024.
Such a young and physical player that was a ton of fun to watch when McQuaid Jesuit went on their Section V title run this past season. Cox plays at the WR and the CB positions for McQuaid and will be entering into his junior season when 2024 kicks off. At the CB position, the pure aggression that Cox displays on the WRs when they come out of their breaks was impressive to see. Cox does have to be careful at the timing of when he grabs at WRs down the field because of PI calls, but the work off the line was great to see. You can tell that this young man wants to make every play when he is diving to swap passes down and break up passes in the end zone. Xavier does a good job at staying balanced at the point of attack with his hips and being able to turn with speed in the breaking point of receiver’s routes in coverage. One action for certain is Cox is not afraid to tackle whatsoever and came up many times to deliver big hits on RBs. This is a huge time playmaker for McQuaid’s secondary that should have a huge season.
Benjamin Newman
Benjamin Newman
An upcoming senior QB from East Rochester High School named Benjamin Newman that had a very impressive 2023 season. Newman threw for 1,922 passing yards, 27 passing TD’s, rushed for 3 TD’s, and won Section V Offensive Player of the Year. The pure passing accuracy and the fundamental of passing is all within Newman’s tape. The confidence level to hit back shoulder throws or throws outside the numbers just screamed off the tape. There really is not a throw on tape that Benjamin could not make between making throws on the run or off balanced with unbelievable touch for his age. I was even impressed by Newman’s ability to make tough throws with a defender in his face this past season. Being able to hang in there and still make a difficult throw while taking a hit showed me a lot. Receivers at countless times were getting balls that were led to them in the corner of the end zone in the perfect spot. Being able to work the pocket did show, but cleaning up his footwork is going to be a huge focus for Newman that will allow him to take that next step, especially when it comes to timing up plays with his receivers. An outstanding tape that is highly recommended checking out, and I cannot wait to see what Newman does in 2024.
Ja’yvion Sampson Ja’yvion Sampson 5’11” | 165 lbs | WR University Prep | 2026 State NY is an upcoming junior CB that played at a strong level for the University Preparatory Charter this past year and is looking to continue the same success this year. Sampson stands in at 5’10” and weighs around 175 pounds. In 2023, Sampson recorded 28 tackles, had 2 INT’s, 14 PD, and 1 forced fumble. When it comes to his pure play, Sampson has a lot of burst and pursuit to get after the ball once it is thrown his way. This is a CB that is not afraid to attack and hit his opponent. You can tell that Sampson was taught to see the ball, and to attack the football. In coverage, the ability to work back to the football by turning his head was adamant often. Being able to read the receiver was also a huge point of emphasis to not get beat deep, and it was shown across Ja’yvion’s tape. The ability to be versatile was also shown, Sampson did well in both off-coverage and press-coverage situations. What was probably one of the most impressive plays on Sampson’s entire highlight tape was when he chased an open field RB down from behind. Not showing quit and the want to win was displayed for this upcoming junior CB.
Tyler Calabrese
Tyler Calabrese
Tyler Calabrese is a sturdy piece on Canandaigua High School’s defensive line. Tyler stands in at 6’2” and weighs 225 pounds. In addition to the DE position, Calabrese did spend some time on the offensive line as an OT in 2023. Calabrese will be entering into his senior season coming into 2024, and making more electric plays on tape will be a key point of emphasis. The majority of the snaps as a DE for Calabrese came at the 5-technique on the edge, but the flexibility to be moved inside and play at the 3-technique was shown as well. One of Tyler’s biggest strengths as a DE was against the run. Filling up the gaps, containing the edge, and penetrating blocks in front of him, helped sure up plays for his fellow teammates. At the OT spot, Tyler did have snaps at both the LT and RT position. In the run game, many designed runs sent his way, Calabrese did a great job at being able to crash his block in a lateral direction quickly to create a lane for the ball carrier. Continuing to improve his strength and drive is only going to continue to help the trenches improve for Canandaigua in Tyler’s senior year.