4 Jarring ATH Recruits In The 2026 Class

<p>Today we're looking at 4 fantastic 2-way players with great size and production early in their careers and why schools should be looking their way more moving forward.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1178520' first='Tyler' last='Ruxer'] - Heritage Hills - ATH - 6'4" 210lbs</h2>   <p>Ruxer is an impressive big play threat on the offensive side of the ball who can go up and over defenders easily for the ball. He's lengthy, has good speed, and can get behind the defense. He was a big part of the Heritage Hills offense this past season and 1 of those unsung heroes who helped get them to state. He's more of a straight line runner right now, but he could develop a nice route tree down the road. I can see him being moved to the end of the line as a TE, but he's also such a weapon on the outside it's hard to pull him away from being able to dominate smaller DBs. His scrappiness in the running game willing to block is just another reason why I think he stays on the offensive side. And while it was good to see his potential on offense, I really appreciate his effort on defense. Even as a gunner on Special Teams, he'll run down the ball carrier to prevent the house call. Ruxer is unique because at 6'4", they've got him playing DB, but he thrives on the outside. He's got good instincts, knows when to come downhill, and then has incredible length which can eliminate windows downfield. On the year, Ruxer put up 27 catches for 454 yards and 9 TDs and 48 tackles, 3 inteceptions, and 7 passes broken up. I'm fairly impressed with Ruxer and hope that he can continue to develop, because last year's Heritage Hills team was special and Ruxer was a part of that.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@TylerRuxer</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1178517' first='Trevor' last='Gibbs'] - Crown Point - ATH - 6'3" 230lbs</h2>   <p>Well, sometimes you flip on the tape and know immediately you're onto something special. Gibbs is as impressive as any younger recruit in the state and he's already making "wow" plays. Last season, he was Crown Point's utitiy weapon and he's a good one. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I love a good FB/TE who can change the game as a receiver, be an impact blocker, and juice up the team by doing the simple things and that was Gibbs to a T. He had 1 of the most impressive 1 handed grabs of the year where he reached out, snagged the ball, kept full momentum forward, took a big hit, bounced off, and rumbled for another 10 yards. He's fast for his size and off the line fairly quick so he's able to slip behind the LBs and create those gaps. As much as a weapon as he's developing to be in the passing game, he's arguably more valuable in the running game. Rep after rep he's blowing guys off the ball and seemingly without much effort from his part. He clears them out and looks for more contact. Gibbs is a high effort highly talented player that makes offenses go, and it's as simple as that. </p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@TrevorGibbs18</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='484766' first='Brady' last='Schickel'] - Mount Vernon - ATH - 6'3" 205lbs</h2>   <p>Schickel is a fantastic athlete who has been terrorizing quarterbacks against him since he stepped on the field Week 1 as a freshman. He's relentless, has a big frame, and an explosive athlete for his size. He's able to get home in more than one way. He's able to win inside, outside, and can come from either side of the line. I don't have a statistical pull from his sophomore season, but I do know that he put up 32 tackles and 12 sacks as a freshman. He only improved on that as a sophomore across the board. He's clearly in the weight room and since the start of the season has put on more muscle while continuing to get more explosive. He's one of those recruits that some schools already know about and are hoping go unnoticed, but Schickel. I've got him listed as ATH solely because he could do some damage with the ball in his hands. He's a good athlete and if they ever wanted, they'd have a phenomenal TE prospect as well. If not, he's still quickly turning into one of the best pure pass rushers in the state. With over 25 sacks in 2 years paired with his explosiveness and frame, Schickel should be on every board moving forward.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@Brady25391063</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1178518' first='Josh' last='Ranes'] - New Palestine - LB - 6'1" 220lbs</h2>   <p>Truth be told, Ranes isn't really an "ATH" in recruitment, but I wanted to stick him in with the other 3 in this piece because I felt like he fit perfectly. Ranes is a bigger bodied recruit in terms of thickness and being able to dish it out at or near the line. He's not afraid of contact, he's downhill in a flash, and he plays with a ton of confidence. He's young, but has a fantastic sense of awareness on the field. He's much more explosive than you'd expect for a guy who plays at the second level. He also has some background playing RB because of that same breakaway speed. While he didn't play any last year, it was primarily because he earned his way into starting on the defensive side of the ball. Both he and his brother are LBs in the '26 class for New Pal, and they both had breakout years. Garrett we covered previously, and today is Josh. What I like about them is they both are productive, but have different play styles. Josh has great range and kind of gives that hyrbid player vibe, but he's so good near the line that it's impossible to pull him further back than the 2nd level. 88 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 16 hurries for Ranes is what he put up during his 2023 campaign. He's promising, talented, and on the right path to developing into a premier LB for 2026.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@JoshRanes24</strong></p>

Today we're looking at 4 fantastic 2-way players with great size and production early in their careers and why schools should be looking their way more moving forward.