Under The Radar 2025 Recruits Who Broke Out Last Fall

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today, we're looking at 5 recruits in the 2025 class who had a breakout season on the defensive side of the ball this past fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1089818' first='Kameron' last='Crawford'] - Northeastern - DL - 6'2" 220lbs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crawford just had a fairly impressive breakout season upfront and should be even better next year. He's got a strong core, can withstand double teams, and can shed blocks to get free and make the tackle at or near the line of scrimmage. His lane integrity is decent and he won't be caught out of position often. He's able to get upfield and force the quarterback out of the pocket or to step up and make something happen. While he has a strong core, his upper body needs some work, but nothing holds his game back. It's just something in his development he's working on. Nonetheless, Crawford has a nice second gear for an edge rusher and can run the play down from behind. He's a high-effort guy who could develop nicely and his 52 tackles, 13 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 3 hurries help back that belief up. Crawford is a bit raw, but he's productive and lays it all out on the field every week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twitter: <strong>@Kam58Crawford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='854783' first='Payton' last='Foley'] - Greenfield Central - LB - 6'2" 220lbs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Foley is a guy I had highlighted once last spring as a guy who I liked to take a step forward on the field during the fall. Not only did he have the season we had hoped for, but there may be more to his game and upside than we initially thought. He's versatile and quickly turned into a game-changer for Greenfield-Central this fall. He's got fantastic snap timing and can bend and be more flexible than most guys his size who rush the passer. He's also got more twitch and the ability to make those sudden cuts. Combined with his frame which naturally has a decent amount of power, it's easy to see why he took off this year. There were instances where they tried to double him to the outside, but he's quick enough that he'll win easily on the inside and get by the double team untouched. They then tried to double-team him from the inside and he just dipped his shoulder right around the tackle on the edge. The instincts are off the charts with Foley and his ability to win at the line. With 73 tackles, 19 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and 4 recovered fumbles, Foley was electric this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twitter: <strong>@PaytonFoley11</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1114299' first='Isaiah' last='Priest'] - Lapel - DB - 5'10" 170lbs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You have to appreciate DBs who have no fear of being out on an island and are very impactful players for their team. Having a guy who can play Corner and lock up a receiver and then move back to Safety and cover large areas of the field, see things developing, and make the play goes a long way for the morale of the guys around him. He's not afraid to be aggressive and take his shots at the ball, go for the strip, and put his hands on a receiver. There's a clip from this season where he's playing safety and comes up to make the tackle. Instead, he somehow rips the ball out of the receiver's hands, spins, and runs the entire length of the field back for 6. Half the play it's confusion and chaos until you realize what Priest did. He saw an opportunity and quite literally took it. He ended the season with 49 tackles, an interception, 3 passes deflected, and 2 recovered fumbles, the 1 returned for a TD. Priest put together a fantastic season on the field and his tape showcases a decent amount of untapped upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twitter: <strong>@Priest2_Isaiah</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1193932' first='Gavin' last='Rand'] - New Albany - LB - 6'0" </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While pulling Rand off of the baseball diamond may be a longshot, his baseball awareness and ability to see the field as a Catcher noticeably translates on the football field. Admittedly, he has no individual cut-ups, so everything I've looked at was via full games, but I did so because anytime I would watch a New Albany opponent, the same red #27 kept disrupting the offense. Upon looking, it was Rand and he's a fascinating player. He's not the biggest LB, and I couldn't find an actual weight, but he's built well enough to hold his own. He seems like he has a high IQ and the ability to see things being set up because he's always breaking towards the ball before it's thrown. He's not afraid to lower his shoulders and make a bigger hit as well. He controls the second level from the middle and guys react to him. He's played Varsity all 3 years, improving each year. His junior season saw 96 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a handful of broken-up passes. New Albany isn't necessarily known as a powerhouse, but like most schools, they have some good players and Rand is no different.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twitter: <strong>@Gavin_Rand</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1193931' first='Kevin' last='Getter'] - Tindley - ATH - 5'10" 200lbs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getter is arguably the most intriguing guy on this list for a multitude of reasons. First off, he's played both sides of the ball, sure so have so of the other guys, but it's the way he plays. He's grimy, he's energetic, and while he hasn't had big numbers, he's been on the field making big plays and forcing his way on the field in other spots. When he carries the ball, he lets his talent take over. He doesn't think too much, he just goes. He's shifty, he can make a guy miss and doesn't look 200 pounds until he makes contact. Then, he's able to bulldoze and gain a few extra yards. Being a bigger back, yet that explosive is very interesting. He carried the ball 44 times, put up 379 yards, and 3 TDs, but was averaging over 8.5 YPC. His vision and feet take him to the open spot. Defensively, he shows similar traits. Except when he's the defender, the ball carrier stops moving forward. 30 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, and a recovered fumble were what he did on the defensive side of the ball as a Junior. On both sides of the ball, there's a ton of intrigue and upside combined with a body that can handle a heavy load.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Twitter: <strong>@Getter1_Kevin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->