2025 Ranking Review Watchlist

Another late night at the film factory as the Prep Redzone Kansas Team continues to plow through players and make sure the coming ranking updates are as spot on as possible. Not only is there a disciplined revisiting of the players already ranked, but a concerted effort is made to flush out and assess as many future stars flying under the radar and unranked as possible.   And, in keeping with my process of burning the midnight oil looking for the best and the brightest the Sunflower state has to offer, I will also be introducing you to some of the players that catch my eye along the way. These are guys that just seem to jump off the tape as I conduct my assessments. In many cases they are players I wasn't even looking for in the first place.   Players rising to the occasion...   And as competitive as the high school football landscape is you have to optimize every opportunity and occasion. Listed below are the guys that stood out the most in my latest review session.   These are the Tuesday Five.   [player_tooltip player_id='1115733' first='Damarion' last='Shaw'], 6'1, 225, DE/DT, Junction City, is ranked #53. He is coming off a solid junior season when he gave the rest of the league a view of things to come. Lining up coming off the edge or as a 5-technique in Junction City's 3-4 look, he has a superb blend of quickness and power. He has a quick first step and good read and react skills flowing to the football. He has excellent hands that he uses to chop up double teams and pound blockers into submission. He has good body control and bend coming off the edge and is a smothering tackler in open space. He has good wheels for his size and flows laterally well, particularly fighting through traffic and absorbing hits while still making the play on the other side of the field. He is a formidable anchor along the defensive front and is peaking at the right time.   [player_tooltip player_id='868976' first='Connor' last='Herman'], 6'3, 265, OL/DL, Halstead, is ranked #178. He is a three-year starter coming off a junior season when he let the league know he was just getting started. Although he can play any of the lineman positions along the offensive front, he was particularly effective as a powerful left tackle who piled up over 100+ knockdown blocks and pancakes a year ago. He has a strong base with a wing span just under 80 inches, quick feet and balance and moves well in space. He has a powerful initial strike where he gets under pads and moves the defender at will. He is a piledriver blocking down on run plays and once he locks in he will drive relentlessly from snap to whistle. He is a mauler of a blocker in pass pro and walls off the perimeter. He delivers a blow on impact and has no qualms about hitting defenders in the mouth. Definitely need to get out and see this kid in action, he is the real deal.   [player_tooltip player_id='442621' first='Owen' last='Perkins'], 6'3, 230, DE/DL, Blue Valley North, is ranked #132. He is coming off a solid junior campaign when he contributed 22 tackles, 3 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. A versatile defensive lineman, he can bust up plays coming off the edge on the perimeter or can play down inside and control the line of scrimmage between the tackles. He is particularly effective at splitting double teams and blowing through gaps to destroy plays before they even get started. He fires out hard and fast, flows laterally seamlessly and in response to misdirection very well. He hammers defenders right off the snap, using his strong base and hands to jack blockers in the jaw. Coming off the edge he is strong enough to manipulate blockers but also has good speed for his size when chasing down running backs in space. Get out and see this guy dominate this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1159647' first='Jaden' last='Cohens'], 5'10, 175, CB/RB, Goddard, is currently unranked. He is coming off an excellent junior season that indicated there would be great things to come in the 2024 season. He can play any of the defensive backfield positions, but is most suited as one of those athletic lock-down cornerbacks, who can consistently shut down the opposing team's best receiver. He has good speed, weaponized hands and responds to misdirection with exceptional quickness. He flips his hips and moves laterally with every move the receiver makes. He has great closing speed and even when a receiver gets a step on him he is able to quickly make up the distance. His read and react skills are very good. He scans the quarterback and scheme and collapses on the play in the blink of an eye. He is also a hitter, going in low and hard like a torpedo to take out the runners legs. Get out and see a top-flight shut-down corner in action this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1223954' first='Ty' last='Marbery'], 6'5, 205, WR, Ft. Scott, is currently unranked. He is coming off a standout junior season and is a reminder that even some of the best players sometimes fly under the radar through no fault of their own. He is currently unranked but that won't be the case for long. He is a prototype wide receiver with outstanding length and athleticism who is moved around to force mismatches in the secondary. He runs good, disciplined routes, has excellent soft hands and is fearless over the middle, but where he puts fear in the defense is when he accelerates deep down the seams. He has a huge catch radius and when he goes up to the apex point of the pass he rarely comes down without the ball. He is deceptively fast, dangerous after the catch and is almost impossible to stop in the end zone. Get out and see one of the best wideout's in the state this fall.   In conclusion, these guys will be playing in college soon so get out and see them excel while you still can. And, as usual, if you have questions, comments or want to pass on any names of players flying under the radar feel free to DM me via X.

Another late night at the film factory as the Prep Redzone Kansas Team continues to plow through players and make sure the coming ranking updates are as spot on as possible. Not only is there a disciplined revisiting of the players already ranked, but a concerted effort is made to flush out and assess as many future stars flying under the radar and unranked as possible.