2025 Watch List Spotlight: OL (Pt. 4)
The 2025 Rankings were updated to 125 total players ranked in the class back in January but many more are on the Watch List. These Watch List players will eventually enter the rankings in the future and are names we…
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Continue ReadingThe 2025 Rankings were updated to 125 total players ranked in the class back in January but many more are on the Watch List. These Watch List players will eventually enter the rankings in the future and are names we will be watching closely next season. Here are some OL not currently in the rankings who you should keep an eye on in the fall.
Versatile Scott junior big man Zach McNeely Zach McNeely 5’10” | 275 lbs | OL Scott | 2025 WV lined up at nearly every offensive and defensive line spot and even some fullback last season for the Skyhawks and returns as an important piece to their potential run to the new Class AA state championship in 2024. The compact 5’10 275 McNeely is an undersized but stout jumbo athlete who could play several positions at the next level depending on how colleges view him as a prospect. I like him as an offensive guard prospect the most McNeely got both guard and tackle reps last season as a junior and did some good things at both spots but should be able to excel at guard and is best suited at that position. He’s a strong physical player who’s a talented run blocker but also gets a ton of pass-pro reps in Scott’s spread offense. Being able to play tackle at his stature bodes well for him at the next level as he’s able to move his feet and should be able to naturally pull and trap at guard in college. Size limits his ceiling, but McNeely is a prospect whom D3 programs should be targeting in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Highlights
A Class A 2025 offensive line prospect name to know on our Watch List is Madonna’s Logan Brown Logan Brown 5’11” | 280 lbs | OL Madonna | 2025 WV . The 5’11 280 big man helped lead the Blue Dons to a 1,500 rushing yard season including 2024 QB Chase Littleton Chase Littleton 6’3″ | 195 lbs | ATH Madonna | 2024 State WV ‘s 1,000 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns senior campaign. Brown saw time at both guard and center in 2023 and has the versatility to play either at the next level. He was also a very productive player on defense at DT totaling 52 tackles and 5 TFLs as the Blue Dons’ 5th-leading tackler last year. Typical of small schools in WV, Brown is ahead in his run-blocking ability compared to pass pro but they still produced a 1,000-yard passer so he did also see plenty of reps in pass protection. Brown has the ideal size and frame for a D3 guard prospect and I expect him to receive ample attention from schools at that level during his senior year. Footwork and agility are areas he can improve on over the offseason, but Brown showed quality strength and physicality in his junior film. I thought his work along the defensive line was also solid and may even be able to play there as well at the next level. Brown earned First Team All-OVAC honors in 2023 and should repeat that accolade as a senior.
The Man Hillbillies posted quite likely the biggest offensive line unit in 2023 and has a solid core of that group returning in 2024. That returning group includes 2025 big man Levi Rakes Levi Rakes 6’4″ | 260 lbs | OL Man | 2025 WV who lined up at right tackle last season. Rakes has quality size at 6’4 260 with plenty of room to keep filling out his bigger frame and could play himself into getting some D2 looks during his senior year. Rakes is a raw prospect but flashed a lot of upside and potential on his junior highlight tape. He moves well for an athlete his size and showed quality quickness and agility last season. They tasked him with pulling and blocking in space on screen passes often in 2023, and Rakes showed he has the athleticism to play at the D2 level if he continues developing his game. His best football days are ahead of him, but there’s a lot to mold and work with there for a college program with a potentially high ceiling.
North Marion’s Gabe Bland Gabe Bland 6’1″ | 255 lbs | OL North Marion | 2025 State WV was a pleasant find when he got his junior highlights posted after our last round of evaluations during the winter. The 6’1 255 junior was part of a talented offensive line group for the Huskies in 2023 which saw them reach the Class AA state title game. Bland manned the right tackle spot for them last season where he showed some quality things, but I like him a lot as a guard prospect at the next level. He showed quality lateral quickness at tackle and appears to be a good overall athlete for an offensive lineman on film. Bland can pull from his tackle spot effectively showing more evidence that he can be a very good guard prospect in college. You could often find him making blocks 10+ yards downfield on his tape, and I loved the effort and tenacity that he plays with. You can also tell that he plays with an edge to him and enjoys being physical and pushing defenders around. If he can continue getting bigger I think Bland’s ceiling is high and a likely D2 college prospect when it’s all said and done. He’s a good candidate to enter our 2025 rankings when the Spring update is posted on the first of April.
2025 OL Luke Miller Luke Miller 6’0″ | 215 lbs | OL Wheeling Park | 2025 WV took over the center position for the Wheeling Park Patriots in 2023 as a junior helping pave the way for a prolific offense that totaled 3,700 yards and 36 points per game. Although he’s undersized at 6’0 215, Miller didn’t allow that to prevent him from having a successful junior campaign. Undersized linemen like him are always tough matchups for opposing big men as he’s able to get under them easier and has the upper-body strength to move them from his throwing training on the track & field team. You could see a definite size advantage from some of the defensive linemen Miller was facing last season, but he handled them well while often giving up several inches and 50+ pounds. That’s especially impressive at a tough position like center for undersized linemen and even more with zero-techs lined up over him. At 6’0, he does have enough length to eventually put on the size required to play OL at the next level if he wants to play football in college. Sprint Football could also be an option for linemen in his size range if he can get under 200 pounds. Whatever he decides to do after high school, Miller’s play on the field is noteworthy, and a quality player who showed good ability even at a smaller size.