2026 Offensive Players with Something to Prove

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earning a Varsity role as a Sophomore is a major accomplishment. As a sophomore, it's more than enough to do your job. As an upperclassman, that's where you need to show significant improvement. Oftentimes, the most important offseason is the offseason between Sophomore and Junior year. These five prospects I write about are all players who had good sophomore seasons, but have a bit more to prove next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["566978"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Brother Rice may be going through some growing pains, but at least they have their QB. Brady doesn't have as much to prove as Brother Rice as a whole, but if Brother Rice wants to return to being a State Title Contender, then Brady needs to play well. So far this offseason, Brady has been among my top standouts. In a controlled 7on7 setting, Brady passes the football with great velocity, accuracy, and at times great timing and placement. He looked like a D2 type of quarterback at Legacy. This coming season, he'll have every opportunity to prove himself as a prime college prospect. I'm curious to see his performance against the big-time defenses of the Catholic League.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["324060"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Hayden was an extremely promising and talented running back who I loved the film of early last offseason. This past season, he was utilized a lot more in the slot and the wildcat. It's apparent that Hayden was the focal point of the entire Eaton Rapids offense. He still has very good athleticism. I like what he's able to consistently do in the open field, and his speed is good. Though, he really needs to work on his vision and contact balance. Vision is oftentimes improved with more reps, patience, and watching film. With contact balance, Hayden likely needs to gain some muscle and adopt a more aggressive running style. In order for all that to happen, he needs to start yesterday. I still like his potential, but I would love to see improvement next season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1225779"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I see a lot of potential in this three-sport athlete playing TE. At De La Salle, you've already proved plenty if you break the starting lineup. His size immediately stands out as ideal for a Tight End prospect. He shows promise in blocking and athletic ability. His blocking is already more polished than some Power 5 Tight End's I've watched in the past couple years. Colleges want you to be a fierce on-ball player, and Zack is that. Playing three sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball), he's in shape year-round and his lateral quickness shows up on tape. His twitter looks like Football is his #1 sport, and if he wants to become an elite Tight End, he needs to focus on putting on muscle and improving in the pass game.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1225707"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Owen is going to generate a lot of hype this offseason as long as he attends a few camps. He's a big WR who's completely new to the position. Although he's new to the position, he shows awesome talent. He already knows how to use his size to box out DBs before he climbs the ladder for a difficult catch (body control is tough for a lot of taller players). His routes look promising, and I'm generally extremely optimistic about East Kentwood as a program. Owen will have a lot to prove in turning his offseason hype into in-season production, but I think he can do it.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1148698"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Last on this list is [player_tooltip player_id='1148698' first='Ernesto' last='Botello']. The younger brother of [player_tooltip player_id='253307' first='Miguel' last='Botello'], Ernesto has a lot of the same elite traits as his brother. You want to talk about gap blocking, Ernesto blocks his gap and opens up running lanes like no other. His first step and initial contact is awesome. If he gets a good hit on you, it's far more likely you end up in the dirt than making a tackle. Still, Ernesto needs to prove himself against speedier linemen and against stunts. He also needs to prove that he's a reliable pass-blocker during the offseason. I'm confident that Ernesto will solidify his own legacy at Muskegon. But for him to earn the D1 offers I feel he's capable of, he'll need to work hard year-round.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-660882bd843a2"} /-->