Class of ’26 Prospects to Know
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My Twitter DMs continue to come in, and in this article I continue with with my Twitter Film Analysis where I feature prospects from the class of ’25 and ’26 who have reached out or followed me, as well as…
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Continue ReadingMy Twitter DMs continue to come in, and in this article I continue with with my Twitter Film Analysis where I feature prospects from the class of ’25 and ’26 who have reached out or followed me, as well as some that I notice getting attention on Twitter. I continue to be impressed with the players I watch and look forward to featuring more in the future. In this article, I feature five new players to watch from the class of ’26.
Tristan has good height and size at linebacker. Run stuffing linebacker who plays good in downhill situations off ball, but can align on the line of scrimmage. He has good processing at the start of the play and patience to make his reads and react to the play. Shows solid range against outside runs and a good ability to evade blockers with good acceleration to get to the ball carrier and make a tackle. Shows good strength and solid explosiveness when coming downhill on inside runs with good balance to stay on his feet and defend his gap. Good tackler who you can trust to bring ball carriers down in traffic or the open field. Also plays TE for his team providing a big target for his QB and can haul in passes outside of his frame and become a powerful ball carrier who is tough to bring down.
Highlights
Brayden Strouse Brayden Strouse VA
Brayden Strouse Brayden Strouse VA
Brayden is a hard hitting Safety/Linebacker Hybrid and Fullback for Jamestown’s varsity team. He has good height and size and displays that old school mentality on defense where if you enter his area he will be sure let you know he is there with his pads. Plays best when he can be in space to read the play and utilize his speed and quickness to come downhill and make a tackle on the ball carrier. You can trust him in deep zone to cover a WR overtop, and has the physical toughness to play in the box. Be sure to keep Brayden on your radar this season.
*2023 season film available on his Twitter
Jayden Blackstock Jayden Blackstock 5'10" | 215 lbs | LB Battlefield Highschool | 2026 VA
Jayden Blackstock Jayden Blackstock 5'10" | 215 lbs | LB Battlefield Highschool | 2026 VA
Jayden has good vision and reaction to read plays at the snap keeping his feet moving and ready to attack with with solid lateral agility and acceleration to fill the gap. He displays good strength and contact balance to keep his feet while filling his gap with good tackling ability to bring a ball carrier down. Solid Zone processing in pass coverage with the ability to disrupt the passing lane and display the ability to catch the ball to make interceptions. Solid blitz ability to put pressure on the QB to rush the pass.
Joshua Lykins Joshua Lykins 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Albemarle | 2026 VA
Joshua Lykins Joshua Lykins 5'11" | 200 lbs | LB Albemarle | 2026 VA
Joshua is a versatile defender who can line up as an off-ball backer, on the EDGE, or as a down lineman. Solid processing and reaction to plays at the snap to get himself into his assignment to fill a gap with solid use of hands to keep offensive linemen out of his chest to shed the block. He is a good tackle that you can trust to bring the ball carrier down. Shows awareness in pass coverage to get his hands up and deflect the ball. His versatility will see him across the field this fall and is one to watch.
Gavin Binns
Gavin Binns
Gavin is a Running Back and Defensive Back for James River. He displays good Burst as a running back, showing patience in the backfield and utilizing his good lateral agility and change of direction to make a cut and accelerate through the hole with solid balance. He is a shifty runner with quick feet to make a move on second and third-level defenders and displays breakaway speed that will outrun most defenders he faces. When blocking breaks down, he displays good ability to create yards to form a positive play. He also is willing to lead block showing good physical toughness. On defense, he plays in a deep Safety role with good range and ball skills in pass coverage.
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