Class of 2025 "My Guys" (Defense)

I'm finally releasing my My Guys article for defense. Last week, I highlighted my list of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/05/class-of-2025-my-guys-offense/">most under-valued offensive players</a> in the class of 2025. Today, I'll be listing my top 6 most undervalued defensive players. Today, I've got a couple of EDGE rushers, a linebacker, and several DBs to shout out.   ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='298951' first='Christopher' last='Murphy']-Ware | East Kentwood | <a href="https://twitter.com/ware_murphyc">@ware_murphyc</a>   5'11" 175 - 0 offers   [player_tooltip player_id='298951' first='Christopher' last='Murphy']-Ware is my #1 most undervalued player in the entire class of 2025. I've seen this guy make play after play time and time again on Friday nights and during the Winter 7on7 season. A few months ago, I watched Chris light up the Legacy 7on7 league as a receiver and defensive back. That said, I think Chris could be an elite player on either side of the ball, and he should be getting recruited by Division 1 programs. Tomorrow, I'm confident that he'll get some GLIAC looks at the MHSAA camp at Jenison. Later this summer and into the fall, I wouldn't be shocked if Chris landed several MAC offers.   Just going off memory, Chris is an insanely twitchy and explosive athlete. As a receiver, he has extremely quick breaks and runs the entire route tree with phenomenal precision. He has a wide catch radius and is great at earning yards after the catch. As a defensive back, Chris is highly reactive, plays tight man coverage, and plays the ball extremely well. His film truly doesn't do his game justice. Although most of his tape is at receiver, I like his stuff as a DB the most. I'm incredibly excited to tell college coaches about Chris tomorrow afternoon.    EDGE | [player_tooltip player_id='602430' first='Kade' last='Friesen'] | Rockford | <a href="https://twitter.com/Kade_Friesen1">@Kade_Friesen1</a>   6'2" 235 | 0 offers   According to resources provided by Tracking Football, Kade earned a 4.1/5 MAX Score at our recent combine (think RAS score but High School. In other words, Kade had the 2nd-best testing numbers of anyone at our camp. His 4.60 40-yd dash is in the 95th percentile of linebackers, and his 4.34 Shuttle places him in the 74th percentile. He's one of the best athletes to ever attend a Prep Redzone Michigan camp, and he shows it on tape. Kade's tape shows a ton of great run-stopping ability. He sets the edge incredibly well, and he has the athleticism to accelerate quickly and layout for a tackle.   Kade has a few question marks. First, he's still a bit raw when it comes to pass rush. Even though he earned runner-pp MVP DL honors at our camp, I noticed Kade struggle to recover if his first pass rush move didn't succeed. His feet were also moving way faster than his hands on certain reps. This is a bit of a nitpick since he's definitely a well above-average pass rusher, and he'll have every opportunity to develop in college. His height is also a bit short to be an elite EDGE. Regardless, Kade should be a high-tier GLAIC prospect, but I would not be shocked if a MAC offer came his way either.    EDGE | [player_tooltip player_id='899581' first='Keaton' last='Abraham'] | Gaylord |<a href="https://twitter.com/KeatonAbraham54"> @KeatonAbraham54</a>   6'2" 220 (self reported) | 0 offers   Someone HAS to jump on Keaton this offseason. Even though Gaylord found massive success last season, they're still a program that rarely receives a ton of recruiting attention. He's a high-effort EDGE rusher who has active hands and good athleticism. Keaton made a couple great plays in the playoffs against the eventual champion Forest Hills Central. In that game, he impressed me with his motor and active hands. Keaton needs to work on his initial pass rush, but he does a good job staying with it and eventually shedding the block. Keaton has a pretty high ceiling, and I think he'd be a phenomenal addition to any MIAA program. I look forward to hopefully watching Keaton at a camp in the next month.    LB | [player_tooltip player_id='602179' first='Nolan' last='Vis'] | Unity Christian | <a href="https://twitter.com/nolan_vis">@nolan_vis</a>   5'11" 220 | Offers from Hope and Olivet Nazarene   Nolan is one of the most underrated players in the entire 2025 class, and I can't believe he only has two offers thus far. Now, I say he's a LB here, but he could play a variety of positions in college. Right now, he starts at RB and LB for Unity Christian.   At our Prep Redzone MI Combine Series, Nolan tested and performed incredibly well. Although his height is well-below average for a linebacker, his weight is in the 61st percentile, and that's all good muscle weight. On top of that, Nolan's 4.56 40-yd dash lands him in the 97th percentile. His shuttle is also well above average, in the 68th percentile.   There isn't any doubt that Nolan is very well-built, and his athletic numbers are outstanding. His on-field performance proves his stamina and overall playmaking abilities. This dude has been a game-wrecker in the OK-Blue, and I'm extremely excited to see what he'll do against better competition in the OK-Gold. As an off-ball linebacker, Nolan is reactive and has the speed to stop the outside run and go sideline-to-sideline to make a play. His reaction time on inside runs is a little hit or miss, but most of the time Nolan diagnoses the play quickly and works through blockers to make a tackle. Speaking of tackling, I think Nolan could work on wrapping up a bit more.   Nolan is one of those guys who is working to reach his full potential. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who works as hard as him, and my gut tells me that a GLIAC team will pick him up.   (Percentiles come from one of our partners, <a href="https://www.trackingfootball.com/">TrackingFootball.com</a>)    DB | [player_tooltip player_id='899621' first='Chris' last='Little'] | Groves | <a href="https://twitter.com/chrislittle_21">@chrislittle_21</a>   Offers from GVSU and Wayne State   Chris received an offer from Wayne State a few months back, and last week, he received an offer from Grand Valley State. Last season, Chris earned all-state honors while posting 7 interceptions against some elite competition. Playing in the OAA White, Chris faced off against a few elite passing offenses including Harper Woods and Southfield A&T (also two state champions).   Chris is an outside corner who plays a lot of off-man. His biggest strength is that he's able to stick onto his man while reacting to the QBs eyes, like a safety. Even though he's playing outside DB, Chris is able to react extremely quickly to the thrown ball and is commonly able to earn PBUs and interceptions on receivers he isn't even covering. Chris is also a highly impressive receiver who has a quick release and an insane catch radius. Considering his athleticism and instincts, Chris should receive Division 1 attention. As long as he shows good stuff in press man at camps, Chris will earn a D1 opportunity.    DB | [player_tooltip player_id='265646' first='Drew' last='Rankin'] | Northville |<a href="https://twitter.com/DrewRankin8"> @DrewRankin8</a>   5'10" 175 | Offer from Kent State   It took me a little bit to be fully sold on Drew, but I am fully all-in on Drew as a D1 college DB. He's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen and has proven athletic ability. Late last year, Drew put up a 4.59 shuttle, 102-inch broad jump, and 6.91 L-Drill. His tape explains the rest. Against proven receivers, Drew locked on and made some phenomenal plays. His week 1 against Clarkston was the biggest breakout game of his career, as he locked down a future B1G 10 Tight End. Over the past few years, Drew has improved tremendously in the areas of patience, foot speed, ball skills, and leadership. He's also very well-repped in man coverage.   Drew holds one offer from Kent State, and I'd expect him to land somewhere in the MAC when he's ready to commit.      Other players I love but need to watch again in-person   - [player_tooltip player_id='602426' first='Isaac' last='Poot'] (Safety, Rockford)   - [player_tooltip player_id='602030' first='Jack' last='Ferguson'] (LB, Walled Lake Northern)   - [player_tooltip player_id='602238' first='Adrian' last='Rankin'] (LB, Muskegon)   - [player_tooltip player_id='602239' first='Darekeo' last='Speech'] (LB, Muskegon)

I'm finally releasing my My Guys article for defense. Last week, I highlighted my list of the most under-valued offensive players in the class of 2025. Today, I'll be listing my top 6 most undervalued defensive players. Today, I've got a couple of EDGE rushers, a linebacker, and several DBs to shout out.