My Top 7 Breakout Candidates of the OAA Blue

<p>Over the past 24 hours, I published my evaluations on 26 brand-new prospects in the OAA Blue. Out of those 26 prospects, 7 stood out to me as the most promising of the bunch. This article will feature these seven players, and I'll discuss what makes them stand out and what they need to do in order to achieve a breakout season. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 C/DE | [player_tooltip player_id='1298755' first='Max' last='Kruger'] | Seaholm | <a href="https://x.com/Max_Kruger117">@Max_Kruger117</a></h2>   <p>6'0″ 200</p>   <p>As I mentioned in Hudl Discoveries #50, Max dominated the JV scene in 2023 and I have a great feeling about his potential heading into his first Varsity season. His film shows consistent aggressive, physical play as a defensive end. Max's getoff is already more explosive than the vast majority of Varsity D-Linemen I watch. In addition, he's already more physical than most defensive linemen. Everything from his block shedding, physicality, pass rush, athleticism, and motor are well above-average. Seaholm has developed some great defensive linemen in years past, and I fully expect Max to have a great season, and I fully expect him to earn college offers within the next year. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 SB | [player_tooltip player_id='1298735' first='Will' last='Forberg'] | Seaholm |<a href="https://x.com/willforberg"> @willforberg</a></h2>   <p>6'0" 180</p>   <p>Although Seaholm graduates the bulk of their top players on both sides of the ball, they are returning one of the best 2027 prospects in the entire OAA. It's rare to earn Varsity time as a freshman, and it's even rarer to earn Varsity time on a team with a stacked senior class. Currently, Will shows phenomenal athleticism and feel for the game. "Feel for the game" is immeasurable, but turning on the film, you can just tell his natural instincts are off the charts. If Will was a 2024 prospect, I'd say he's deserving of Division 3 college attention. With a ton of continued work with his strength and athleticism, Will could be an elite Division 2 prospect at the very least. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 RB | [player_tooltip player_id='1298748' first='Michael' last='Jones Jr'] | Oak Park | <a href="https://x.com/6MikeJonesJr">@6MikeJonesJr</a></h2>   <p>Michael is another young prospect who has an incredibly high ceiling. You can't coach effort, and it's very difficult to coach physicality and contact balance. Already as a freshman, Michael showed amazing physicality, contact balance, and overall explosiveness. Turn on the film. If Michael can keep a consistent work ethic over the next 3 years, then he could easily develop into a Division 1 prospect. Time will tell. Regardless, I'm highly anticipating his Sophomore campaign. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 LB | [player_tooltip player_id='1298732' first='Carter' last='Kulinski'] | Farmington | <a href="https://x.com/CarterKulinski">@CarterKulinski</a></h2>   <p>6'1″ 200</p>   <p>Although his tape is short, I like Carter's current size and play speed. It seems like he was utilized as a rotational piece in the Farmington defense last season. However, with the 2024 graduating class, I hope that Carter is able to earn more opportunities to be a full-time Varsity starter. His tape shows good IQ in addition to motor. He can scrape, work through blocks, and attack gaps quite well. I'd love to see a full starting season from Carter because I think he has the potential to be a phenomenal linebacker. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 DT/OT | [player_tooltip player_id='1298716' first='William' last='Reed'] | Oak Park | (No Twitter Found)</h2>   <p>6'4" 245</p>   <p>If his height and weight are accurate, then William could easily be an elite D2 or great MAC prospect in a year's time. Playing on the interior, William sports a phenomenal getoff and further impresses with his strength and physicality. He has several highlights demonstrating an aggressive style of play, pushing offensive linemen backward and consistently getting into the backfield. In addition, he has a great motor and he doesn't seem to give up on any play. Super high ceiling for William, and I fully expect to see improvement heading into this fall. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'27 WR/S | <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1185143' first='Mason' last='Hitchcock']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/mason-hitchcock/"><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a> | Bloomfield Hills | <a href="https://x.com/mjhitchcock08">@mjhitchcock08</a></h2>   <p>6'4″ 165</p>   <p>If anyone were a "boom or bust" prospect on this list, it would be Mason. Now, I don't think that's a positive or negative thing to say. In fact, I think Mason has a very high ceiling, especially considering his advertised athletic traits in addition to his size. Last season, he showed some flashes, but it was still apparent that he was a freshman. His film showed that he can get a lot of touches, but he generally lacked the IQ and on-field athleticism needed to convert explosive plays. I love his potential as either a tall, rangy safety or a physical / deep-threat wide receiver. I expect to see vast improvements in 2024, and if he can consistently improve over the next few seasons, Mason will be one of the top prospects in the OAA Blue. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">'26 ATH | <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1148721' first='Terrance' last='James']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/terrance-james/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a> | North Farmington | <a href="https://x.com/T_james2026">@T_james2026</a></h2>   <p>5'9″ 160</p>   <p>Terrance is an extremely intriguing prospect. In my view, his sophomore season tape showed solid athleticism out of the backfield and in the screen game. He also showed some promising stuff as a returner. However, he must be performing extremely well this offseason because he just received an offer from Miami (OH). This Fall, I fully expect Terrance to take a massive step up in all phases. I'd imagine his testing times are quite good, and I truly hope he can showcase his full potential come August. Moving forward, Terrance is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated players to watch in the entire OAA. </p>

Over the past 24 hours, I published my evaluations on 26 brand-new prospects in the OAA Blue. Out of those 26 prospects, 7 stood out to me as the most promising of the bunch. This article will feature these seven players, and I'll discuss what makes them stand out and what they need to do in order to achieve a breakout season.