Breakout Skill Players of C/O 2025 Pt.2

As I work tirelessly on updating the 2025 Rankings, a handful of players stand out as being breakout candidates for this upcoming season. For the most part, these players are underrecruited with extremely high upside. Here are five more players I expect to have phenomenal senior seasons!    Last season, Sams put up extremely respectable numbers. 1197 yards, 14TDs on 10.1YPC is great, but I think Dwataye was scratching the surface. That said, I don't love his 2023 film. I thought he didn't make the most out of a few of his carries, and I thought his overall athleticism could have been better. Tough, an offer from Wayne State plus impressive testing numbers prove that Dwataye's ceiling is high. It looks like he's been putting in the work this offseason, and I fully expect him to add to his 2023 numbers in 2024.     Spoiler alert: Jadon will be RANKED during the next update. In fact, he'll be ranked relatively high, considering the lack of college attention he's received. Baseball may be his #1 sport, but that doesn't mean he could also be a college prospect at Quarterback. Serving as QB1 for any MAC Red team is no joke, and [player_tooltip player_id='899488' first='Jadon' last='Ford'] found a lot of success last season. Namely, I love how fast the ball gets out of his hands, both in terms of ball speed and play speed. There are countless instances where Jadon utilizes the quick game exceptionally well, and he has the throw power to get the ball where it needs to be in an instant. With another step up this season, don't be surprised if Jadon earns D2 attention at Quarterback.     While I don't think Will is the best fundamental football player, his athletic traits propel him to being a D2 prospect. Turn on the tape and watch Will's speed. On deep routes, Will explodes out of his stance and consistently burns opposing DBs. He's also utilized in the quick game as a speed-in-space player. There, he's able to quickly turn upfield and outrun most defenders. The athletic traits are there, but if he can improve on his route running, hands, IQ and more, then Will could be one of the most improved prospects of the year.     Every year it seems that Lansing Catholic has a few intriguing prospects. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of watching [player_tooltip player_id='1298763' first='Xavier' last='Luea'] at the Western Michigan camp. He was one of the most impressive receivers at camp, tested pretty well, and I can't believe he wasn't on my radar until now. What stood out to me most at camp were his route running and hands. Xavier isn't the most athletic receiver in the world, but his fast feet and good understanding of leverage allowed him to consistently earn separation against the best DBs. Furthermore, he had some of the best hands at camp, consistently coming down with contested catches. It's only a matter of time before colleges catch on to his abilities, and a breakout senior season should bolster his stock quite a bit.     Hunter may be the biggest shock of the offseason so far. I've frankly never seen such a talented Quarterback playing 8-man football. Training alongside a few QBs I know, Hunter consistently performed best in drills and showcased great throw power, accuracy, and consistency. Once the competition portion began, Hunter made countless phenomenal throws to all parts of the field. Even against tight coverage, Hunter placed the ball right where it needed to be. Like most small-school QBs, Hunter's IQ and fundamentals aren't where they need to be. If Hunter can improve in these aspects like I think he can, then he could see himself earning D3 or maybe even a GLIAC offer.

As I work tirelessly on updating the 2025 Rankings, a handful of players stand out as being breakout candidates for this upcoming season. For the most part, these players are underrecruited with extremely high upside. Here are five more players I expect to have phenomenal senior seasons!