'25 New Additions - Seven High-Upside Athletes (ATH)

The "ATH" Classification covers many of the most versatile football players in Michigan. During this update, I added multiple dozen athletes to the rankings. This article will cover many of the highest-ranked New Addition athletes!    Jaden is one of my favorite new additions to these rankings, and he's deserved an extremely high ranking. I've watched hundreds of WR/DB highlight tapes, and I've rarely seen someone so well-rounded as Jaden. The thing that immediately jumps out to me is Jaden's speed, effort, and overall athleticism. From the slot, Jaden explodes out of his stance, makes extremely quick cuts, and turns up the field in an instant with his near-elite track speed. As a DB, he's not as polished fundamentally, but MAN does his athleticism stand out. I view Jaden as a Division 1 talent, and if he somehow lands in the GLIAC, I'd expect him to produce early on in his college career.     I can't believe it took me so long to notice [player_tooltip player_id='1312093' first='Joe' last='Calhoun']. At running back, I've rarely seen a more impressive highlight tape. Although the tape is a touch short, Joe demonstrates amazing contact balance, vision, and good top speed. Much of the time, Joe receives the ball, explodes through his hole, and meets contact a couple of yards downfield. Most running backs would get tackled or stumble quite a bit, but Joe seems to shake tackles very easily before exploding up field. I don't know just how fast or athletic Joe is, but a lot of that doesn't matter to me as much, especially since he's headed to ground-and-pound Air Force. He's an amazing prospect for any Armed Forces team, and I'm looking forward to seeing Joe play his Senior Season.     I've discussed Tyler quite a few times since May. Last season, he was a great player for a South Christian team that made a State Championship appearance. Especially at EDGE, he flashed his potential. At several camps, Tyler turned heads from his size alone. His 6'5" height plus long arms make for a phenomenal EDGE rusher on paper. At the MHSAA Camp in Jenison, I saw him workout as a Tight End. There, he showcased decent athleticism and route-running, but most schools loved his outlook as a defensive player. I haven't seen his exact testing numbers or much work at EDGE, but his D1 offers + high GLIAC offers tell me all I need to know. Colleges see a very high ceiling, and I frankly do too.     Mylek is one of the more versatile players in Michigan. He plays in all three phases but especially excels as a receiver and punt returner. As a receiver, he's a great outside option. I especially like that he's generally skilled as a route runner and good after the catch. In addition, he has good ball tracking deeper downfield and is great at coming down with contested catches. There are several highlights where Mylek runs a deep post/streak, adjusts his body based on the throw, and leaps up and high-points the football. That said he's not the most physical receiver in the world, but has that potential if he bulks up a bit.   While punt returning, he has great vision and does his best to stay running uphill. Defensively, he has a few solid plays, though he lacks the IQ and fluidness to be an elite DB as of right now. All in all, I love Mylek's offensive game enough for him to be a top 100 prospect in Michigan.     This is someone that I ranked mostly off projection. Last season, he proved to be a solid tackle, but nothing more than that. This offseason, he's caught my attention with his elite size and great testing numbers. That, alongside some praise from his coaches, makes me extremely optimistic about his 2024 season. Maybe #139 is jumping the gun a bit, but if I know one thing about Rockford, it's that they know how to develop their players. I am extremely eager to watch Gage this coming season and I hope he lives up to his relatively high ranking.     I had undervalued Donovan when covering him for the first time. Upon first look, I knew that Donovan was a significant piece of this Edison team. What I failed to understand was how athletic he is and how fundamentally solid he is when playing defensive back. After several great camps, he's received offers from Ferris State, Wayne State, Davenport, and Lake Erie. Because of these offers, I trust that Donovan has great testing numbers in addition to great 1on1 performances. Last season, Donovan showed that he can be an extremely versatile athlete. Although he projects mainly as a defensive back, Donovan could play several positions at the college level. He's currently ranked #166 next to several other D2 prospects. In order to break the Top 100, Donovan needs to dominate this season.     After several great showings last season, DeWayne earns a ranking within the top 200. I watched as DeWayne racked up tackle after tackle during the State Championship game, and I've been pretty high on him since. I have no doubt that he'll continue to produce, though his lack of size isn't attractive to most colleges looking for a linebacker or defensive end. He could be a college running back, but needs to earn significant playing time in order to be recruited at the position. DeWayne is a very high-effort player who 100% deserves more college opportunities than he's already received. With a great season, he's got a D3 floor with real GLIAC upside.

The "ATH" Classification covers many of the most versatile football players in Michigan. During this update, I added multiple dozen athletes to the rankings. This article will cover many of the highest-ranked New Addition athletes!