Next Up: Deserving Defensive Backs

Starting this list off is [player_tooltip player_id='806107' first='Gavin' last='Berninzoni']. Berninzoni is a fantastic ball hawking safety who deserves more eyes on him. He plays as a deep safety, who will come into the box for run support. He measures in at 5'10 155 pounds. Gavin has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, change of direction, and jumping. Berninzoni showcased good mental processing throughout this play in multiple ways. He shows it through being a patient tackler, diagnosing a route and jumping it for an easy interception, punching the ball out of the wide outs, or watching the QB's eyes. Gavin has a high motor, and is consistently helping his teammates with tackles. He excels in zone coverage, locking down his zone. One thing that stands out to me his is his very good ball tracking and catching. The ball hawking safety was consistently tracking the ball with ease and plucking it out of the air before the WR could get a chance. He'd use his home run speed to occasionally bring it back to the house. I'm looking forward to seeing Berninzoni put together another stellar season.     Next up is [player_tooltip player_id='1300462' first='Owen' last='Wind']. Measuring in at 6'3 185 pounds, which is very good size for a safety. Wind was used more in the box, and played in the slot for Fossil Ridge. Throughout the season, Wind accounted for 47 total tackles (31 solo, 16 assisted), 4 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 PD, 1 FR. Wind has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, and good change of direction and jumping. Due to his athletic ability, the defensive coordinator will put Wind on the LOS as an extra blitzer. This moved resulted in him consistently being in the backfield getting a TFL or a sack. Wind has very good competitive toughness. He will run with a head full of steam from sideline to sideline to assist his teammates in tackling. If he's beaten in man coverage, he uses his athletic ability to catch up and tackle. Wind is good in zone coverage; however, he excels against the run. Wrapping up the ball carrier, and stopping them in their tracks. Wind is an exciting versatile prospect, who I believe will make an even bigger impact on Fossil Ridge this upcoming season.     A phenomenal corner coming out of Rampart is Mr. Reitan. Reitan measures in at 5'11 165 pounds, and mainly played as the outside corner. Throughout the season, he had 40 total tackles (17 solo, 23 assisted), 2 INT, 4 PD, 1 FR, 3 blocked FGs. Reitan has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, change of direction, and good jumping. His speed translates to his very good back peddle as well. Good mental processing, he will continuously look back at the QB and ball to track its location. Reitan has good strength as well, throwing WRs around with ease. Reitan has very good man coverage and zone coverage. In man coverage, he sticks to his receiver like glue. In zone coverage, he'll lock it down while staying patient. He uses his lengthy arms to swat away the football from receivers. He'll use his good jumping to go up with the WRs stopping those contested catches. Reitan was also a big contributor in special teams with his 3 blocked field goals. He uses his athleticism mixed with a good bend around the edge and long arms to attack the special teams. I can't wait to see more of Reitan in his senior season.     Jamison is flying under the radar, however his play says otherwise. The corner out of Cherokee Trail measures 5'11 140 pounds, and has all the traits needed to succeed at corner. He had 27 total tackles (12 solo, 15 assist), 1 TFL, 9 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR. Jamison has very good athletic ability due to elite acceleration, very good speed, change of direction, and jumping. He has good mental processing as well. He will consistently look at the QB and the ball. He'll see where the ball is thrown, and runs toward it. One instance that stood out to me was when he switched onto a WR who would've been left wide open. He is good against the WR release, using his physicality to jam the receiver. Jamison uses his very fluid hip movements, and uses his AA to stay within a step of the receiver. In man coverage, he sticks to the WR like glue. In zone coverage, he lays the boom on defenders coming into his zone. He uses his lengthy arms to swat balls away resulting in 9 pass deflections. Jamison is also a good tackler, wrapping up defenders and stopping them in their tracks. Jamison is a baller and deserves more eyes on his play. To round off his traits, Jamison is an electric kick/punt returner, making defenders miss and setting his offense up in a good position.