West Michigan Seniors poised for Career Seasons

Living in West Michigan is extremely fun at this time of year. In just a few weeks, we'll kick off the 2024 football season. Now for the past several months, nearly every college prospect in West Michigan has been doing something to prepare them for this coming season. Whether that's playing another sport, attending college camps, or receiving personal training, a lot of players got a whole lot better this offseason. For the incoming seniors, this is their final chance to take a big leap forward during their high school careers. This article features eight West Michigan seniors that have put in the work to achieve greatness this Fall.    It's been a long time coming for [player_tooltip player_id='602222' first='Jami' last='Williams']. A year ago, Jami was viewed as a super high-upside receiver coming off a great offseason. Today, he's viewed the same way after honestly underperforming a bit last season. Jami has had a solid offseason, headlined by his good-looking performance at the Wayne State Mega Camp. Granted, I've only seen clips on Twitter, but in those clips, Jami shows off his speed and excellent catch radius. What makes me the most optimistic about this season are his athletic traits and size. Not only is he 6'3", but Jami has the athleticism and length to develop into a lethal Division 1 Wide Receiver. I can't wait to see what he's able to accomplish with Catholic Central this season. Odds are, he's going to be a key piece for a state-championship program.     I'm very confident that [player_tooltip player_id='1290840' first='Tyler' last='Brinks'] is about to take off. I've said it time and time again, but Tyler was one of our most prominent offseason standouts. He's a relatively raw player on both sides of the ball, but he took coaching well and was able to impress a ton of coaches this offseason. My gut feeling was that a few MAC schools would be in the running for Tyler, but his recent commitment to GVSU solidifies him as one of the higher-upside D2 commits. According to his Twitter, he's committed as a Tight End, not an EDGE rusher. In that case, I'd expect to see better physicality in the blocking game, in addition to much more production over the air. There isn't much time before the season begins, but I'd expect Tyler to add a significant amount of weight before he becomes the game-breaking Tight End that I know can grow into. I also fully expect him to play defense this Fall. There, I'm confident Tyler will play with more physicality and more consistent play speed. South Christian could very well make their way to Ford Field again this year, and Tyler is going to be a huge part of that journey.     All signs point toward a dominant season from Ace. In wider terms, I'd hate to be a defensive coordinator who's tasked with defending the Forest Hills Eastern run game. For a while now but especially this offseason, Ace has been incredibly hard at work. Training at Powerstrength, attending local camps, national camps, you name it- Ace has done it this offseason. Maybe most impressively, Ace is incredibly agile for his size. I've seen first-hand how he can go into his pass set and win against prospects who are faster, stronger, or more physically gifted on paper. Now, there are obvious limitations because of his measurables, which is a shame. Still, Ace has been one of the best run blockers in West MI for a while, and this offseason he's proved he can also pass block. My gut still says his best fit will be at a program like Ferris State or Davenport where he currently holds offers. I'm incredibly confident that Ace will have a phenomenal season and I'm extremely interested to see where he ends up playing his college ball.     This is Pittman's year. For three+ years now, [player_tooltip player_id='602245' first='Jonathan' last='Pittman'] has been an incredibly intriguing Quarterback prospect at Mona Shores. Generally, he's a QB with phenomenal talent, a big arm, great measurables, but he lacks in a few important areas. First, I've seen Jonathan's play decline in a few big situations. Even in low-pressure situations, he sometimes falls victim to the occasional bad mistake or very inaccurate throw. But at his best, Jonathan is able to throw on time, accurately, and with a ton of power. Most notably, Jonathan excels at the backshoulder fade. I've seen him and his WR [player_tooltip player_id='602240' first='Micah' last='Carefelle'] convert that play dozens of times, and I know that he has the talent to throw with that type of accuracy each and every down. Mona Shores has an excellent team heading into this season and I fully expect Pittman to take that next step and lead his team to a deep playoff run.       Brody's 2023 highlight tape impressed me a lot when I first watched it. Heading into last season, I wasn't entirely sold on Brody. Even this offseason, he's had a few ups and downs, but he's still a Division 2 prospect in my eyes. Speaking of last season, he runs the Caledonia offense incredibly well. On designed runs, he has the speed and awareness to consistently earn good yardage. Over the air, Brody excels at those quick rollout passes. I especially like how he's able to remain accurate while on the run and/or while throwing cross body. That said, his mechanics are solid and pretty consistent. The biggest thing Brody needs to work on is his accuracy, which is an area I expect Brody to improve on this season. He'll play a bigger role in the offense after quite a few graduating seniors, and I fully expect Brody to step up to the task.     Blake is another player who needs no introduction. I've been on him for a while now, and I still think he has legit Division 1 upside. Starting with his size, Blake could be seen as a bit undersized for some programs that care a ton about measurables, but I don't think it's nearly as big of an issue as I think it currently is. Speaking about last Fall, Blake showcased the most well-rounded TE play I've seen in the Class of 2025. When he's asked to block, Blake did a solid job at executing a wide range of blocks against great talent. There is still a lot of growth to be done as a blocker, but he undoubtably has more experience than most D1-offered TEs in Michigan. As for the passing game, it's a mixed bag, but I'm confident Blake will be much improved in this area. More specifically, Blake is a great route-runner and knows how to get open. On the flip side, Blake's hands need a lot of work. I know he's been working on his drop issue over the past few months, but that's the #1 area holding him back in my eyes. As long as Blake is able to focus a bit harder and secure a lot more contested catches, he will have a truly breakout season which should lead to many more offers.     It's difficult to crack Rockford's starting lineup, and it's a whole lot harder to be a three-year Varsity starter. But that's exactly what Isaac is about to do this season. Last season, Isaac increased his role by taking up return duties. There, he flashed his as-advertised great quickness and top speed. This season, I fully expect Isaac to be much smarter and more effective in that area. On the defensive side of the ball, I've seen first-hand how Isaac can quickly diagnose a play and explode toward a thrown ball or running back. This season, I firmly believe that Isaac has an opportunity to post a lot more pass breakups and interceptions. For that to happen, he needs to be just a step more reactive. Currently, Grand Valley State and Ferris State seem to be in a recruiting battle for Isaac. My gut does say that he's a high-tier D2 prospect, but with stellar performances this season, he could pass that D1 threshold.     Lastly, we've got [player_tooltip player_id='1316918' first='Gage' last='Maxson']. I'll admit that I don't know a whole lot about Gabe. But what I do know is that he's a player who the Rockford coaching staff is very excited about. That combined with his incredible size has me extremely optimistic for his Senior campaign. I expect Gage to spend most of his time on the offensive line, but he could also serve as a great Tight End. No matter what he plays, I hope he brings the physicality and effort needed to play on the line of scrimmage.

Living in West Michigan is extremely fun at this time of year. In just a few weeks, we'll kick off the 2024 football season. Now for the past several months, nearly every college prospect in West Michigan has been doing something to prepare them for this coming season. Whether that's playing another sport, attending college camps, or receiving personal training, a lot of players got a whole lot better this offseason. For the incoming seniors, this is their final chance to take a big leap forward during their high school careers. This article features eight West Michigan seniors that have put in the work to achieve greatness this Fall.