East Kentwood Scouting Report (vs. Hudsonville)

East Kentwood is a team I've wanted to watch for a while. Especially since their big upset against Caledonia, they've been on the top of my list. Today, I'll share my thoughts on five East Kentwood players from their Homecoming matchup against Hudsonville.    I've been wanting to watch Kayd in person ever since he transferred to East Kentwood.   First off, his size is accurate. Of course, that's a very good thing.   During the first half, Kayd played on schedule and was quite accurate. His touchdown pass in particular was impressive- a quick, perfectly thrown fade to the endzone. In half 1, I thought Kayd did well with his opportunities, was decently calm under pressure, and got the ball out in time.   In the second half, it was a bit different. First, the Hudsonville defense produced a ton of pressure. Like most quarterbacks, Kayd's accuracy took a dramatic dip under pressure. Kayd also looked a lot more frazzled, as he rarely stayed in the pocket for more than a second. There was one play I have on film where Kayd prematurely left the pocket and eventually tossed an incomplete pass. If he had stepped up in the pocket and kept his eyes downfield, he would have seen an open receiver in the middle of the field on a crossing route.   All in all, it was a tale of two halves. In half one, I saw the consistent mechanics, accuracy, and efficient play. In half two, Kayd's play declined.   I see the potential and still think Kayd is a GLIAC talent.       I knew going in that East Kentwood had a lot of good athletes, and I was looking forward to seeing who was going to start at receiver.   Throughout the game, it was apparent who the go-to target was. Mostly playing in the slot, Ahman found himself open several times, especially on crossing routes. Also, when the play was extended, Ahman did a good job of finding openings and giving his QB a target.   This is a receiver who is explosive enough to take the top off of the defense and is a phenomenal player in the middle of the field. My only current concern is his vision and overall YAC ability. Develop better open-field skills, and it's all over for opposing defenses.   Considering recruitment- his size will be a big concern to colleges. It's a shame, but it's the truth. Currently, I'd consider Ahamn a D3 receiver just based on his size and the extremely saturated receiver market. If he has standout testing statistics and does well in 7on7, he'll be a GLIAC target.     Caiden was WR2 for East Kentwood last night. He's a solid outside receiver with good ball tracking and hands. In fact, he scored EK's one and only TD. That touchdown came from a well-run fade, which ended in a great catch with a defender in his face.   I know that Caiden has great testing numbers, and he's already made some big plays this season. In the plays I have filmed, Caiden gave great effort but lacks the change of direction/route running to win consistent separation. On top of that, Hudsonville did a great job of eliminating Caiden from the play, sometimes having two guys on him.     Donavan is ranked very high in our Class of 2027 rankings and he has some great tape + stats five weeks into the season.   Yesterday, he played great. I only recorded two Hudsonville pass plays (all-22), but Donovan did phenomenally in both instances. Playing Safety, Donovan played amazing zone coverage in one play and lockdown coverage on the TE in the other. In the 16 Hudsonville pass plays I recorded, Donovan had solid pursuit, and you can tell he's a very explosive athlete. Although he was around the ball a ton, he seemed to hesitate to get involved with gang tackles.   In addition, Donavan's tape in weeks 1-4 is great. I can tell that he's an incredibly explosive athlete and is probably one of the best pass defenders in the OK conference. Get a little more physical and become better in run support, and Donovan would be an extremely well-rounded football player.   Good performance, and still 2 1/2 seasons for Donavan to prove himself!       I watched East Kentwood's offensive line here and there, and Nouha is the player I have the most notes on. All in all, it was a very hi-or- miss performance. At his best, Nouha got his hands on his defender and made an effort to drive him backwards. At his worst, Nouha struggled to generate leverage on basic base blocks and really struggled with reach blocks. During one play where I think he was supposed to reach block, Nouha was called for a hold.   Still, I like his physicality. He always gave the opposition a good hit and made an initial effort to make the block. Nouha needs a little more juice, and needs to learn how to play mistake-free football. I see the potential and still think Nouha can be a Saturday player at the NAIA level.

East Kentwood is a team I've wanted to watch for a while. Especially since their big upset against Caledonia, they've been on the top of my list. Today, I'll share my thoughts on five East Kentwood players from their Homecoming matchup against Hudsonville.