#PRZTN Week Four Stock Report

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coming off a week of action where we saw a few upsets as well as some top tier teams continue their ascension towards trophies, here we breakdown some of the best stories around the Volunteer State headed into Week Five. </h2>     Stock Up   (Ath) [player_tooltip player_id='1449677' first='Bo' last='Bailey'] - Pope Prep   - Headed into the 2024 season, I nor many others knew too much about Bailey but after four weeks of action, this Mid-Tennessee product has shined in a major way where Power Four and D1 schools are paying attention. The Knights senior two-way athlete has produced some big games on offense up to this point, including last Friday where he ran for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defenses have yet to find an answer for Bailey and that's due to his explosiveness and speed, which are traits that could excel on either side of the ball. Bailey also has good size, so there is a lot to like about this prospect and his upside on the collegiate level. You will definitely see Bailey take a major bump in our next updated senior rankings and even possibly move into the Top 50 overall.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/bobailey.jpg?w=534" alt="" class="wp-image-1455941" style="width:244px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    Green Hill Hawks    - One of the more surprising 4-0 teams we have headed into Week Five are these Hawks that have played excellent ball up to this point, especially on defense where they have only given up seven points on the season. It's been an impressive start for Green Hill and a good way to begin your season gaining confidence but there are still plenty of games remaining, including two big ones on the back end versus Cookeville and Mt. Juliet.    Even though the Hawks have performed well through four games, I still think they haven't played their best football. Their defense has been lights out and a major cause behind being undefeated but I think the offense has another level to their play and that's due to the college talent they have. [player_tooltip player_id='964976' first='Kannon' last='Burroughs'] has the potential to be a Top 10 player at his position for the #TN2026 class while seniors [player_tooltip player_id='219336' first='Aaron' last='Mattingly'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1102958' first='Nick' last='Owens, Jr'] are dynamic ball players that can be difference makers. All three of those guys are doing their job as the Hawks offense is averaging near 38 points a game but I still think there's another level to go with these guys.    It will be interesting to see how this team continues to form together the rest of the way as I could see the Hawks going into game nine undefeated and right there competing for a region title.    - - - - -    (DL) [player_tooltip player_id='1102507' first='KD' last='Cunningham'] - McKenzie   - This West Tennessee D-lineman has been on a tear through four weeks with his best game yet coming last Friday in the Rebels beat down of McEwen. Cunningham produced 3 sacks against the Warriors along with being in the backfield all night long, making plays versus the run. That kind of play has been consistent from the Rebels senior so far this year and I expect it to continue the rest of the way.    Looking over his early clips, what you like most about Cunningham is his motor and eagerness to find the ball. The Rebels D-lineman is playing like it's last year on the football field and that's a good mindset to have as he is searching for those elusive college offers. Schools are paying attention, so if Cunningham continues to play at the level he is, opportunities to play college ball will arrive for him.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/kdcunningham-crop-762x501-1713374233.jpeg?w=761" alt="" class="wp-image-1249278" style="width:411px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    FRA Panthers   - The D2-Class AA level is strong this 2024 season with several teams having impressive starts and the FRA Panthers are one of them. Through four games, Franklin Road Academy has taken care of business with a run-heavy offense and an underrated defense that is averaging nearly 10 points allowed per game. It's been good work from both sides of the ball but the high level play must continue moving forward as the Panthers toughest stretch of schedule is looming ahead.    After this Friday's game against Northwest, the Panthers will find out who they are as through the final five weeks of action, they take on East Nashville, Davidson Academy, BGA, CPA and Pope Prep. That's a tough five game stretch but if the Panthers can come out of it 4-1 or 3-2, they may be more equipped for a deep postseason run. Many will see BGA and CPA as the top teams in the D2-Class AA ranks but we can't sleep on these Panthers as they are proving right now to be worthy enough to compete with the best their classification has to offer.    - - - - -    ‘26 (WR) [player_tooltip player_id='820949' first='Brayden' last='Carroll'] - Cleveland   - Throughout this and any football season, we are always in evaluation mode and one guy that is standing out from his early season work is Carroll, who shows the potential to creep into the Top 40 overall players for the #TN2026 class. The Blue Raiders junior pass catcher has been the go-to guy the coaching staff thought he could be so far this season and there are still more levels to his game to go. Carroll brings great size (6'2 185) length and breakaway speed to the playing field that screams Power Four potential. He has shown thus far in the season that he can get behind defenders and be a deep threat for his quarterback. That kind of speed combined with his physical traits should warrant more interest from college coaches as we continue to work through the Fall months.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/1834850087547138218 </div></figure>   - - - - -    ‘26 (Ath) [player_tooltip player_id='860627' first='Jawell' last='Rodgers'] - Lausanne   - Even though Lausanne has only played two games, Rodgers has been a standout performer that is proving to be a playmaker worthy of making it to the big stage of college football. He has been electric, the go-to guy for his Lynx team that was in need of someone to step into a lead role and produce. Rodgers holds a few offers and sits on the radar of several D1 and Power Four coaches and with his start to the 2024 season, you could see new opportunities float his way in the very near future. We here at #PRZTN still has this Memphis area product ranked as an “athlete” because I see upside in the secondary but the more Rodgers shows his athleticism and playmaking abilities at receiver, the bigger the chance is he moves to offense. We shall see as we have tons of season to go for the Lynx and Rodgers but his start has been excellent thus far that is certainly boosting his stock.    - - - - -    USJ Bruins   - Keep an eye on the Bruins to be a D2-Class AA title sleeper by the time we reach postseason play. That statement is made after USJ took down cross town foe Jackson Christian last Friday to move to 4-0 on the season while being one of the more impressive teams through four weeks of play. It's been a great start for the Bruins as they have worked over every opponent thus far, receiving stellar play from Mr. Football candidate [player_tooltip player_id='1080185' first='Noah' last='Spencer'] and their offense as well a strong defense, led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='841237' first='Alex' last='Wallace']. The play from both sides of the ball is complimenting each other very well right now but it must continue the remainder of the way and the Bruins have some tough games upcoming with South Gibson, Northpoint Chrst., Lausanne and Davidson Academy. As of now however, the Bruins stock is definitely up and only continuing to rise!    - - - - -    Stock Down   Gallatin Green Wave   - It's hard not to look at Gallatin's 1-3 start and not think their stock is down a decent bit. There were some promising thoughts about the 2024 football year for the Green Wave and it's not over as we have plenty of season remaining but things aren't looking good at the moment. Last Friday at home, the Green Wave went down to Dickson County, 10-7 and that's a loss I and others didn't foresee happening. Falling to the Cougars was a big blow to the season outcome. Now it's not a season ender but Gallatin must figure things out quickly if they want to be a part of postseason play.    They have a good quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id='353896' first='Jackson' last='Stroup'] to lean on but something isn't clicking as a whole on offense as the Green Wave has scored 16, 0 and 7 in their three losses. This Friday against Warren Co. should be a get-right game for Gallatin but competition ramps back up after that versus Green Hill, Cookeville, Springfield and others. There is time to fix some issues but it must start this week and remain consistent for the remainder of the year.    - - - - -    MUS Owls   - As we head into Week Five of high school ball here in Tennessee, the Owls have been one of the more disappointing teams through the early part of the season but time remains to turn things around. At the moment, MUS sits at 1-3 but the Owls might have had the toughest four game stretch of anybody in the state with matchups against Bartlett, Melrose, MBA and McCallie, so if anything, these guys are battle tested. It's not the start the Owls coaching staff wanted to have but here we are with six games remaining in the 2024 season.    It's hard to pinpoint the exact issues with the Owls this year but they do have one of the best senior quarterbacks in the state with [player_tooltip player_id='219433' first='Brady' last='Hughes'] to lean on the rest of the way as they try to get things right. Opportunities lay on the schedule for MUS to not only pick up big wins but definitely develop and improve as a team. They should have a get-right game this Friday versus Ridgeway before jumping back into region action against a very good Ensworth team. All six games except for maybe Ensworth are winnable for the Owls, so going on a win streak and gaining confidence is certainly in the cards for MUS but their focus must ramp up 100% as soon as possible, beginning in Week Five.    - - - - -    Rockvale Rockets   - After falling at home last week to Stewarts Creek, the Rockets head into Week Five at 1-3 and the season doesn't get easier. It's been a struggle offensively for Rockvale up to this point and it's a little surprising but not something I didn't foresee coming. The Rockets are having to replace several key players from last season's backfield and it's proving to be big losses. One area where I thought the Rockets would be strong is up front and they still have a good group, led by [player_tooltip player_id='938106' first='Bo' last='Bryan'] but their performance has been a bit underwhelming.    Defensively, the Rockets have actually been pretty solid. Senior backers [player_tooltip player_id='1159808' first='Kevantae' last='Porter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1261922' first='Evangelos' last='Brooks'] have been strong and so has been the play up front from [player_tooltip player_id='1291188' first='Steven' last='Nelson'] and Melvin Boone. Team's are throwing away from [player_tooltip player_id='309135' first='Jaylan' last='Morgan'], so respect is given there. It's over on offense where things have been a struggle and Rockvale faces some tough defenses in the coming weeks, starting this Friday against Riverdale. Time is left to continue working but the Rockets must figure things out soon if they want to contend for the playoffs.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/evbrooks.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1303875" style="width:356px;height:auto" /></figure>