Week 1 Athletes who've Outperformed their Ranking

Week 1 has (long) come and gone, and we even have a few week two games kicking off later tonight. I haven't been able to nearly cover all of the players I wanted to cover this week, but for now, here are five players who truly caught my eye throughout the week.   '26 DB | [player_tooltip player_id='1148719' first='Luke' last='Ahern'] | Rockford | <a href="https://x.com/LukeAhern12">@LukeAhern12</a>   Finally fully healthy, Luke had an excellent day against Cass Tech. The overall theme of Luke's week 1 tape is aggressiveness. Whether it's his multiple big hits or his blocked XP, Luke did an excellent job of playing with immense quickness and aggression. Of course, you can't be effective and aggressive without doing your homework on the opponent and being generally well-prepared. It's also hard to be effective and aggressive if you aren't athletic- and believe me, Luke is highly athletic. This seems like one of the best safeties in all of Michigan, and Luke has almost certainly earned a rankings boost after last week.    '25 LB/DL | Kade Frisen | Rockford | <a href="https://x.com/Kade_Friesen1">@Kade_Friesen1</a>   Last offseason, Kade was a superstar. I watched as he consistently won against nearly every lineman he faced, flashing a great set of pass-rush moves. Although he was consistently winning, college coaches were very concerned with his size (6'2" 245) and his abilities as an off-ball linebacker. First off, I think the size issue is very overblown, and it's especially egregious that he didn't get a single GLIAC offer. Second, I'll admit that I didn't like what I saw from his off-ball LB reps last offseason. To counter that, Kade had a brilliant week 1. Kade proved to be an insanely strong hybrid linebacker. He rushed the passer effectively and showed great aggression + instincts while playing off-ball. I still think Kade has room to improve off-ball, but I really hope that this week 1 performance can sway some colleges that may have been on the fence.    '25 QB | Carson Thronton | EGR | <a href="https://x.com/CarsonThornto8">@CarsonThornto8</a>   My opinion of Carson has increased a bit because of his productive week 1 performance. He was one of the most efficient QBs of the week, totaling 274 yards and a touchdown on a great 12/15 passing. Carson's arm talent showed up as he rifled the ball into the short-intermediate areas of the field. There was a good variety of improvisation and a quick game, and it's apparent that Carson is the perfect QB for Coach Shattuck's offense. I'm writing this two days before the upcoming South Christian matchup, and I'm extremely curious to see how Carson fares against that good defense.    '25 WR | Connor Orourke | Mattawan | <a href="https://x.com/corourke_07">@corourke_07</a>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>119yds 2TDs</li> </ul>   Mattawan isn't always a super pass-heavy offense, but they like to make an exception whenever their star WR is out there. Now, I've seen Connor several times over the years, and I know exactly what kind of receiver he is. Connor is a route runner, first and foremost, who can also take the top off of the defense and burn you downfield. Just look at his second touchdown- his explosiveness left defenders in the dust, and nobody had much of a chance of stopping him. As long as Mattawan is facing teams without many defensive difference-makers, Connor should be able to make a ton of plays with few touches. I also really like how Connor is utilized. Not only is he an outside receiver, but he also receives a few handoffs. Hopefully this season Connor will be able to improve upon his open-field playmaking, which is an area that I've seen him struggle with in the past.    '25 ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='601038' first='Kadale' last='Williams'] | Lumen Christi | <a href="https://x.com/Delli35345180">@Delli35345180</a>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>13 carries, 142, 3TDs</li> </ul>   Kadale picks up right where he left off. Back in the backfield, Kadale is legitimately one of the best running backs in Michigan, and he's also capable of being an elite receiver. As an RB, Kadale racked up over 140 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 13 carries. On top of that, he showed off his athleticism in what was perhaps his best highlight yet (shown below). It's rare to see an athlete with such a well-rounded ability to make you miss, truck, juke, etc. I think that Kadale will be an amazing athlete at Central Michigan in due time.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Delli35345180/status/1829563508834390484 </div></figure>

Week 1 has (long) come and gone, and we even have a few week two games kicking off later tonight. I haven't been able to nearly cover all of the players I wanted to cover this week, but for now, here are five players who truly caught my eye throughout the week.

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Week 1 Athletes who’ve Outperformed their Ranking

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