2026 Game-Changers to Know in the Houston Area

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Below we have a list of dawgs who have shown incredible flashes this season. We have players who have gotten it done so far, and have gotten better throughout the year. These guys keep their teams in position to win and have looked the part. These are names to have on the radar and will be top players at their positions heading into next season.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>William Thornton | OT | Paetow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thornton plays a physical, dominate game. He plays bully ball, in both the run and pass game. He shows tremendous power and strength, dictating opposing players movements. Thornton moves the opposition out of the way, creating lanes for his teammates and keeping his quarterback clean. He has a solid base and moves well, playing through his hips. Thornton has a strong grip and excels at getting opponents turned and driving them into the ground. He has much upside to his game and will be a top player at the position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18271406/6707beb6e12fe9e3a6fcc1ad' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-671c45d84048a"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Darien Rogers | QB | Cypress Woods</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rogers has been playing at an elite level this season. He is seeing the field well and is trusting the cannon of an arm that he possesses. Rogers plays in rhythm and once he gets going, good luck stopping him. He throws with anticipation and shows the arm talent to throw his targets open. Rogers moves well through the pocket and shows the strength in his lower half to shake off would-be tacklers. He will be shooting up the rankings within the next year and will be a player to keep eyes on for the rest of this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17980820/671bb6e48008bc5b64ff5f86' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-671c45d8404cc"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nicholas Bright | DB | Bridgeland</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bright has shown excellent ball skills in coverage with the ability to keep up with anybody. He shows great technique combined with skill, and has very good play recognition. Bright is physical when needed and will step up to make impressive tackles at the line of scrimmage. He has been a key piece in the Bears defensive success and is a player to get familiar with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17971457/66fffc518f54d4cd1f2666e1' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-671c45d8404fb"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaxyn Faldyn | QB | Tomball</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Faldyn has shown incredible dual-threat abilities so far this season. He keeps defenses on their heels by extending plays and creating from outside of the pocket. Faldyn uses his legs to outrun defenders and keep drives alive. He has an arm that defenses must respect and can deliver the deep ball for explosive plays. Faldyn has the offense running like a well oiled machine and has contributed greatly to the teams success. Make sure to know his name!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16321893/66e3163e60610b76db7e1442' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-671c45d840527"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1517123' first='Jaden' last='Vaughn'] | DB | Cy-Fair</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vaughn has caught the eyes of many this season. His playmaking on the field combined with the defensive prowess makes him a standout player. He is technically sound in coverage, staying on opponents hips and playing through the ball when necessary. Vaughn has shown tremendous ball-skills as well, locating the ball in air and making impressive plays on it. Vaughn is an excellent return man as well, flipping the field and making momentum-shifting plays at key times. He is a player with incredibly high potential and will be a top player at the position very soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17969261/67165c715628f434bb13b33b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-671c45d840552"} /-->