Stars Of The State Week 6 – Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1293228' first='Jahlil' last='Bryant'] – Ashley – Interception, 2 Caused Fumbles, Pass Breakup In Victory - The Class of 2026 prospect stands at 6'1 and 170 pounds, and he has a long, athletic frame on film. The thing I like about Jahlil is his ball skills. Jahlil shows strong hands in one-on-one coverage and good overall speed. I also like the fact that Jahlil is not afraid to come up and tackle as a corner - most high school corners tend to shy away from contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DE [player_tooltip player_id='1219063' first='Zion' last='Morrison'] – Scotland County – 9 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 2 Forced Fumbles In Victory - The North Carolina A&amp; T commit had a huge game and the interesting thing is that the 6'4 225-pound prospect is getting all of this production done out of a 2-point stance. Zion is doing a great job of using speed off of the edge and getting to the quarterback. Zion also does a great job of using his frame to shed blocks and make tackles in the running game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1332132' first='Jaquairus' last='Fields'] – Providence – Interception, 7 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss vs. Butler - The 5'10 165-pound Class of 2025 prospect made an impressive interception out of 2-deep coverage when he was able to high-point the football and win possession against a wide receiver in a jump ball situation. Jaquairus also showed the ability to come up in run support and tackle well in the box from his safety position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1313508' first='Emmanuel' last='Beya'] – Ardrey Kell – 10 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, 3 Pass Breakups In Win - The impressive thing about Emmanuel's highlights from this game was his pass coverage ability. Emmanuel was playing as an outside linebacker in this game, and he showed he could cover slot receivers and backs out of the backfield in man coverage. Emmanuel also showed some good ability to make tackles in space against skill players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1357048' first='Evan' last='Batts'] – Topsail – 10 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks In Victory - At 5'10 and 185 pounds, Evan is a Class of 2025 prospect who did a great job of rushing the passer from depth at his outside linebacker position for this 2 sacks, showing good speed in getting to the quarterback. Evan also showed a good ability to make tackles in space, as well as chase down running plays going away from him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='736711' first='Tanner' last='Finnerty'] – Mooresville – 9 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, Pick 6 In Victory - Even with a Division 1 recruit ([player_tooltip player_id='759842' first='Jamari' last='Farmer']) playing beside him in the Blue Devils defense, Tanner finds himself the leading tackler on a very good team as a sophomore. In this particular game, Tanner's Pick 6 was the result of a great read of picking up a swing route out of the backfield, and Tanner plucking the ball out of the air and running with good speed untouched to the end zone. Tanner does an excellent job in reading plays in the inside running game, shedding blocks, and making effective tackles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB Keidreion Crump – Richmond – INT, Fumble Recovery, 6 Tackles In Victory - Standing at 5'11 and 170 pounds, Crump lists a 3.7 GPA and a 4.6 40-yard dash time on his profile. I thought Crump did a good job in not letting anything get behind him in his safety position. Also Crump did a good job of coming up in late run support and making open field tackles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='897764' first='Bryant' last='White'] – North Mecklenburg – 2 Interceptions including Pick 6 In Victory - Bryant has shown to be a ballhawk so far this season at his safety position, having five interceptions already at the midpoint of the season. His Pick 6 last week came in the red zone where he was able to read the quarterback's eyes well and jumped a quick slant for the TD. As a Class of 2027 player, I believe he is a good candidate to be added in our next rankings update. At 5'9, Bryant could project as a slot corner in the future, but he is starting to make some waves as a player to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->