Taking a look at a few "Breakout" Sophomores

We're midway through the 2024 season, and we have new tape of a ton of 2027 prospects. This article features six ranked sophomores that I'm checking in on for the first time this season.    I really, really like Elijah's<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19845368/66e87c4995507ae1a99f3b1a"> Week 1-3 tape</a>. In fact, it's better than most player's full-season highlights.   The first thing I'd like to mention is the highlight variety. Elijah makes plays at safety, slot DB, and WR/SB. His first highlight shows great reaction time, noticing the receiver to his side of the field and undercutting the deep ball. After that, Elijah nearly takes the interception to the house. Further on in the tape, Elijah is shown blitzing in addition to several great run stops.   Offensively, Elijah further showcases his athleticism. Usually playing in the slot, he's a phenomenal speed-in-space player.   I like what he's shown on both sides of the ball. I can tell that Elijah has the explosiveness to be a Division 1 college football player.     <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19845368/Max-Bollman/highlights">Hudl</a>   Max is on par with my expectations of him this season.   Last summer, I got to watch Max at the MHSAA Evaluation camp in Jenison. There, he did a phenomenal job at defensive end, winning several reps against senior offensive linemen.   On tape, Max shows that same athletic upside in addition to elite physicality, something you can't show in the offseason. Defensively, he has a few highlights where he perfectly splits a gap, gets through, and makes a play. Offensively, Max has several highlights of him blocking and driving a man back 5+ yards.   Elite physicality and way ahead of the curve athletically. I really hope that Max grows a few more inches because he'd have a much easier time getting recruited at 6'3"+. Either way, Max will be a phenomenal high school football player for the next few years!     Carter has gotten off to a great start this season.   He's a great linebacker in the MAC who does a lot of things right but also has some room to grow. First off, I like how Carter works through blocks to stop the outside run. There are several occasions where Carter quickly diagnoses a play and makes those outside run stops that a lot of linebackers struggle with. Against the inside run, Carter does a similarly good job of quickly diagnosing the play and making a solid stop.   The main thing I'd like to see Carter improve on is explosivity and play speed. A lot of this will come from offseason training, but a lot of it also comes from experience and intentional effort. During many instances, Carter plays a few steps slower than the Elite linebackers of Michigan. Against inside runs, Carter should work on getting downhill and attacking the RB quickly. Against the outside run, he could be more explosive and decisive. Again, a lot of this comes with a lot of trial and error plus offseason training. Still a great linebacker, and someone I'm looking forward to seeing grow over the next few years!     It's easy to see why Tobin is so highly ranked in this class. First off, he checks the "size" box. He's 6'4", strong, and overall fits the bill for a future Division 1 lineman. Second, he good enough fundamentals in both run and pass blocking to earn those looks. Watch the tape. When run blocking, Tobin is fluid in his down blocks and plays with great balance without sacrificing much power. I watch a lot of great linemen who struggle with body control on their run blocks, so this is good to see. Second, he has a solid pass set and keeps good defenders in front of him. Sometimes there's a hiccup in his fundamentals, but it's not severe.   Great stuff, and I'd expect William to earn more MAC offers this offseason if his tape translates to offseason workouts.     Jabin seems to be a rotational piece in the OLSM offense. So far, he's 11/16 passing in addition to 25 carries for just under 200 yards.   As a passer, Jabin is solid but has room to grow. On a few occasions, Jabin has thrown some great deep balls to the sidelines or middle of the field. His accuracy is solid, but he could be improved a ton with more consistent footwork/mechanics. When running the ball, Jabin showcases his near-elite athleticism. The first highlight against De La Salle is particularly impressive, as well as 1:32 vs. Portage Northern.   It looks like Jabin will continue to be a rotational weapon for OLSM, and he's good for at least one explosive play per game. Moving forward, I'd love to see more growth with his QB footwork, mechanics, and IQ.     I'm still shocked that Anthony hasn't gotten much media attention. In his first four weeks, Anthony already had 691 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also has a high-volume of 102 carries (6YPC)   I know that I'm not getting the full picture (highlights don't show the flaws), but Anthony's highlights are as good as any RB in the state. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16915587/655b7244344a3105306c6617">Watch the play at 0:20</a>. Anthony breaks a tackle, cuts back to the middle of the field, splits the defenders, and takes it to the 5-yard line. Most backs would have been stopped at first contact, and fewer have the explosiveness to split those defenders and nearly score. Right now, Anthony is on track to being a fringe D1 prospect. Anthony still needs to work on his explosiveness, and I'd love to see him have a phenomenal offseason. If he works his tail off, we could be looking at a future Power 5 prospect.

We're midway through the 2024 season, and we have new tape of a ton of 2027 prospects. This article features six ranked sophomores that I'm checking in on for the first time this season.