11 Lottery Ticket Prospects to Bet High On

College coaches have to take calculated shots at impressive high school athletes if they want to build a competitive roster from top to bottom. If these 11 guys hit, they will hit big.    Winn comes in at a tall, lanky 6'2 175 with plenty of room left to add weight. The multi-sport experience paints the picture of a gifted athlete. Winn has one of the best triple jumps in the state, TJ'ing 48' 4.5'' this offseason. He is also a basketball player and can dunk. Winn is sudden at the top of his routes and works back towards the QB nicely. He flashes late, soft hands and maximizes his catch radius by snagging passes over his head. Winn battles after the catch and is able to sneak around contact to keep plays alive. Winn is raw, but he has plenty of juice and is still a few years away from his best football.     I always think there should be a premium on OL prospects with the bulk of their physical development left in the tank. This is because it gives these bigger guys more time to grow into their frame and pack on GOOD weight without developing bad habits. [player_tooltip player_id='1319900' first='Zachary' last='Lewis'] fits that mold. He is listed at 6'5 260 with plenty of juice athletically. He can bounce off the line quickly to get into his pass set and shadows edge rushers well. He has no problem climbing to the second level and clicking from one defender to another. He plays with violence and will finish blocks through the whistle. Lewis has plenty of juice and is only going to get better as he adds more play strength.     Juiced up LB prospect with run-and-chase potential. He clocked 11.5 speed in the 100M prior to his junior season and now hovers around 6'3 200. He is an effective pass rusher and blitzer thanks to his speed. He is explosive off the line and uses his thin frame to shoot gaps and dodge the hands of blockers. He will gradually win out and find his way to the football thanks to his speed. He takes pride in special teams, blocking a handful of punts this fall. Every team needs a fearless pursuer of the football like Weivoda. He is only going to get bigger and will improve as he learns more of the complexities of the position. I think he is a clear P4 caliber LB prospect and I would have a hard time finding a reason to pass up on him.     Trevor McDowell is a breakout candidate CB prospect with speed indications. This spring, he improved his spring times seemingly every event and PR'd at 10.92 in the 100M. On the smaller side at 5'10 170 but compensates thanks to his speed, staying in phase with receivers. He has clean footwork and survives at critical points of the route. He rallies to the football well as a tackler and strikes with good pad level. He helps keep a lid on the defense by chasing down run-away ball carriers. If McDowell can continue his trend of getting faster and prove as a senior that he can find the ball, he will start to realize his full potential.     Noah LaBan is a versatile playmaker who is a touchdown threat every time he touches the ball. He is a smaller guy at 5'9 155, but compensates for his frame with his elite playmaking ability. When given a lane to run, he explodes through openings and maintains his long speed for the long haul. He quickly gets up on defenders and is a Tasmanian devil in space, kicking up dust and generating weak tackling attempts. He has enough bounce to direct the play outside and out-angle defenders when needed. LaBan is a 10.82 100M runner and has put up faster sprint speeds year to year. T/F speed aside, LaBan consistently separates, out angles, and stays away from defenders. At the very least, he can be a productive returner at the college level.     [player_tooltip player_id='1201831' first='Xavier' last='Rucker'] is one of my favorite 2026 RB prospects in Georgia and it's a matter of time before some of the big boys get involved. I have compared him to Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter, and their HS tape is almost uncanny at times. [player_tooltip player_id='1201831' first='Xavier' last='Rucker'] has elite GPS metrics in terms of speed, acceleration, and explosiveness. Metrics aside, Rucker can beat you in a lot of ways. He can go through, around, and even over you. On top of that, he is a fantastic receiver out of the backfield and can climb the ladder to make plays against DBs. Rucker is a P4 caliber player and should receive some of that buzz this offseason. He already has an offer from Georgia Southern and has been productive this fall.     [player_tooltip player_id='1214567' first='Carter' last='Mathis'] is a massive human being with some of his best ball ahead of him. He has always been big, but he continues to grow and is listed around 6'7 300, making him one of the biggest sophomores in the country. Mathis is raw, as you could expect, but he has mauler potential and is already good at displacing defenders. Hand placement and pad level will all have to be cleaned up and become consistent, but he is a lottery ticket for a reason, and it's because he is 6'7 300 and is active on his feet. He will garner P4 attention, and possibly this offseason.     As of now, [player_tooltip player_id='703811' first='Austin' last='Stinson'] is a pretty low-key recruit, but he could pick up some recruiting buzz this offseason, regardless of his smaller stature. Stinson is another sub-11-second runner with the bounce to weave in and out of running lanes. He runs hard to out-angle defenders to the sidelines and to explode through openings. He is a featherweight runner, but he plays with good contact balance and can dodge defenders around their feet. Stinson is a TD threat when he finds space, and he is also a capable receiver out of the backfield. He is simply an elite playmaker and has plenty of time to get bigger.     Dallas Ward is a puppy, but he contributed on the front seven for McIntosh this fall and is a traitsy prospect. He played a lot of IDL this year, but he projects long-term as an edge rusher. He holds 6'3 225 very well, possessing plenty of area to add to his lanky frame. For a lighter prospect, he fights hard against contact to shed and is capable of bringing his arm over and under to clear his chest. He has quick feet and can shimmy to get blockers reaching, allowing him to threaten both shoulders. Ward has the requisite length, bend, and speed profile to play EDGE at the P4 level. I believe he has already started to realize some of his potential.     I saw [player_tooltip player_id='1586586' first='Adriel' last='Rojas'] once before his freshman season and then again before his sophomore season. The second time around, he looked like a completely different person. Rojas is a lanky, athletic 6'5 210 with plenty of bulking potential. Rojas showed several different ways to win this fall. He is quick off the line and has enough bend to get around the arc and slingshot after the QB. With his length, he is best when he can manipulate blockers and keep his chest clean. He is a solid pursuer of the football and has a large tackling radius, paired with decent patience. Rojas has real speed-to-power potential. He can also be a solid edge setter with his length. He has plenty of tools to offer and it'll be a matter of time before P4 schools are knocking at the door of North Forsyth, especially given Rojas's trend of physical growth over the last two years.     I saw [player_tooltip player_id='734231' first='Jeremiah' last='Proctor'] shortly after his freshman season, and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He is all of 6'2 190 and will carry 200+ pounds with ease. He is a little raw and moves like a baby deer, but his footwork is refined and his backpedal is clean. He plays with good instincts and tracks the ball well, allowing him to get to a spot and stick. Proctor handles in-breaking routes well at the top of his routes. His footwork allows him to match and mirror and he uses his length to attack the hands. He has solid ball skills and his length helps him not have to be perfect. As long as he's close, he has a chance of making a play. Proctor attacks the trunk of ball carriers as a tackler and has true striker potential as he adds more weight.

College coaches have to take calculated shots at impressive high school athletes if they want to build a competitive roster from top to bottom. If these 11 guys hit, they will hit big.