Trending Up in the Trenches Vol. 1

With the 2024 regular season in the rearview, we take a look at the offensive and defensive linemen who have elevated their recruitment with their play on the field in Northeast Ohio.    Logan Mitchell is a power edge rusher with good abilities to stop the run game with his leverage. Mitchell stood out on Friday night by repeatedly getting involved in stops even when he wasn't on the playside. His power was on full display with repeated double teams coming his way and was able to fight off the pressure. Has good power in his upper and lower body that keeps him in plays for longer. Because of his dogfight mentality, he frees up his linebackers to attack the play. Can line up at either defensive end spot and has good quickness to pull out speed moves when needed. I liked what I saw out of his footwork, was never passive when locked into a one-on-one battle. Mitchell has had a quiet recruitment on a really good football team and needs to have some eyes on him. You can see the positive progression from his early season film to now postseason.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16690240/66fb3b4f5419a5a7b0d413cd">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16690240/66fb3b4f5419a5a7b0d413cd</a>     Colin Southworth is a fun defensive lineman to watch for his good extension in his arms to make run-stuffing plays throughout the game. Southworth has excellent reaction timing for a bigger guy and the strong footwork to react and read. Fights hard in a contained space to not only eat blocks, but can aid in bringing down ball carriers. The game looks slow to him to read plays, which is the hallmark of a college defensive lineman. Has despective quickness off the snap, can catch interior offensive linemen off guard with speed moves that he pulls off with good efficiency. On top of being a beast on the field, Southworth is an excellent student in the classroom which opens his options as a college athlete. Currently holds offers to Kenyon, University of Rochester and Oberlin College, could see that number increase with his final film.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16239354/66dfb5e7131ceeb20e34d377">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16239354/66dfb5e7131ceeb20e34d377</a>     [player_tooltip player_id='1135264' first='Jackson' last='Hedin'] may be the hardest working player in Northeast Ohio and his film has shown exponential growth on and off the field into a complete player. Hedin plays offensive and defensive line and does so at a high level. He has the size and skill set of an impact player on Saturdays. Not only does he have great reach in his arms, but has a lot of power to pull off moves an average player can't. On defense, he can overwhelm offensive linemen with his power and has clean footwork to work past pass protection. Is an aggressive left tackle that doesn't want the play to end until his man is on the turf. A big guy that doesn't play soft, Hedin looks for contact and cleans up blocks. Hedin is a leader on and off the field who puts in the work when no one is watching which has led to some of the best uncommitted film coming out of the 2025 class. He has maintained interest from several schools including Buffalo, Edinboro, Kalamazoo and other schools. There's no doubt in my mind he belongs at the next level.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15123034/66e1ed6c195bf1bb5884dde7">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15123034/66e1ed6c195bf1bb5884dde7</a>     [player_tooltip player_id='1467333' first='Donovan' last='Crook'] packs a punch from the defensive tackle position that makes him a skilled player at getting into the backfield. Crook has the rare speed and power combination that make him very difficult to guard head up. Has speed to get after the quarterback to create pressures. His first step when firing out of his stance can win him battles before they've begun. Plays interior offensive line and lets his aggressive play do the talking. Strong feet to keep himself planted in pass protection, but not so heavy he can't make a good block when pulling. Goes in with a must-win mentality to lock into a battle then play to the whistle. Crook has put in a lot of work in the Lineman Lab and it shows as a high riser from the 2024 season. With a lot of strong film coming from his junior year, Crook will be a name to watch this postseason and beyond.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/21463816/66f2496a2c4766704336dfd7">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/21463816/66f2496a2c4766704336dfd7</a>

With the 2024 regular season in the rearview, we take a look at the offensive and defensive linemen who have elevated their recruitment with their play on the field in Northeast Ohio.