Maryland 4A Football’s Next Wave: 2026 Evaluations - Part 2

Prep Redzone Maryland will evaluate top returning prospects in Maryland's 4A high school football classification. The focus of these articles will be on the Class of 2026. There's a lot of talent returning for the 2025 season. We'll be evaluating prospects that are both on the radar of college coaches and prospects that are underrated and underrecruited in some cases.   This is Part 2 of this series.   [player_tooltip player_id='711493' first='Risan' last='Smith'] | Safety | 6-1 | 184 | CH Flowers | 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='711493' first='Risan' last='Smith']'s physicality, instincts, and range make him an appealing prospect for programs that value someone who can support in-the-box and coverage. Some of the plays on his highlights show his ability to diagnose plays and react to them quickly. For example, there were two plays where he identified swing passes early and responded to them decisively. Both results ended up in tackles for a loss for Smith.   Physicality and solid tackling are significant parts of his game. He's a solid tackler who excels at wrapping up and driving through his targets. Smith already has a good size for high school safety and should be able to add to his frame in college. He has good lateral movement, which enables him to be an effective sideline-to-sideline defender.   From a pass coverage standpoint, I would like to see more plays of him in pass coverage, particularly in one-on-one scenarios. Smith will get to prove himself in that area once he gets to college prospect camps later this year. With continued development in ball skills and man-to-man coverage, he has a chance to be an even more high-impact player in 2025.   Nadir Degree | Linebacker | 5-10 | 175  | Eleanor Roosevelt | 2026   Nadir Degree's highlights show that he can play both middle linebacker and safety, especially when lined up in the box. He consistently wraps up and finishes tackles effectively. Degree does a good job of coming downhill in the run game and meeting backs in the hole to stop forward progress. He seems like a student of the game because he reacts quickly to what he sees and makes the play. Degree's ability to play in the box and deliver strong tackles is his strong suit.   Degree plays linebacker for his high school football team, which makes him undersized for the position. I think he could help his recruitment a little bit by finding a way to showcase his coverage ability to college coaches during the offseason. His current size will make it hard for him to be recruited as a linebacker.  Putting something on film that shows him in coverage will show that he can transition to strong safety at the next level.   Walter Petrov | Linebacker | 6-0 | 175 | Wheaton | 2026   Walter Petrov is a bright, disciplined linebacker whose instincts in zone coverage, ability to make plays on the ball, and willingness to hustle in pursuit make him a solid defender. On the first play of his highlights, Petrov undercut a hitch pass and turned it into a pick-six. He showed good route recognition and awareness in zone coverage. Speaking of zone coverage, there are at least three plays where he positions himself effectively to defend the pass.   Sizewise, the linebacker position is at a disadvantage. However, he's usually quicker than any linemen he encounters and uses that to his advantage. He's also versatile and can play middle and outside linebacker positions. If he stays at the linebacker position, he must put another 15-20 pounds of lean muscle to his frame. I'd have to see more film of him in coverage before leaning towards seeing him as a linebacker/safety hybrid at the next level.   Andrew Frazier | Defensive End | 6-2 | 190 | Clarksburg | 2026   Andrew Frazier has impressive skills and potential as a defensive end. In his highlights, he displays several key strengths as a prospect. In his first play, Frazier uses an inside pass-rush move to get the sack. His quickness and decisive movement caught the offensive tackle off guard. On some of his sacks, he shows his relentless high motor and willingness to fight through blocks and disengage at the right time to make the play.   Frazier has good closing speed and can chase down mobile quarterbacks in the backfield. While pass-rushing is his strength, Frazier is also effective against the run. There are a couple of plays where he takes on and defeats double-team blocks on the way to making a tackle. He's an explosive and instinctive defensive end, which allows him to disrupt plays earlier. If he remains at the defensive end at the next level, he'll have to work on developing himself physically (with more weight and improved strength) and on his pass rush moves. Frazier will be going up against bigger linemen at the next level and must compensate for that in other areas.   Kaden Chapman | Middle Linebacker | 6-2 | 230 | Paint Branch | 2026   Kaden Chapman is probably the most physically ready prospect for his position out of all the athletes listed in this article. With his physical playing style, agility, and football IQ, Chapman controls the middle of his team's defense. His ability to process run plays early allows him to effectively position himself to disrupt the offense. He shot through gaps between the guard and center in multiple plays, which led to tackles for a loss or minimal gains. That shows he has some burst when he's in pursuit mode.   Chapman's ability to shed blocks and make tackles behind the line of scrimmage makes him a disruptive force. I'd have to see more of him in pass coverage to determine his effectiveness in that game phase. He's a prototypical run-stopping linebacker with the size, instincts, and physicality to be a central force for any defense at the next level. Chapman is already there from a physical standpoint. If he can show that he is solid in pass coverage, that'll boost his stock as a college football recruit even more.     <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/01/maryland-4a-footballs-next-wave-2026-evaluations-part-1/">Maryland 4A Football's Next Wave: 2026 Evaluations – Part 1</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/01/maryland-4a-footballs-next-wave-2026-evaluations-part-2/">Maryland 4A Football's Next Wave: 2026 Evaluations – Part 2</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/01/maryland-4a-footballs-next-wave-2026-evaluations-part-3/">Maryland 4A Football's Next Wave: 2026 Evaluations - Part 3</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/2025-season-souther-maryland-skills-players-to-know-part-1/">Southern Maryland  2025 Season Players to Know - Part 1</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/meet-some-of-the-iacs-offensive-stars-in-the-2026-class-pt-1/">Meet some of the IAC's offensive stars in the 2026 Class – Pt . 1</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/maryland-d-c-2027-prospects-already-on-the-radar-pt-1/">Maryland/D.C. 2027 prospects already on the radar – Pt. 1</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/01/maryland-d-c-2027-prospects-already-on-the-radar-pt-2/">Maryland/D.C. 2027 prospects already on the radar - Pt. 2</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/01/maryland-d-c-2027-prospects-already-on-the-radar-pt-3/">Maryland/D.C. 2027 prospects already on the radar – Pt. 3</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/12/2025-season-western-maryland-skill-players-to-know-part-1/">2025 Season: Western Maryland Skill Players to Know – Part 1</a>

Prep Redzone Maryland will evaluate top returning prospects in Maryland's 4A high school football classification. The focus of these articles will be on the Class of 2026. There's a lot of talent returning for the 2025 season. We'll be evaluating prospects that are both on the radar of college coaches and prospects that are underrated and underrecruited in some cases.