Uncovered Gems: RCA #3

Six more prospects from the Rivier Cities Alliance! This league has been a treat to cover. A lot of underrated & physical talent in this league. Today, I'll be evaluating three more prospects from Coopersville, and one prospect from Cedar Springs, Lowell, and Allendale.    Earning Varsity playing time as a freshman is always a major accomplishment, but it's even more of an accomplishment when you're a defensive lineman on a physical team like Coopersville.   Calvin's tape begins with a great speed rush, earning a rushed throw and QB hit. Second highlight, same thing- a good speed rush off the edge, and a forced fumble. The rest of his tape shows a good number of smart, instinctual plays. 0:57 isn't all that flashy, but it is a great job of playing contain and punishing the QB for attempting to escape the pocket. When compared with other players in the class of 2028, Calvin runs laps around most when it comes to physicality, play speed, and instincts. When compared to most varsity players, he looks just above average. In order to sustain this level of separation between him and the rest of the class of 2028, Calvin will need to put in consistent, sustained work over the next several years.      Another Coopersville evaluation, another well-coached, physical football player. Tony's tape begins with a well-drawn-up stunt, getting on a TFL. 1:14 is another good play- Tony reads the counter run, ducks under a bad block attempt, and blows up the play from the backside.   2:42 is a solid example of Tony's pass-rush abilities. Against a pretty big-bodied tackle, Tony is able to absorb his block, keep his momentum rip through the block, and earn the QB hit. Tony has good instincts, good play speed, and good physicality. I'd like to see a bit better explosiveness in the future, but still, Tony could earn a D3 roster spot with a good offseason.      Leland played a vital role in the Coopersville defense this season. The first highlight I'd like to mention is at 1:10- Leland does an excellent job to quickly recognize the screen, crash down, and make a great solo tackle on 4th down. Other plays like 2:04 and 2:58 show good run fits, decent pursuit angles, and good open-field tackling. In the run game, I would love to see Leland become more physical and aggressive. He's already above-average in those categories, but really focusing on physicality and play speed in the run game could help separate him from the pack.   As for pass defense, there's only a small handful of plays to go off of. 1:20, 1:40, and 1:48 are a few decent pass reps. Generally, I don't see amazing DB fundamentals, but I never really know until I see 1on1 reps at a camp.      Spencer is someone that I've watched at a few camps, and I know he's a pretty productive player for Cedar Springs.   The first highlight shows Spencer rip a 35-yard touchdown right in the middle of the field. After following his blocks and easily making it to the second level, Spencer plants his foot in the ground, breaks the safety's ankles, and scores. Though, not every play is going to be explosive. Most of the time, running backs will need to find a way to win extra yards when running through tight space. 2:04 is a good example of that- Spencer rushes up the middle, breaks a few arm tackles, and gains about 10 yards after contact.   Good tape, but some things to work on if Spencer wants to be recruited during the 2026 offseason. First, speed and agility. Spencer was a below-average tester when it came to speed, and he tends to struggle when making open-field cuts. The silver lining to this is he has a well above-average 109-inch broad jump, indicating good explosiveness.      I've mentioned Nathen a couple of times recently, but I have yet to dive into his tape.   Nathen's tape actually opens with a receiving highlight. This highlight shows Nathen simply running right behind the Allendale defense and scoring a pretty easy 85-yard touchdown. Not too much to say here except I wish Nathen didn't slow down once he was in the clear. He was going to score no matter what, but it would have been a much better display of his speed if he ran it out.   Next play I'll touch on is at 0:35- Nathen (playing RB) rips a big 45-yard touchdown against a great DeWitt defense. The play was very well-blocked, and Nathen did a great job recognizing the OLB playing the motion man and the other LBs also seeming flat-footed. Lastly, I'll mention the play at 3:47. This was the game against Marquette where I first saw Nathen dominate, earning multiple run stops from the backside.   I'll say it again- Nathen should be a high D3 prospect. Very good production at several positions, good testing numbers, etc.      Evan's tape is an extremely pleasant surprise!   Playing right guard, Evan is fast, physical, and has impressive footwork. Evan's highlights begin with a very fast pull and subsequent pancake on the middle linebacker. 0:52 is another instance of great agility and through-the-whistle block on the middle linebacker. Whenever Evan is run-blocking, he plays fast, physical, and through the whistle- something that is pretty rare for offensive linemen. Again, his footwork on those running downs are quite good as well. A few slight false steps here and there, but mostly very efficient and quick.   The one big area that Evan needs to work on is pass blocking. Plays like 0:46 show awkward and wonky footwork when pass blocking.   If Evan is actually 6'3" 220, he has a shot to get noticed by D3 schools this offseason. Most of it depends on how he does at prospect camps. If he has good performances at camps, I could easily see college coaches checking out this film and sending an offer.

Six more prospects from the Rivier Cities Alliance! This league has been a treat to cover. A lot of underrated & physical talent in this league. Today, I'll be evaluating three more prospects from Coopersville, and one prospect from Cedar Springs, Lowell, and Allendale.