Preseason Preview- Central Tuscaloosa Set to Make a Run in the 6A

Earlier this offseason when I was adding prospects to our 2026 and 2027 Rankings, I couldn't help but notice how much talent we were finding in the Tuscaloosa area.   More specifically, Central Tuscaloosa.   I was seriously impressed looking over this roster- they could easily have one of the top defenses in the 6A this fall, with impact players on the defensive line and in the secondary. Offensively, they have just as much talent- their offensive line and skill positions left me really impressed, from the top down they have a team that is ready to compete in the 6A this fall.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">OFFENSE</h1>    [player_tooltip player_id='1610192' first='Tra'Von' last='Hall']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/travon-hall/"></a> is a super-talented WR/ATH who has brought a ton of speed to Central's offense, making a ton of huge plays all over the field last season. Hall has spent time at both RB, WR, and even as a passer- no matter where he lines up, he's explosive with the ball in his hands. At WR, Hall has speed that helps him stretch the field and completely outrun defenses, he's twitchy, is a great route runner, and gains tons of separation at every level of the field. Hall has reliable hands he uses to haul in some really tough-to-catch passes, and after the catch, has great contact balance, can make defenders miss, and works to maximize yardage on every catch. Hall was productive everywhere on the field last fall, ending his sophomore year completing 8/14 passing attempts for 222 yards and one touchdown, 16 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and 15 receptions for 275 yards and 5 touchdowns in the air. With how well he played last fall, Hall has been busy this offseason- picking up offers from Toledo, Jacksonville State, Memphis, and others. Check out his film below, Hall is a seriously talented 2027 with a huge future on the horizon.      I got to see [player_tooltip player_id='1630927' first='Tyler' last='Smith'] this past weekend in person at the You Are Athlete camp in Birmingham- he competed well against some of the top DL prospects of the event, holding his own and making some really impressive blocks all day long. Smith plays with great leverage, has a ton of strength, and does an excellent job up front in the run game. Smith is great at driving defenders off the line of scrimmage and opening huge rushing lanes for his teammates- he opens up so much space for RBs to capitalize off of, leading to huge runs all around the field. Smith is just as productive in pass protection- he sets his feet, gets low, and makes it incredibly hard for defensive linemen to get by him, giving his QB plenty of time to scan the field and make decisions. After seeing him in person Saturday and watching his film since I'm impressed with Smith as a prospect- he's a really reliable lineman for Central Tuscaloosa's offense. Smith has some really good tape you can see below, be sure to give him a watch below- I'm really excited to see what he does in his senior season.     <h1 class="wp-block-heading">DEFENSE</h1>    I saw [player_tooltip player_id='1630521' first='Jackson' last='Carlisle'] in person this past Saturday at the You Are Athlete camp in Birmingham, and man, he impressed. Carlisle was dominant the entire day- competing extremely well in one-on-one drills, and placing as one of the top DL prospects in the camp. Carlisle explodes off the snap, has quick, violent hands, and completely overwhelms OTs with his size, speed, and strength. It's seriously impressive seeing the different ways Carlisle wins in the trenches, he has a wide variety of different moves he uses to get by offensive linemen, and he makes it look effortless. Once in the backfield, Carlisle causes chaos- he's terrific at generating pressure, forcing bad decisions, and taking down the quarterback. Carlisle also presents a ton of obstacles for opposing rushing attacks as well, he's terrific in pursuit and is a great tackler who doesn't allow for any additional yards after making initial contact. Carlisle put together a great junior season last fall, ending the year with 65 total tackles (35 solo, 5 for loss) 5 sacks, and 6 hurries. Carlisle has picked up offers from Jacksonville State and Troy recently, and with how well he performed on tape and in camp, that list is going to keep growing- just watch. Be sure to check out Carlisle's tape below, he's a seriously talented DL set for a huge season this fall- I can't wait to see how he performs.      [player_tooltip player_id='1610201' first='Marcus' last='Muse']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/marcus-muse/"></a> was dominant for Central Tuscaloosa's defensive line last fall- making tons of plays against the run and pass against some really talented teams. At 6'3 275, Muse is a hard guy to stop- he has great size, gets terrific penetration, and can wreck the line of scrimmage all by himself. Muse is excellent at fighting off blocks to come up with huge stops- he does a great job using his hands, power, and quickness to dominate OL and take down the ball carrier near the line of scrimmage. Muse is also terrific in pursuit- it's extremely impressive watching him work across the field to make tackles. Frequently on tape he hustles to make huge tackles far from where he lined up pre-snap, it's awesome watching the effort and motor he plays with. Muse dominated all last season, ending his sophomore year with 48 total tackles (19 solo, one for loss) and one FF. Muse has had an impressive offseason, picking up offers from Troy, Jacksonville State, Toledo, and more. I can't wait to watch Muse play this fall- he's a dominant DT/NG in our 2027 class with a huge year ahead.       <h1 class="wp-block-heading">KEY PIECES</h1>    I've become a big fan of [player_tooltip player_id='1349520' first='Nicholas' last='Witherspoon'] this offseason- he<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/nicholas-witherspoon/"></a> has been a huge contributor in the trenches for Central Tuscaloosa the last few seasons on both the offensive and defensive line. Witherspoon dominates the line of scrimmage wherever he lines up whether it be at OG, DE, or DT. On offense, Witherspoon moves extremely well at 6'3 290 and can deliver huge blocks all around the field- It's really impressive watching him pull around the line of scrimmage and work from level to level to open up rushing lanes for his teammates to capitalize on. Defensively, Witherspoon generates tons of power and great penetration up front, completely closing up rushing lanes at the line of scrimmage and creating huge stops against the run. Witherspoon is just as talented at rushing the passer- he generates tons of interior pressure on passing downs, frequently collapses the pocket, and forces QBs into bad decisions. Witherspoon was dominant up front last fall- ending his junior year with 30 total tackles (4 solo, 26 assisted). With how well he played, Witherspoon has been picking up a ton of attention this offseason, picking up offers from FAU, EKU, Toledo, and more over the last few weeks. Be sure to watch out for Witherspoon this fall- he's unbelievably versatile and is set for a huge year this fall.        [player_tooltip player_id='1610212' first='Jaelon' last='Bramlett'] dominated out in Central Tuscaloosa's secondary last year- he thrived out in coverage and was a great run defender who made clutch plays all season long. Bramlett thrives in both man and zone, consistently blanketing talented WRs all over the field. Bramlett is physical and excellent at breaking up passes- he isn't easily beaten at the line of scrimmage, flies to the ball, and is great at using his hands to break up and pick off passes. Bramlett is also an extremely reliable tackler- he plays with unbelievable pursuit and is terrific at tracking and hunting down the ball carrier from wherever he lined up to prevent huge plays. Bramlett was dominant last season and shows a ton of talent and potential going forward. Since the start of the offseason, Bramlett has picked up offers from Troy and Jacksonville State- when you watch his tape (see below), it makes plenty of sense why. He's a talented prospect with a huge junior season ahead of him this fall- just watch.

Earlier this offseason when I was adding prospects to our 2026 and 2027 Rankings, I couldn't help but notice how much talent we were finding in the Tuscaloosa area.