Region IDs: New Names from Birmingham Area

The Birmingham area is one of the most fertile recruiting hotbeds in the region. With the massive attention the area gets, there are naturally some names that slip underneath my nose, even some guys with major offers. Here are several new names for me.    [player_tooltip player_id='1588665' first='Armonte' last='Graham'] comes in around 6'0 170 and plays both ways for Center Point. He is cut, but thin with plenty of room to add some mass to his frame. He is a long strider, but does flash enough quickness to get himself out of tough situations with the ball in his hand. He has the straight-line speed to outrun his current level of competition. Graham has natural pluckers, catching the ball away and across from his body, also while in the air. He is a rising senior breakout candidate with a D1 frame and traits.     [player_tooltip player_id='1684936' first='Jaylyn' last='Rainey'] measures around 6'3 300 and offers some position flex. He has a stout, strong upper body with a nimble lower body. He is surprisingly fleet-footed and keeps his feet firing, crumbling defenders on down blocks and escorting people down the field. He plays with a hot motor, working through the whistle and sitting on defenders when he blocks them through the dirt. He explodes through contact and has flashes of good pad-level, sticking the screws of his helmet into the chest of defenders and lifting them upwards. Hand placement refinement will be the next big jump in his development. Regardless, he is a big, athletic OL prospect who doesn't shy away from violence. Rainey picked up an offer from North Alabama in January.     [player_tooltip player_id='1610259' first='Josh' last='Ivy'] is a productive DB prospect who should be viewed as a breakout candidate on the recruiting trail. He is a rail-thin prospect who is a blank canvas physically, offering room to easily tack on another 20+ pounds to his frame. Ivy is a real reactionary player at the top of routes, proving difficult to separate from. He has the ball skills to execute at the point of attack, leading his team in INTs as a sophomore. He has plenty of range, gliding across the field. As a tackler, he settles down and does a good job of attacking the trunk of bigger ball carriers to upend them in space. Ivy is raw, but has plenty of upside and should tack on recruiting buzz in the future.     [player_tooltip player_id='1604813' first='Dominic' last='White'] has solid measurables at 6'1 180 and immediately caught my attention on tape. He is a verified track athlete who is a burner, consistently out-angling defenders to the sidelines and running away from defenses. He is fast, but I think he could add even more speed with subtle tweaks in his sprint mechanics. He finds his top speed in a hurry and runs hard in space, generating weak tackling attempts and fly-bys from defenders. He has good vision in the open field, attacking leverage and pinpointing open running lanes. He even takes some direct snaps in the wildcat. White holds FBS offers and I think he still has another level he can reach.     Isaiah Miles was an underrated member of a loaded Parker backfield last year and enters his senior season as a breakout candidate. He comes in at 5'9 165, built with a low center of gravity. He has good contact balance for a smaller runner, playing low to the ground and keeping his feet moving at contact to shed off would-be tacklers. He plays with excellent vision, slow-playing the first few steps behind the line of scrimmage to find openings. He takes the most efficient paths in the open field to take advantage of open running lanes and avoid would-be tacklers. Miles keeps his feet driving and doesn't dance around, instead taking the yards available and pushing the ball downfield. Miles is super underrated and should be an obvious eval for smaller schools.     Kendarius Blair is an athletic big guy with his best football ahead of him. He comes in at 6'4 295, but long and lanky arms and legs lead me to believe he can easily tack on more weight. He has solid flexibility in his hips, helping him lower his pad level and get underneath defenders to dig them out and drive them. He has some bounce out of his stance and frequently proves on tape that he has the speed to pull and convoy ball carriers in space. Blair is a little raw and is still developing play strength and balance, but what he is capable of once he gets to the college level should have coaches intrigued.     [player_tooltip player_id='544933' first='Cayden' last='Hofbauer'] is a smaller, but explosive QB prospect with almost an RB-like frame. His multi-sport background is impressive, doubling as a T/F athlete and playing a part in winning the 4x100 state championship last year. You can instantly tell on tape that Hofbauer is dangerous with the ball in his hand in space. He quickly explodes to his top speed and maintains it as he weaves and works to shake off defenders. Defenders look silly trying to tackle him, as he consistently generates fly-by misses and weak tackling attempts. He is not shabby at all as a passer, either. He spins the ball well and can put it on a line all over the field, even when on the move. Whether as an athlete or a QB, Hofbauer should generate college attention. He is a chain-mover.     [player_tooltip player_id='1604821' first='Jeremiah' last='Tabb'] is a pretty well-known name on the Alabama circuit and holds several FBS offers, but he is a new name to me recently. Tabb participates in several T/F events and recently PR'd at over 42 feet in the triple jump. Tabb is a big, lean WR prospect who carries his weight well. He is an effortless mover, skating around the field and through releases like he's on rollerblades. He has a large catch radius and maximizes it by picking the ball off his shoes and reaching across his frame to funnel the football into his frame. I absolutely get the hype. Tabb is big, an effortless mover, and makes the most of his catch radius.     Robert Taylor is a well-known name in Alabama and is already ranked as one of our top 15 players in the 2027 class. However, this is my first time taking an advanced look at him. Taylor is listed most recently at 6'2 235. Might not check ideal height and length boxes, but absolutely compensates for it in other areas of his game. He is super twitched up and sudden, allowing him to work both shoulders of blockers. He plays with a lot of shimmy in his shoulders, keeping his chest clean as he shoots his shoulders and leaks into the backfield. Has the combination of bend and speed required to turn the corner and chase the QB. He does a good job of setting up outside rush moves and working an arm-over to win. He offers some run-and-chase in space as well.     Ethan Johnson is a massive national sleeper in Alabama and could be on the verge of a breakout. He is a 6'2 170 smooth mover at cornerback with teach tape on how to attack downfield and tackle as a corner. He does an outstanding job of working around blockers and using his length to create separation when actively engaged. He rallies hard to the football and does a good job of slowing up and dropping his pad level to strike appropriately and avoid fly-bys. He is tall, so will naturally be hard to throw over on the outside. He is still adding some twitch, but is fluid in the hips and has the long strides to stay in phase down the field. Johnson is an outstanding tackler with good pursuit skills and size. An eventual move to S would make sense. I wouldn't be shocked to see FBS and P4 schools get involved soon.

The Birmingham area is one of the most fertile recruiting hotbeds in the region. With the massive attention the area gets, there are naturally some names that slip underneath my nose, even some guys with major offers. Here are several new names for me.