KLAA West Game-Changers

Talk about a stacked league. The KLAA West hosts many of the top big-school programs in the state. Every year, some awesome talent comes out of this state as well. Here's a quick evaluation for five of the best prospects in the West.    In order for a big school to find success, you need to have a good offensive line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1148722' first='Connor' last='Cox'] is a great safety blanket for Brighton. He provides much-needed size and physicality for Brighton's balanced offense. What I like most about Connor's game is his anchor. He's a brick wall. There are several highlights where Connor takes on good DEs. More often than not, the DE fails on the first move, then gets buried by Connor. Love his ability to stay put and not give an inch.   Excited to see how colleges view Connor. I think he has a good shot at earning GLIAC attention, but that's all dependent on his offseason camp performances.     I think it speaks volumes that Davenport sent out an early April offer. This is a player with great size, great strength, and he's coming off a successful 12-game season.   Back in November, I scouted Jackson at his playoff game against Hudsonville. I stated that Jackson "could very easily be a GLIAC prospect this coming spring", and it seems like I was right on the money with that prediction.   A big reason why Jackson is likely to earn more GLIAC offers is his size and physicality. Size speaks for itself- not many people on earth are 6'3" 235. As for physicality, Jackson does a great job anchoring down against the run, and powering through the line against the pass. Good getoff as well. I would ideally like to see a bit better bend, and I think Jackson can prove himself more against good pass blockers.   Game-wrecker in the KLAA. Should have a ton of success as camp season ramps up and should play even better during his Senior season.     A potential college prospect this Summer and very likely key player for Howell this coming regular season.   Drew's playoff highlights showcase his upside. Against Hudsonville, Drew was able to earn a sack and a couple more QB hits blitzing off the blindside. Plus, there's a good man coverage rep against Hudsonville's senior WR1 (and a GLIAC commit). The ladder half of his playoff tape shows a few good block sheds and open-field tackles.   Great foundation set in 2024, and one of those guys who could emerge as a true game-changer this year. Also very excited to watch Drew perform at our upcoming Prep Redzone camp!     Jaeden missed quite a bit of time last season, but he was still able to put up some great highlights. His tape kicks off with a solid man coverage rep- there's a stumble, but Jaeden does an excellent job of recovering and executing the PBU. Overall, I like his instincts and change of direction. Needs to play with a little more confidence, though.   Looking like a breakout prospect for 2025. A great athletic foundation, and he should be good to go for camp season starting in a couple of weeks.     One of the best offensive linemen in the KLAA. Heck, one of the best linemen in the state.   Tobin is coming off of great freshman and sophomore seasons, and he's committed to getting better. This past season, Tobin spent most of his time at Center and was an absolute people mover. I really like Tobin's footwork and balance in the run game- he's able to take a firm first step, maintain a low center of gravity, lock on, and drive. Defenders don't easily shed his blocks either- Tobin's hands are vice grips. Still a D1 prospect in my eyes, and someone who is a definitely a gamechanger in the KLAA West.     Gillings has grown a tremendous amount in the last year. My first time watching Gillings was a little under a year ago at the MHSAA Evaluation camp in Brighton. There, he was a smaller, slim receiver with above-average route running for his age.   His most recent clips on Twitter show noticeable growth. The biggest area of growth comes in his change of direction. His routes were above average last year, but now, I'd call some of these routes great or even excellent. He was a game-changing player in the KLAA West last year, and I think he'll have an even bigger season as a Junior. Look out.

Talk about a stacked league. The KLAA West hosts many of the top big-school programs in the state. Every year, some awesome talent comes out of this state as well. Here's a quick evaluation for five of the best prospects in the West.