Notable Midwest 2029s to Watch This Fall

Some young athletes know very early in their life that they love the game of football. It's outright one of the most satisfying feelings, in my opinion, to see a young football player blossom and develop from a good football player into a great football player.   These six young upcoming freshmen in the Midwest region of the nation are next up. It's rare to see such young football players already display high level of play, I'm so excited to see them play high school football.    Super athletic and fearless is [player_tooltip player_id='1745617' first='Draven' last='Keys'] from Springfield, Mo.   I first came across Keys watching him play spring football and the kid definitely left an impression on me. Keys is so athletically talented I love to watch him play football. His ability to use his legs at the quarterback position is second to none in the state of Missouri. No matter what team he's playing for rather its middle school football, spring football, or 7v7 he always seems like the focal point in the offensive scheme. Plays usually stems from Keys taking the snap and everyone else get out of the way. I have him listed as an athlete solely because in high school ball I can envision him being moved around to maximize is athletic ability.   Keys is going the cause havoc next year in high school football.     Young Braylen Howard is already polished and ready for high school football.   Howard 's football IQ is his best attribute when he is playing, he is one of the smartest players on the field. I've had the pleasure of watching Howard play football since his youth football days, every year he continued to get better and better. A multi-talented tough, gritty player I watched him play multiple positions on both sides of the ball. I have him listed as a DB this coming year because I think his ability to turn run and process what's happening on the football field very quickly will be a perfect position for Howard. This past year Braylon was absolutely lock down for the Southwest7 7v7 football team, he routinely looked like he was bored because quarterbacks didn't really throw it his way.   This is just the beginning for Howard college scouts are going to watch him very closely.     The only upcoming 8th grader on the list but I had to give him his flowers.   I know I'm breaking my rules on the class of 2029 headliner with adding KJ Mcclee who is class 2030, but Mcclee really needs to be recognized for his play as of late. I met KJ Mcclee at the You Are Athlete camp in Kansas City, Missouri and he really made me watch him closely through camp. He stands at 5'10 155 in the 7th grade that's the first thing you recognize when you see Mcclee, but he moves so extremely well at linebacker. All morning long Mcclee worked his tail off, and coaches love a player that just likes to work. He showcased great feet, and he always seemed like he was never out of position he knew where he had to be at all times.   Mcclee is exactly what college scouts look for and what's crazy is he still has one more year of middle school ball to play.     Mcdonnell is a highly competitive young man, I love his game.   Just like Mcclee I met Mcdonnell at the You Are Athlete and they both went back-to-back in positional drills, so they had my full attention. You can tell that Mcdonnell loves the game of football, and he dedicates a lot of his time to just get better. Aside of his physical capabilities to run, hit, and read defenses, the one thing that scouts look for is how coachable is the prospect? Joel Mcdonnell I can tell is a very coachable football player every time a coach spoke, he was in full attention and gave them the respect to listen to what they have to say he was just hungry to learn something else.   Physically Mcdonnell is top notch, mentally he really separates himself from the rest he is high school ready and will only get better.     Already sporting a high school football frame Vaughan is super poised.   Another You Are Athlete participant Vaughan really showed off his arm strength. He showed the ability to really set his feet and drive the football to his desired spot. He works extremely hard on perfecting his craft, he is ready and dedicated to take his game to the next level. At the YAA camp Vaughan wasn't always spot on throwing the football in some drills, but the best quality in a quarterback is to have that short term memory. He didn't let it rattle him that some passes got away from him and always responded better the next rep that's the definition of having great poise and that's the best quality you can have in a quarterback.     A big, powerful downhill runner is [player_tooltip player_id='1403902' first='Jaiden' last='Little'].   Little is one of the best young runners in the Midwest region of the nation and he is just getting started. Jaiden is a big bruising Running back that regularly imposes his will on defensive players. It's a little comical to see defensive players take business decisions and just simply get out of his way when he has the football. Although he possesses great strength, he showcased the ability to get out and space and catch the ball out of the backfield. He is a pretty good route runner that has a real smooth approach in doing so, he is a very, very impressive football player all the way around with a complete bag of physical tools.   In due time Little will be playing on Saturdays.

Some young athletes know very early in their life that they love the game of football. It's outright one of the most satisfying feelings, in my opinion, to see a young football player blossom and develop from a good football player into a great football player.