’26 Rankings Update: The Athlete Film Room, Part I

Film is one of the best tools to self-scout, evaluate, and improve. As is the case with any rankings update, we want to celebrate and highlight select prospects who had some really nice film and talk about their game. That said kill the lights, close the blinds, and turn the projector on and join me, as we prepare to enter the film room to discuss what I saw on film.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    I am not exactly quite sure what to make of [player_tooltip player_id='405777' first='Alex' last='Russey'], other than the fact that this kid can ball. In fact, if there was one, and only one, film I would emplore you to watch this rankings update it probably would be Russey's. Russey was used in a bunch of ways, all over the field, likely to exploit mismatches due to his unbelievable athleticism. No matter where he is lined up on the field, Russey's explosion and burst translates seamlessly. Furthermore, he moves with extremely quick, lateral cuts. Defensively a corner, Russey gets very good breaks on the ball and will maintain his force leverage along the perimeter. He is aggressive when defending the pass as well. Offensively he alternated between receiver, running back, and wildcat. As a receiver, he sinks his hips very well and uses shoulder/head fakes when working to create separation. All this combined with the fact that he has outstanding vision, he is an elite threat in the open field.     A south Jersey prospect we might expect to make some noise this season could be [player_tooltip player_id='1551253' first='Brody' last='Phillips']. Phillips is a returner, running back, receiver, and linebacker who can hit a seam and go. First, as a running back he has forward lean that allows him to fall forward through the line of scrimmage. From his linebacker position, he runs well with backs out of the backfield on wheels, slowly but surely taking the space out between the route and the sideline. Additionally, he stays low with good pad level, uses his hands, and can absolutely stick someone when tackling. Understanding leverage, we see him fight pressure as well - almost as well as he rallies to the quick game. Phillips has soft hands as a pass catcher, and as a result, is used in the screen game. When split out wide, this multidimensional piece trusts his speed to split converging defenders looking to make a vice tackle.     [player_tooltip player_id='1271284' first='Frenchmon' last='Bethea'] is a prospect I have know about for a while not, but was not exactly sure what I thought of him. Initially he was evaluated and thought upon as a quarterback; however, that appears to have just been out of necessity rather than being the long term plan. Once Bethea was moved off that spot, his game, and also his ranking, shot up. As a safety Bethea has quite a bit of range, easily making plays on poorly thrown balls; conversely, as a receiver he uses his hands to catch it and his hands appear to be strong. He moves exceptionally well, as we see Bethea make people miss without offering any particularly hard cuts. When a receiver, he has a burst coming off of the line and can secure the ball through contact with assurance. Additionally, when Bethea has the ball in his hands he runs with a forward lean when needed to get cheap yardage. Closing out, on defense he does a nice job getting his hands on receivers to disrupt timing and their route, while also appearing very instinctual in pass defense.     To my recollection, I do not ever recall describing a prospect as their "special team's ace;" however, I had never seen [player_tooltip player_id='1551131' first='Giovoughni' last='Dureny']'s tape prior to last month. Dureny is a two-way threat in terms of both blocking punts and also returning them. In the backfield, he has been a violent-running fullback who has a tremendous deal of forward lean when running. Dureny also deploys power and strength, showcasing that he is able to break tackles - all the while being equally as graceful when he elects to use the spin move. Soft hands are demonstrated as he leaks out on play action pass. On defense Dureny lines up in the interior trenches - and for good reason. Dureny has showed the ability to come out of his hips and get that much-desired upward bend as he locks his arms, moves his feet, and makes plays. Dureny is also used off the edge some.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2026 Rankings Update Coverage</h2>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-i"></a><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-i"></a><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-i">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-ii">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part II</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-iii">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part III</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-iv">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part IV</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-v">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part V</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-vi">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part VI</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-vii">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part VII</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-viii">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part VIII</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-film-evals-for-new-additions-part-ix">Ranking Evaluation Scouting Notes, Part IX</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-the-athlete-film-room-part-i">Athlete Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-the-defensive-back-film-room-part-i">Defensive Back Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-the-defensive-line-film-room-part-i">Defensive Line Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-the-linebacker-film-room-part-i">Linebacker Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-the-quarterback-film-room-part-i">Quarterback Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/26-rankings-update-the-running-back-film-room-part-i">Running Back Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-the-wide-receiver-film-room-part-i">Wide Receiver Film Room, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-shake-up-within-the-top-150-ranked-part-i">Biggest Rankings Jump, Ranked Prospects, Part I</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/26-rankings-update-watchlist-prospects-that-entered-the-top-25">Watchlist Prospects that Entered the Top 25</a>

Film is one of the best tools to self-scout, evaluate, and improve. As is the case with any rankings update, we want to celebrate and highlight select prospects who had some really nice film and talk about their game. That said kill the lights, close the blinds, and turn the projector on and join me, as we prepare to enter the film room to discuss what I saw on film.