Family Ties: Rising Stars with D1 Siblings

<p>As much as some people may want to dismiss the ideology of family ties when evaluating, and while every single prospect is unique, the aspect of having that type of athlete and person around you matters a lot to one's development.</p>   <p>Especially as siblings, which we will look at today, they ideally push one another to compete and develop at the highest level day in and day out to further their talent and natural instincts.</p>   <p>That has certainly been the case for these pairs of brothers that share Division One college football skillsets, and the younger brothers are ready to step forward in to their turn in the spotlight.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Antioch 2027 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='378901' first='Andre' last='Adams']</h2>   <p>Andrew Cross-Adams recently graduated from Antioch High School and began his college football career at Middle Tennessee State, where he is now a true freshman safety for the program, earning Defensive Scout Player of the Week two times already this season.</p>   <p>He did not leave the school behind empty handed, however, as his younger brother, Andre, has taken another step forward into his development as the starting quarterback for the Bears, breaking large quantities of school and state records for an offensive player.</p>   <p>He is a dynamic player with both his arm and legs and that has showed up no matter the level of competition he is facing, pushing his team to remain undefeated with a victory over one of the top teams in the state behind his nine touchdowns.</p>   <p>He has programs such as Colorado, Liberty, and Vanderbilt making him a priority now with other schools such as Cincinnati, Louisville, and Tennessee keeping tabs.</p>   <p>Andre says the best athlete of the three is Aaeden "Bug" Adams, who is just a freshman, but if the growth and development of the older two, both physically and with their skillsets, is any indication, he could be the next Adams prospect worth watching as he already is producing big plays for Antioch.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/1976445044757495828 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Silverdale Baptist Academy 2027 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1535798' first='Connor' last='Jenne']</h2>   <p>Harris Jenne was a versatile and strong two-way lineman for Silverdale Baptist Academy over his high school career and is now a true freshman offensive tackle at Furman in one of the best conferences at the FCS level.</p>   <p>He was a massive loss for the Seahawks this offseason, but his younger brother Connor has helped relieve some of that pressure with improved play at the quarterback position and should have several college coaches looking him to get in the camp circuit this offseason.</p>   <p>Listed at 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, he has the size and arm talent that coaches will be attracted to at the next level, and he has taken the next step forward with his touch when layering throws in targets during this season.</p>   <p>He could see the first D1 offer come his way relatively soon and be the latest college football player in a family that included his grandfather playing at SMU.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/StephenHargis/status/1961582881915953523 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CPA 2027 Interior Offensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='905243' first='Skyler' last='Smith']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='284141' first='Brody' last='Smith'] was arguably the anchor of a strong run of CPA football teams, leading the offense from his center position, before also taking his talents to Furman this offseason.</p>   <p>That opened the door for [player_tooltip player_id='905243' first='Skyler' last='Smith'] to slide over from left tackle and he could have even more potential with great length and athleticism for the center position, showing the ability to win at every single level.</p>   <p>He will need to continue filling out his frame for the next level, but he has already received college offers and with proven strong play while snapping in the top private school ranks of the state, the offer list will only continue to expand.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Skyler_smith08/status/1978588092110975471 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baylor 2028 Offensive Tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1704258' first='Dante' last='Wade']</h2>   <p>Xavier Wade is a starting guard as a senior at Baylor currently and is still working through the recruiting process to decide between the offers has received and he has been able to mentor his younger brother this season in his first year in the program after coming down from Canada.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1704258' first='Dante' last='Wade'] has amazing size at 6-foot-7 with a lean frame that allows with him to move very well, which is on display as he plays along the defensive line while he waits to take over a offensive line starting job next season, where he could flash even more.</p>   <p>His combination of size, frame, and athleticism do not just come around all the time and as he plays more along the offensive line in the future the interest from colleges should begin to turn into offers.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DanteWade89/status/1977863660572680273 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CPA 2028 Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1586170' first='Gabriel' last='Cabell']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='824736' first='Owen' last='Cabell'] has also been a large part of the strong run CPA has been on, making plays as both a dynamic receiver and defensive back, impressing enough to earn a scholarship to go to Alabama next season on offense.</p>   <p>His younger brother arguably could be even better as he holds the same frame currently with even more speed, breaking track records in Tennessee as a freshman in high school.</p>   <p>That explosiveness translates to the gridiron, where he showcases his explosive playmaking abilities when targeted for CPA.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/gabrielcabell1/status/1921036745702785166 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Westview 2028 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='424594' first='Graham' last='Simpson']</h2>   <p>Ty Simpson has sat and developed in the quarterback room at Alabama for a couple of seasons and now in his time to start, he has worked into the conversation for being the top quarterback drafted into the NFL this offseason.</p>   <p>In case you were not watching the Tennessee-Alabama game, his younger brother Graham is beginning to work his way up recruiting boards as well, seeing offers and interests come his own way, while developing under the mentorship of Westview coaches and his father, who is the head coach at Tennessee-Martin.</p>   <p>Graham has a lively arm, efficiently takes advantage of what opposing defenses give him and distributes to talented playmakers all around him, much like his older brother has become known to do.</p>   <p>The younger Simpson has a chance to be the top overall prospects in the state for his recruiting cycle as well and will continue to be a prospect to watch over the next couple of seasons.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/G_Simpson11/status/1938421286297911769 </div></figure>

As much as some people may want to dismiss the ideology of family ties when evaluating, and while every single prospect is unique, the aspect of having that type of athlete and person around you matters a lot to one's development.