Five new prospects on radar after state championships

<p>This past week, Prep Redzone Tennessee was in Chattanooga covering all nine TSSAA football state championship contests and scouting the talent in the process.</p>   <p>There were a large number of players that stood out over three days of title games, and as you would expect with 18 premier teams playing, there were a handful of new-to-me players that quickly put themselves on my radar.</p>   <p>These five prospects stood out in a massive way in their state championship performances, catching my attention quickly on the field.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pearl-Cohn 2026 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1432204' first='Karmelo' last='League']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1432204' first='Karmelo' last='League'] has been a known commodity for a while now but this was the first time I was able to see him play in person and man did he impress. He is a long athlete at 6-foot-2 and flies around the field.</p>   <p>He was a tackling machine in the state championship game as he chased down ball carriers all day long.</p>   <p>The senior is still available for programs to add to their incoming class and a long linebacker with great natural pursuit skills should be worth taking a chance on.</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/kmeloleague/status/1959434598053454038?s=46 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alcoa 2027 RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='904844' first='Micah' last='Jones']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='904844' first='Micah' last='Jones'] was the MVP of the 3A state championship game and he earned every bit of it, leading his team in both rushing and tackles.</p>   <p>He is built like a linebacker, but had the athleticism to be moved around the middle of the field and play a lot of safety.</p>   <p>That athleticism is evident as a running back, where I think he could stick despite being a bigger back already at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds.</p>   <p>While he has that big, strong frame that certainly allows for success in between the tackles, he also holds the athleticism to make a cut and get downhill quickly enough to put linebackers in a bind. He is a prospect I am excited to watch more this offseason.</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/connersmith04/status/1997350958888562969?s=46 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">USJ 2027 Safety [player_tooltip player_id='1687518' first='Bradley' last='Stamper']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1687518' first='Bradley' last='Stamper'] is a super intriguing athlete first and foremost, standing at 6-foot-4 with great athleticism and natural movement skills.</p>   <p>He plays both receiver and cornerback for USJ and the flashes he showed in the game cast a preview into the potential he possesses.</p>   <p>He got open downfield as a receiver and also used his length plus athleticism to be a disruptive corner. That skillset proves a daunting for opposing quarterbacks to throw toward.</p>   <p>With his size, he likely grows into a safety prospect eventually, but all the tools are certainly there to be a productive one at the Division One level.</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/1997763250599973010?s=46 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">USJ 2028 TE [player_tooltip player_id='1092711' first='Jake' last='Payne']</h2>   <p>Getting to see USJ play proved to be really beneficial as there are multiple prospects from this team that immediately caught my attention including 2028 tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1092711' first='Jake' last='Payne'].</p>   <p>On the first passing play for the Bruins, I instantly wanted to know who number 18 on the field was. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he moves like a natural receiver with the frame to add on a lot of weight and grow into that tight end body.</p>   <p>While he only had one reception for three yards in the game, the potential with this prospect is blatantly obvious and will be someone to watch over the next two seasons.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Westview 2028 DL [player_tooltip player_id='1032139' first='Drake' last='Hickman']</h2>   <p>Westview is known for their exciting offense with high-profile quarterback and skill players, but this squad also quietly featured strong trench play on both sides of the ball.</p>   <p>Playing both sides, the potential might be best as a big, versatile defensive lineman for 2028 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1032139' first='Drake' last='Hickman'].</p>   <p>At 6-foot-2 and 250+ pounds he has a well-built frame with strength and athleticism to be a disruptive presence along the defensive front. He has active hands to round out his skillset and should only continue to grow into both his frame and skillset.</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/nilvanasports/status/1985779791669125602?s=46 </div></figure>

This past week, Prep Redzone Tennessee was in Chattanooga covering all nine TSSAA football state championship contests and scouting the talent in the process.