Final 2026 Player Rankings: Film Evaluation Notes, Part V

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After much anticipation, tedious note taking, scrupulous attention to detail on a spreadsheet with massive amount of datasets on it, and hours of film watched, the time has come to release Prep Redzone's final player rankings for the class of 2026. The rankings release is&nbsp;<em>tentatively&nbsp;</em>scheduled for this coming Monday; however, here are a few quick footnotes to consider:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>With 830+ players ranked, the industry rumor is that this is the largest rankings update for the state of New Jersey, on record, throughout any media outlet.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Prep Redzone continues to be the industry's leader in terms of state-by-state depth when it comes to player rankings. Nobody has deeper rankings.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Prep Redzone New Jersey, <em>specifically,</em> is the unabashed leader in transparency, as we share our raw, unedited, and unfiltered ranking evaluation notes.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ranking evaluation notes are being rolled out alphabetically by first name and include 200+ new additions to our final rankings.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Please be aware that due to the volume of work required for this, there will be typos throughout the notes.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Player Information</td><td>Film Notes</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1827891' first='Cole' last='Weidler'] 6'3" 190 QB Westfield</td><td>Puts ball in solid, non-contestable places; knows where he wants to go with the ball; receivers either have to adjust or extend for the pass; one read and go; tends to throw the ball high on his targets body; receivers get caught due to ball placement; more of an athlete than a quarterback; ball's zip varies at times</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1693330' first='Curtis' last='O'Brien'] 6'0" 170 DB Red Bank Catholic</td><td>Corner, backpedals high, has shown moderate closing speed on breaks; plays his run fit well, not allowing defenders outside of him; grabs when tackling, does not use shoulder all that well; good at run support; tackles high, but knows to keep his feet churning; worry about some separation getting behind him when defending, but tracks ball well enough while running to make a play on it</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1688986' first='Damon' last='Swain'] 6'3" 315 DL Allentown</td><td>Guard who pops up high out of his stance; Nose who does not fight pressure or use his hands; offensively gets hands on matchup and keeps them tight; plays too high and with no zepration; would be benefiticial if he learned to play heavy techs</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1921821' first='Dane' last='Collum'] 6'1" 155 QB Pitman</td><td>Does not need an 11 minute film; stares down target quite a bit; release slow but can put the ball in the perfect place on deep throws; arm reaches about 40 yards veertically; can evade traffic somewhat, walks a tightrope; receivers generally have opportunity to create after hauling in the pass; played small group football</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1544674' first='Daniel' last='Cruz'] 6'1" 190 LB Cherokee</td><td>Reads and takes diagnose step, a bit too late to react and get back; physical, can blow up linemen with a running start; lumbers a bit, unsure about his speed; needs to work on block shed/disengagement; must break down when tackling, a bit out of control and lunges</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1924110' first='Daniel' last='Licciardi'] 5'10" 200 LB Summit</td><td>No need for an 11 minute film; disciplined backside, presses his gap and takes away cutback; flies up when playside, must keep eyes looking for oncoming blockers not just obsess over ball carrier; will block up a full back in the hole with physicality; runs hard, like he is desparate, to the sidleine; never too out of position, runs low</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2004707' first='Dante' last='Rosato'] RB Hanover Park</td><td>Wingback has a hard time turning the corner; can make overpursuing defenders miss in pursuitwill cut back if something is open while behind the LOS; runs upright; played tailback; solid, straight line runner</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1676452' first='Dante' last='Severiano'] 6'3" 200 EDGE Fort Lee</td><td>Standup edge, speed gives slower players a hard time; works back to quarterback once pocket is overset; gets hands on, does not really control matchup with hands though; excited to play the game; extends and looks to get off, relies on offenive players no being very good or aggressive</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1970263' first='Darian' last='Jackson'] 6'0" 170 ATH/WR Whippany Park</td><td>Wing-T fullback not much wiggle or burst to separate, although he eventually will; lined up at WR at moments, can high point the ball and catch with his hands; wing back that makes cuts, slows down to do so; probably a defender in college</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1676365' first='Dashawn' last='Fairfax'] 5'11" 200 ATH Dickinson</td><td>Tip toes some; goes dead-body when tackling; breaks through poor/high arm tackles; slings as a tackler, reaches and throws down; plays the game at a high level and plays poor competition; wiwlling to make a physical tackle when needed; balance as a ball carrier, people going low must wrap or he will breka tackle; raw prospect, decent, not sure where he will project out at</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final 2026 Player Rankings Release</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/final-2026-player-rankings-film-evaluation-notes-part-i/">Film Evaluation Notes, Part I</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/final-2026-player-rankings-film-evaluation-notes-part-ii">Film Evaluation Notes, Part II</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/final-2026-player-rankings-film-evaluation-notes-part-iii">Film Evaluation Notes, Part III</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/final-2026-player-rankings-film-evaluation-notes-part-iv">Film Evaluation Notes, Part IV</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/final-2026-player-rankings-film-evaluation-notes-part-v">Film Evaluation Notes, Part V</a><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->