Four Prospects Flying Under Radar in Contact Period

This month opened the contact period for the college football recruiting calendar which allows college football coaches to visit potential targets away from the college campus, typically visiting with the recruits at their high school during the school day.   This leads to a plethora of new offers getting sent out around the state and several recruits in Tennessee have seen their interest list spike over the last two weeks and add their first handful of offers.   However, as college teams move forward with the transfer portal over with for the most part, they are still in the beginning phases of evaluating everyone and some prospects are still flying under the radar of everyone despite having the size, athleticism, production and potential to be high-level playmakers at the next level.   The four prospects highlighted in this article fit that description well and are still waiting for the momentum in their recruitments to get kickstarted during this offseason.   <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>    [player_tooltip player_id='1687518' first='Bradley' last='Stamper'] is a safety prospect with elite length at 6-foot-4 with excellent range and ball skills to complement the frame and allows for a translatable skillset of a safety that can be a security blanket on the back end of a defense at the college level.   He has nimble feet with strong hip, knee, ankle flexibility that gives him the ability to cover the entire field on the back end. His experience as a receiver allows for him to disrupt passes when working on defense and has recorded several interceptions in his career.   He is someone that coaches would love to have in their locker rooms as he is a talented player that is the son of a strength coach and boasts a high GPA.   He will need to add weight but has a strong fame that can hold a lot more muscle without losing the athletic ability he currently possesses. He could work quicker to flip his hips in coverage, but a lot of that is simply from being 6-foot-4 and playing the corner position for his team.   At the end of the day, this is a prospect with elite length and the athleticism, versatility and ball skills that will help him find ways to impact the game at the next level.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Goodpasture Christian 2027 Athlete Brandon Leavell</h2>    Brandon Leavell is a versatile athlete prospect that likely projects best as a defensive back with his very good to elite length, straight line burst and ball skills.   He plays both receiver and defensive back for his high school and is a very productive player on offense, defense and special teams.   As a defensive back, I think he projects best as a safety or even zone corner, where he can put his foot in the ground and explode upfield to make a play on the ball and/or ball carrier. He has a strong frame with a long wingspan, which gives him the ability to be a sure tackler at the next level when he gets to work with a college level strength staff.   The receiver ability is evident with his ball tracking ability and ball skills, where he can intercept passes off when playing in more of a safety role.   Some teams will like him as a receiver with his size, athleticism and ball skills which shows his versatility, but he could be an underrated piece of the secondary for a strong college program at the next level.   Wherever you like him positionally, his high-level special teams impact will give him a high floor for translating to the college game.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jackson Christian 2027 LB/EDGE Kelsey Rose Jr</h2>    Kelsey Rose Jr is an exciting second level defensive prospect with a strong frame and positional versatility that helps him be a menacing defensive chess piece in the front seven of a defense.   He spent his early high school career playing literally everywhere on the football field, but settled into more of a front seven role this season in addition to his receiver responsibilities.   Some programs, especially at the mid major level, are going to envision him as an edge rusher with a sturdy build that can work upfield to pressure quarterbacks, chase down ball carriers and cover the flat.   Other programs will want him as a versatile playmaker working through the traditional linebacker positions in their defense where he can man the middle of the defense and work in space to chase down ball carriers.   He has the ability and potential at both inside linebacker and edge with the production at both spots to complement. He will need some refinement and a creative defensive coordinator to maximize his skillset, but if he gets both of those things at the next level, a college program might uncover a hidden gem of a prospect.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cannon County 2027 EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1591156' first='Zeke' last='Walkup']</h2>    [player_tooltip player_id='1591156' first='Zeke' last='Walkup'] is an exciting small school edge prospect as he has an intriguing skillset with very good length, a strong frame and natural athleticism.   He has a strong 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds frame and he uses it to generate power at the point of attack with his heavy hands as he consistently gets the first strike with his length and athleticism.   He has experience as both a stand-up edge and a hand-in-dirt defensive end and has had success in both. He might project best with his hand in the dirt as he packs on more weight at the next level with his ability to win in the run game especially.   He is far and away better than everyone he faces at the 2A level and when he gets to the next level, it could come with a sharp learning curve in relation to the speed of the game.   However, he plays with good body control and technique, relying on that to win reps instead of just being more athletic than everyone else. He will need to put in work with the strength staff to improve his short-area quickness and add weight on to his strong frame.   He might be a year out from making an impact at the next level, but all the intangibles are there for a defensive line and strength coach to mold into a productive defensive end in their front for multiple years at the college level.

This month opened the contact period for the college football recruiting calendar which allows college football coaches to visit potential targets away from the college campus, typically visiting with the recruits at their high school during the school day.