Friday Night Freshmen: Young Guns Ready to Take Over

Some players make the jump to high school and just get it right away. They play with confidence, they understand what they're seeing, and there's usually one clear trait that separates them from everyone else. It might be size. It might be speed. It might be instincts. Sometimes it's just a natural feel for the position. Whatever it is, you notice it early. When you watch them, the game looks slower for them. They're comfortable. They're decisive. They're already a step ahead.   That doesn't mean they're finished products or even future stars. A lot can change between now and their senior year. But every class has a handful of kids who stand out early, and these are some of those guys. They're still young, still developing, and still learning, but the foundation is already there.    [player_tooltip player_id='1513324' first='Tanoah' last='Kauhi'] feels like one of those “coach is gonna find a spot for him” players because the physicality and effort show up on both sides. Defensively, he brings a real presence in the run game — he's willing to step up, tackle, and be part of the dirty work, which you don't always get consistently at that age. He also plays the pass with decent awareness; he isn't easy to fool, and you can see him picking up on routes and concepts instead of just chasing whatever moves in front of him. The other thing I liked was how he handles contact and blocks — he'll stack, fight to shed, and keep himself in the play rather than getting washed out. That's pretty rare from defensive backs, but he plays like a linebacker once he gets down into the box. Offensively, you can see the foundation as a route runner: quick feet, decent ability to sell a stem, and hands that let him actually finish plays when the ball shows up. The next step is smoothing out the transitions — there are moments where the change from one movement to the next isn't as fluid, and that's usually where timing and separation start to really matter. But the game speed is noticeable, especially when he's chasing plays down from behind.     Patrick Atkinson stood out because of just how physical he's able to be from the defensive backfield, which you don't always see consistently. He's a reliable tackler right now. He triggers downhill, gets his body under control, and finishes instead of just throwing a shoulder. That toughness shows up in the run game, but he isn't limited to that role. In coverage, you can see him use his length well and stay patient when the ball is in the air, instead of panicking. That gives him a little room for error and helps him stay competitive even when he isn't perfectly in position. The biggest area to keep developing is speed and burst. As the competition gets better, he's going to see more guys who can really run, so closing space quicker will be important. If that comes along, he's going to be a weekly problem. Right now, he looks like a young safety you can trust to tackle and do his job, which is a solid place to start.     Jordan McBurney is the type of young back that makes a defense feel like it's always a step behind the play. He's got a decent build already, but it's the speed of his game that separates him — not just straight-line speed, but how fast everything happens once he commits. He's hitting the second level before linebackers can even figure out where the crease is, and when someone finally squares him up, that doesn't automatically mean it's over. He runs with that annoying-to-tackle mix of quick feet and balance, so one-on-one opportunites turn into missed arm tackles. What really jumped out is how well he keeps his speed through lateral cuts. A lot of young backs can make a cut, but they gear down to do it. McBurney doesn't need that extra beat — he can slide, plant, and keep rolling, which is exactly how you turn a four-yard gain into something that flips field position. It's early, but the traits are there for a back who can stress a defense horizontally and still punish them between the tackles.     [player_tooltip player_id='1288231' first='Michael' last='Rivera'] already plays with a level of control you don't always see from young linemen. The first thing that stood out was how calm and collected he looks in pass protection. His hands aren't all over the place, his feet stay underneath him, and he looks like he actually understands what he's trying to do instead of just throwing his body into people. Where he really flashes, though, is in the run game. He comes off the ball with good pop, gets into position quickly, and once he wins leverage, he stays there. You can see defenders start to lose balance because Rivera has already turned them the way he wants. That tells you the core strength and lower-body power are real. He also plays through the whistle and doesn't give up on blocks, which is a big deal this early. There's enough lateral quickness to adjust when the play changes, and you see some early flashes climbing to the second level. He's still young, but the foundation is there, and that's usually the hardest part to find with linemen at this stage.     Bryce Brown shows a lot of the traits you want to see early from a young quarterback. He's comfortable extending plays, getting outside the pocket, and still keeping his eyes downfield instead of just taking off. You can tell he wants to make throws, even when things aren't perfect. He's also not afraid to challenge tighter windows, which is a good sign at this stage, but like most young QBs, he's still learning when to be aggressive and when to take the easy play. He's not a true dual-threat right now, but he moves well enough to buy time and reset, and there are a few plays where you can see him escape with a plan instead of just reacting. The release is a little longer, but he makes up for it with solid touch and ball placement, especially when he's on the move. There are flashes of him working through reads and understanding what defenses are doing, and the next step will just be speeding that up as the game gets faster. Overall, the arm is more than good enough for where he is right now, and the foundation is there. It's just about reps, experience, and tightening up the details moving forward.     Conor Jackson stood out pretty quickly on film because of what he does once the ball is in his hands. He's got real wiggle after the catch, and it's not wasted movement. He makes defenders miss without slowing down, which is a big deal at any level. The acceleration is noticeable too. Once he sees space, he can close ground in a hurry and force DBs into bad angles. What I liked most, though, was how much more comfortable he looked as the season went on. Early in the year, there were routes where he looked a little tight and hesitant, like he was still thinking through everything. By the end, he was much more fluid and confident, moving smoothly through breaks and playing faster because of it. For a young receiver, that kind of progression matters more than any single highlight, and Jackson clearly took a big step in that area.

Some players make the jump to high school and just get it right away. They play with confidence, they understand what they're seeing, and there's usually one clear trait that separates them from everyone else. It might be size. It might be speed. It might be instincts. Sometimes it's just a natural feel for the position. Whatever it is, you notice it early. When you watch them, the game looks slower for them. They're comfortable. They're decisive. They're already a step ahead.