Putting Madison on an Island: Area's Best DBs

Code Johnson30 sees you 30% on a Prep Redzone subscription*   Next up in our coverage of the best from the Madison area we turn our attention to the defensive backfield. This is one of the hardest position groups on the field. Both the safety and cornerback positions require special, nuanced talents to be successful. Safeties need to be versatile and provide run support physicality and coverage athleticism and awareness. Corners need to be able to run with the offenses best weapons and have the confidence to do it 1 on 1 with consistent success. This group is loaded up with impressive athletes who have their own special way of standing out at their positions.    Sam played around the defensive formation from safety to LB. I believe his home will be at safety eventually with his long, lean frame that still has the strength to be fit for the ball or deliver strong hits on ball carriers. Sam brings excellent range to the field and can easily get to the sideline from the LB or S positions and make stops near the line of scrimmage. The '28 has very effective awareness in coverage too, naturally running with his man while reading the QB. You see he has that closing burst to bait QBs into bad throws too. I really like the weapon that Sam is becoming for his defense.      Lou is an interesting 2027 DB prospect. He mans one of the safety positions for SP West where he earned All Conference honors. While he might be undersized for a safety the junior has proven to have the three faceted versatility you want to see from a safety. He can come down and make tackles, but the best of his game is in coverage. Lou has the straight line speed to cover ground while providing help over the top. We also see the quick twitch agility to be able to take a receiver in the slot 1 on 1. That coverage could open doors to him playing more of a slot CB role at the next level.      Manny is a legitimate CB recruit in the Class of 2027. His highlights are full of examples of his ability to play on an island and provide lockdown coverage. I love the speed he shows. Not just running downfield, but in terms of recovering whenever he may be caught slightly out of position. The quick twitch reactive athleticism also jumps off the tape as he battles to stay right in his man's hip pocket throughout the route. He is going to battle the WR hard at the catch point too. Manny is quickly growing on me and I recommend you take a look at his tape.      This is another intriguing Madison recruit to keep an eye on as he enters his junior season. Linus is all over the defensive backfield. You see him back at safety, roaming a deep half, reading and reacting and making plays on the football. Then you will see him out on an island covering a WR 1 on 1 with no help over the top. He has shown he does well with his hands and timing to break up passes. The 5'11" 165 lbs athlete also is a viable open field tackler too. The versatility and legitimate athleticism make it so that Linus can play in the secondary at the next level. Especially with multiple years of experience and development ahead of him.      Easton is a talented prospect who made a name for himself as just a sophomore. On tape you see him playing both safety and RB for SP East. The 5'10" 180 lbs athlete has already built a stout frame that is powerful at the point of contact to both shed blocks and make strong tackles. On defense you see Easton back at S and also up on the edge. His strong frame and explosive acceleration give him the ability to get into the backfield to create chaos on a consistent basis. Easton does so well moving through traffic in the trenches to get to the football. This is a kid I will be keeping a closer eye on this fall.      Makai is a versatile weapon for Monona Grove. The 6' 190 lbs athlete made an impact at DB as well as RB on offense. We talked about versatility at the safety position in the intro and Makai brings that to the field. His strong frame can deliver big hits that break up passes, but that doesn't take away from his athleticism. Makai is able to line up 1 on 1 with WRs and show the reactive athleticism to be able to play tight man coverage. That strength flashes in coverage as he would fight through the man to get to the ball. The tape also shows the awareness while covering a deep zone, quickly reading the QB and breaking on the ball to make an INT. Don't miss out on this versatile 2027 athlete.      We wrap up with a sophomore who has already been earning time on varsity. Vincent manned one of Middleton's safety spots and provided outstanding run support. The highlights are loaded with rep after rep showing how well he can fill against the run. The '28 does a great job of ensuring that he reads run before leaving his area on the field. Once he triggers downhill the sophomore was able to cover ground quickly. Over and over you see him go 10-12 yards and meeting the RB right at the line of scrimmage. While the sophomore is only 165 lbs it is clear that he is someone you can rely on as a tackler. He does a great job of getting ball carriers down quickly and without giving up yards after contact.

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