Deep Dives: 704 Metro Area EDGE Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are continuing our Deep Dive Series, now branching out to the surrounding counties outside of Charlotte, known as the 704 Metro Area! We are looking at players specifically in Cleveland, Gaston, Union, Cabarrus, and Iredell counties. If we have a special player in another adjacent county - such as Stanly, Lincoln, or Rowan - they will be eligible for inclusion in this ranking also!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will keep it going with the EDGE players in the 704 Metro Area, and we will follow the same setup as we did for Mecklenburg County: The top five players will get their own individual breakdown, while our remaining players will get a summarized analysis of their abilities. Let's get started!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1687752"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d2da277438b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tyson has really grown physically since the last time I saw him up close, and his college football recruiting story has grown exponentially since then as well. The explosion, length, and overall speed Tyson shows off on the edge have a lot of college football programs interested in his services. Tyson has a total of 15 offers currently - his most recent offers have come from the following schools: Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, and Liberty. It will be exciting to see the jump in Tyson's overall game after an offseason of training for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1668282"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d2da277444b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We introduced Christian to our rankings, and it seems like ever since that point in time, he's exploded from a recruiting perspective. I thought this past season there was exponential growth in Christian's game, and it really came from being in a defense that really highlighted what he does well as an EDGE player. I've seen Christian up close in a showcase setting, and I knew it was only a matter of time - the physical traits are all there - length, speed, and strength in setting the edge. Now, Christian has received the coaching to allow him to excel as a player. From a recruiting perspective, Christian has received all 9 of his current offers this year! He's been offered by Gardner-Webb, East Carolina, Lafayette, Elon, Furman, Wofford, Richmond, &amp; Old Dominion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1616163"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d2da27744d5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I've watched Makai grow into a strong EDGE player ever since he was a freshman at Porter Ridge. Makai has now switched schools to neighboring Weddington High School, which definitely has some experience with talented defensive linemen in their history. Makai has improved his strength a good bit, while retaining his speed and agility at the same time. Makai, I think, has just started to scratch the surface of his talent, and he's just starting to get well-deserved recognition from college football programs as well. Makai picked up his first offer at the end of January from East Carolina, and I think he's going to see more recruiting attention come his way as we enter camp season soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1687769"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d2da2774553"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When you talk about a high ceiling player, Christian fits that description very well to me. Already standing at 6'5, Christian made some nice impacts on a good Kings Mountain team this past season with 65 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. And all that is even before he's had an offseason to get stronger in the weight room. That's scary stuff for opponents. Listing a 4.5 40-yard dash time on his Twitter profile, you get a glimpse at the kind of overall athlete Christian already is. Once it fully comes together, it's going to be special. Christian received his first offer earlier this year from East Carolina, and you can bet more schools will be showing interest sooner than later. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1692741"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69d2da27745d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jackson had one of the most productive seasons I can remember from the Charlotte Area as a defensive player - 107 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, and 19 sacks! Incredible stuff right there. A 4.0 GPA to go along with that, and a 2-time wrestling champion as well. I simply am confused why Jackson doesn't have more college football interest than he does. This is a product of the transfer portal, and Jackson is going to end up being an absolute steal for a college football program. Off the edge, he sets it well and can play off blocks to make tackles on ball carriers trying to get around him. He can beat offensive tackles with both speed and power, and he shows good closing speed in getting to the quarterback as well. He was named All-Conference, All-State, and by all accounts is a wonderful young man. Hopefully, camp season will help enhance Jackson's recruiting, because he's the total package to me. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Honorable Mentions</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1701467' first='Emmanuel' last='Rucker']</strong> - Northwest Cabarrus<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2113124' first='Ma'Kyi' last='Dow']</strong> - JM Robinson<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1871415' first='Jahmir' last='Ayers']</strong> - JM Robinson<br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616109' first='Tyler' last='Surles']</strong> - Parkwood <br><br>Analysis <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1701467' first='Emmanuel' last='Rucker'] has had some strong interest from multiple Division 1 football programs, and rightfully so. At 6'3 and 245 pounds, you can see that he's a problem coming off the edge of a defense. Emmanuel shows good power rushing skills against offensive tackles on film and sets the edge well overall, helping slow down the running game for the Trojans on defense. The JM Robinson duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2113124' first='Ma'Kyi' last='Dow'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1871415' first='Jahmir' last='Ayers'] are both long and athletic EDGE players that can pair well to really be a problem with teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1113123' first='Landen' last='Harding'] on their defensive line. Dow, in particular, is so athletic that he plays on the kickoff coverage team and has several highlights from last season just laying the wood to opposing kickoff returners. That is some really impressive stuff. Finally, [player_tooltip player_id='1616109' first='Tyler' last='Surles'] has some excellent physical traits at the EDGE position that should intrigue college football programs. Standing at 6'5 and 235 pounds, he had 41 tackles last season, 12 and a half of those were tackles for a loss. He's got some interest from college football programs, and this is a big summer for him with camp season and recruiting overall. I think he will definitely turn some heads with those physical traits. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->