Defenders You Need to Locate Pre-Snap Every Play

*Code Johnson30 for 30% off a new annual Prep Redzone subscription*   Every team has their athletes they lean on throughout the season. They are the leaders, superiorly talented, and usually have plenty of experience under their belts. However, there are a few defenders across the WI landscape that are not just pillars for their teams, but guys that the opposing offense needs to identify pre-snap and have a plan for. Guys who can't be handled with the usual 1 on 1 block or just hope that your QB's arm can beat them to spots. Today's article shines the spotlight on just a few of those elite game changers who can take over a game on their own on defense if left unplanned for. This is a fun group to talk about and watch, so let's dive in!    Deangelo was the first athlete to come to mind while creating this article topic. Over the past two years we haven't seen a more disruptive athlete in the trenches in the entire state. The 5'11" 235 lbs DL has proven to be unblockable at times. He is violently explosive off the snap, has such strong and effective hand use, and his ability to dip and change pad level makes him so hard to get hands on and stick a block on. Clay's blend of speed and power are unmatched and the reason that he is a top 3 DL despite being undersized for the position. Nobody lives in the backfield like Clay does and it forces offenses to have to identify him every snap if they want to find any sort of success.      Another defender that teams will have to locate this season is Muskego safety Taylor Czarniak. The 6'2" 195 lbs '27 has an elite build for the position and that size comes equipped with the physical dominance needed to play safety at a high level. Taylen is proving to be a legitimate three level player. One you can trust to read and close downhill vs the run game with his hair on fire and make tackles. He can also cover ground on the back end and be trusted as a single high safety with his range and ball skills. The big safety is a player that QBs need to locate pre-snap. Check him out.      Cayden is a machine at the LB position. He has multiple 15+ and 20+ tackle games throughout his career. If offenses don't find him and have a plan to get a hat or two on him every play then Cayden is going to make them pay. The '27 ILB is so strong instinctively. He can diagnose plays and put himself in the best position to make plays vs the run and passing games. It is impressive watching him move through traffic, meaning that even if you have a plan to stop him that might not be enough. I don't think there is a more reliable tackler in the state either. The De Pere standout is a massive steal in the Class of 2027.      Our DL1 in a loaded DL Class of 2028 definitely fits the bill for this article. The 6'4" 260 lbs athlete lines up all along the DL, forcing the QB and OL to make sure they know where he is at before every snap. That is only the start of the battle, though. Hendrix brings elite power to the field. Power that allows him to rip through OL, burst out of his stance at the snap, and clear arms off him on his way into the backfield. The big fella also has some excellent playing speed for his size. The technique is just starting to click too, so as that builds you can expect him to be even more of a nightmare on Friday nights and beyond.      We stay in the 2028 DL Class with our DL2. Azindo is a massive athlete who mans the middle of the trenches for Edgewood. Teams don't necessarily have to find him because he is constantly in the middle, but they need to spend every week planning how they want to have their OL try and contain him. Azi can win and impact in so many ways. He can win on his own with the burst and violent power packed into that 6'3" 300 lbs frame. Or he can eat up multiple blocks at once and let his LBs eat freely behind him. This 2028 DT/NG has been steadily improving his game, so I am pumped to see where he is at by the time fall rolls around.      I love watching this kid play in the trenches. As just a sophomore we watched Zach help Arrowhead win the D1 State Championship back in November. The big man does a fantastic job playing with leverage. Every clip you see the knee and ankle flexibility to keep his pad level lower than the OL. From there he gets to flex his strength and hand use to quickly defeat blocks or drive his OL into the backfield. There are even clips of him already able to take on double teams, split them, and make the tackle. Plus the lateral quickness to help get around OL and stop the ball jumps off the tape, especially for a 280 lbs DT. Tap into his highlights.      Another athlete that offenses have to locate pre-snap is Catholic Memorial's [player_tooltip player_id='1624391' first='Will' last='Schmitzer']. That is no easy task because the entire defense is so loaded. But Will is one that must be identified because he will be all over the field from the slot to off ball OLB to coming off the edge. Will's versatility and success in all those alignments make him a game wrecker if offenses don't have a plan for him. Will brings the athleticism of a safety and the physicality of an LB to the field allowing him to attack in so many ways. I'm very excited for his summer camp performances.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozDdHSWHNo </div></figure>     Taft was a big piece of the West De Pere defense as the Phantoms made their run to the D2 State Championship. The 2028 LB/DL wrecked havoc on the front seven. Primarily lining up at DT, Taft proved to be too quick and powerful on contact. He could win with the lightning quick get off at the snap, and despite being 195 lbs his power was able to move and shed OL at a very high rate throughout the season. The 6' 195 lbs athlete also has the athleticism to play in space. Because of that athleticism and his frame it looks like his future home is at LB at the next level. Whether it is at DL or LB this fall, Taft will be someone offenses need to have a plan for.     We wrap up with another 2028. This one is two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='2112365' first='Keonte' last='Thigpen'] of Menasha. The RB/DB is a legitimate weapon for the Blue Jays and a player that offenses will need to find every snap this fall. Watching his highlights left me impressed at how much he is around the football. Keonte is undersized as a 5'8" 170 lbs safety, but that hasn't stopped him from being involved and making a ton of tackles. Keonte is quick to find the ball, diagnose plays, and then closes with his impressive burst to top speed. Keonte is a surprisingly great tackler in space too. Even vs much larger opponents. Then on top of it he has the speed and ball skills to roam the back end in coverage. Keonte is a kid that the OL has to try and get hands on in the run game and QBs need to keep an eye on while passing.

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