Athletes Who Can Create Fireworks With the Football

*Use code FOURTH50 for an insane 50% off a Prep Redzone annual subscription through July 5*   On the eve of the 250th birthday of America I wanted to take the time to breakdown the tape of some of my favorite athletes who create fireworks on the field on Friday nights. These are athletes who can change a game with a single touch. Get them the football and let them take over. These are athletes who could do damage with a handful of touches a game. They are the kids that DCs spend the week worrying about containing, and usually fall short of doing so. These are the athletes I would send you to watch if you wanted to see a highlight reel type of performance on any given Friday. So let's dive into the tape and watch the fireworks!    The small school WR/DB is a big time talent, holding three D1 offers from Western Illinois, St. Thomas, and Drake plus multiple other D2s/D3s. The talented athlete is a great playmaker. He was only able to compete in 4 games last year due to injury, but that didn't stop the highlight reel from being loaded with monster plays. Between his long frame and top end speed, Bryce is able to be a constant vertical threat out wide and he is fantastic at going up and getting it at the high point with strong hands. Then on defense you see the high football IQ as he reads and reacts in a flash, closes quickly, and is constantly making plays on the ball. This is one of the best uncommitted playmakers that the state has to offer.     When it comes to game changers Eli is one of the best. Especially when you narrow it down to the uncommitted 2027s. Eli is coming off a season where he produced 1200+ yards and 15 offensive TDs along with a defensive score and two more scores on special teams. The epitome of get the ball in his hands and anything can happen. The speed jumps off the tape as soon as you hit play. Speed that forces DBs to play with a big cushion. That speed also has led to DBs biting on head fakes, and if a DB gets a step out of position he is going to get burnt by Eli. Eli also has outstanding instincts with the ball in his hands to read the field, find blocks, and set up defenders to be a step out of position or at a bad angle. The mismatch out wide is a need to know prospect and one of the best skill players that is uncommitted in the Class of 2027.     Next up we have a State Champ in Grafton starting RB [player_tooltip player_id='1228462' first='Jack' last='Nelson']. Being Grafton's RB1 he is in position to have a lot of chances to take over games with his number of touches. That is what he did in 2025, turning his 265 carries into 26 TDs and 2,300+ all purpose yards. Basically every 10th touch resulted in a TD last season for the explosive RB. An insane rate for a kid who touched the ball nearly 300 times. Safe to say Jack can handle the workload and the wear and tear while always threatening the defense athletically. Watching through the highlights, a lot of his big plays come from his patience allowing things to develop. Then when he sees it you see the acceleration and the downhill running style that doesn't waste much time with lateral jukes. Jack is an RB that can wear down a defense and then turn the cracks in the defense into highlight reel plays.     Don't sleep on this playmaker on the outside for Appleton West. Bennett possesses the size needed to thrive on the outside. Size that allows him to create separation with his length or to high point the ball in traffic. Bennett also sets himself apart with the speed he brings to the WR position. Bennett threatens the defense vertically on a weekly basis, and is coming off a season where he put up a crazy 22.9 yards/reception. There are clips of the big man winning in triple coverage and winning by outrunning the entire defense downfield. He is a matchup, and when I attended their game last fall I was locked in every time the ball went his direction with expectations of highlight reel play after highlight reel play. The big play threat is flying under the radar. Get on him!     Gabe is a walking highlight reel. He produced on defense, special teams, as a passer, ball carrier, and receiving threat in 2025. The is the embodiment of creating fireworks. If there was a way to get the explosive athlete involved then Central was going to try it. Gabe's football IQ and athletic dominance pair together to constantly put the defense at a disadvantage. He shows that he can read the field extremely well and set things up to capitalize off of. I'm expecting Gabe to take over at QB1 this fall for Central, and that will only get him the football more. So I'm expecting big things from him this fall! Don't miss out on the west central WI standout!     If we aren't there yet, by the time the 2026 season comes to an end [player_tooltip player_id='1288210' first='Tre' last='Oiler'] will have solidified that he is the best player in the state. At 6'6" 220 lbs, the 2028 TE runs like a WR. He is extremely smooth in his routes, quick and agile off the line, and the strength is there to dominate at the catch point. Tre possesses natural hands that easily pluck the ball out of the air. WI is well known for producing FBS TEs, but even considering that we don't see many that can move like Tre can in the passing game. Tre returns his QB1 this fall and that connection should only get stronger, leading to a big year for the special TE talent. This is a National level recruit, so I am excited to see the fireworks he creates this fall.     For our next game changer we stay on the Arrowhead offense with another standout 2028. RB [player_tooltip player_id='1627981' first='Devin' last='Nettles'] is electric with the football. I expect him to split carries this fall, which will keep him fresh and even more of a threat to break loose for big plays as the defense wears down. Devin brings 4.56 40 speed to the field and the vision to find alleys and blocks. Pair them together and you get a lot of clips of the 5'11" 190 lbs RB flying down the sideline for big chunks of yardage. It isn't just about beating angles with Devin either. The '28 RB can work through traffic with the best of them, cutting on a dime to avoid LBs and then showing that burst to quickly get back to top speed. Things should just get better and better for the rising 2028.     I can't wait to see what Nicholas does this season as I expect his roles on varsity to take a dramatic leap this fall. The top player in the Class of 2029 is a rare athlete that we don't see often in WI. He brings elite, national level track speed to the field. His frame has outrageous length to provide a huge catch radius. He attacks the football in the air and does a great job of adjusting and finding ways to come down with the ball. I'm confident that the 2029 is going to leave no doubt that he is one of the most explosive playmakers in the state this fall. It will be must watch tape when it starts rolling out.     The Class of 2029 is showing early signs of having something skill players to recruit. Baldwin- Woodville's [player_tooltip player_id='2124829' first='Luke' last='Janke'] is another member of the Class that we have already seen prove to be a player who can completely change a game with limited touches. In 2025 we saw him utilized out wide, on the ground via jet sweeps, and also as a return man. In those scenarios we got to see the high level, natural playmaking traits. The vision and instincts for how and where to attack. The speed to completely flip the field and beat pursuit angles. Plus the ball skills at WR to be able to win the 50/50 balls and make the contested catches. With three more years of growth, development, and varsity experience to come, I can't wait to see all the fireworks this kid is able to create and put on tape. Big things ahead for Luke.

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