Eastern Eyes to the WEST, Outside Perspective, Part 1

Ranked just eight spots outside the top 150 among Pennsylvania sophomores. His socials are still empty halfway through the season, which isn't a great sign. Hudl, however, has two single game highlight tapes readily available, with reps against both Seneca Valley and Aliquippa High School.   He is an outside linebacker, edge and tight end prospect whose early build, tape and measurables had me excited about what he might show through the first five weeks of the season. He also carries a 3.4 GPA. I'll check back after the season in hopes of seeing a complete season tape rather than just two games.   Right now, he looks to be contributing almost exclusively on special teams for Mars High School. Mars is loaded, so I'm not going to fault him for the lack of substantial or quality positional reps just yet. His available reps against Seneca Valley were also on special teams.   We'll check back in after the season concludes to see if he can maintain his current ranking.     Last posted on social media nine days prior to writing. He stands at 5'10, 160 pounds and is currently listed as a defensive back, but was previously completely unranked before I came across some of his clips on Twitter.   He has a full sophomore year defensive highlight tape that was posted this past summer, which explains why he was left off our initial 2028 rankings released in May. He carries a 3.31 GPA and is currently under review for 2028 ranking consideration.   Right now, he is posting individual runs as separate clips on Hudl, which I don't recommend. It's tough for college coaches to click through three different videos just to watch three different plays. My advice is simple: consolidate everything into one cohesive tape.   He is currently listed as a defensive back, but he has looked pretty active offensively through the first five weeks of the season. I want to see all of those reps put together into a cohesive tape before officially ranking him among Pennsylvania's junior class.     A sophomore quarterback out of Lincoln Park/Western Beaver who carries a 3.4 GPA and stands 6'0, 154 pounds. I'm glad I caught him on Twitter before too much time passed. He was consistently posting clips throughout late August and early September, and I'm now waiting for his Week 5 clips to be released. There is a high chance he becomes ranked at the end of the season so long as he continues producing. He is currently unranked and sitting on our watch list.   I took a look at his Week 3 highlight reel against Steel Valley High School. The tape showcases his comfort operating a spread offense, as well as his ability to evade edge rushers with subtle movement inside the pocket. He can keep his eyes downfield while feeling pressure around him. He can extend plays and dart his eyes from target to target while marrying his feet to his eyes and remaining ready to throw.   The arm talent flashes as well. One rep has him delivering a ball roughly 35 yards through the air, which isn't bad at all for an underclassman. The third rep might be his best. He takes the snap, immediately looks left toward his hot read, works off of it and finds a crossing route between a corner and linebacker. Advanced level read and throw here.   He also delivers a nearly 40 yard seam ball from the pocket, completing it with a safety in the vicinity. There is clear confidence in his arm talent and plenty to work with here that could eventually elevate his recruiting ceiling. Excited to learn more.     Another unranked Pennsylvania junior, which seems to be the theme of this piece. In my hunt for new names, I came across Oliver, a 6'3, 185 pound wide receiver and defensive back who also plays basketball for Franklin Regional High School. He posted his midseason tape yesterday.   Oliver is currently a blocking wide receiver in a run first offense and has caught just one pass per game so far for 83 total yards. Again, I don't necessarily fault him for the lack of receiving production, but I wanted to dig into his capabilities elsewhere. With his build, safety, corner or even linebacker could eventually be possibilities.   His tape gives me about two minutes worth of reps and immediately showcases exactly what I wanted to see: Oliver playing boundary corner. He opens his hips and runs stride for stride with a flanking wide receiver before showing good ball tracking ability, coming away with an interception near the sideline on a ball thrown inside.   Offensively, one rep has him running a 9 route and catching a football he had absolutely no business catching. An underthrown pass essentially turns into a punt, yet Oliver turns what should be a 50/50 ball into something closer to 75/25 in his favor. The ball skills are here to be explored. Here's hoping coaching staffs recognize that regardless of his current production level.   He gets out of his stance well and consistently catches the football away from his body. He is also a phenomenal stalk blocker. I have no doubt he could become an impact crack blocker when working toward the tackles or staying closer to the line of scrimmage.   This is a player PSAC Division II programs would love, yet I think the ceiling could be even higher if things develop the right way. In my opinion, Oliver will be ranked well.     Here is a current freshman sitting on our watch list, a name I became aware of during the offseason. I decided to check in on him through five weeks of the season to see if he is on track to move off that watch list. He carries a 3.1 GPA and has already intercepted two passes as a freshman defensive back.   I decided to look at his first three game tape, posted two weeks ago. Here's hoping more production comes out, but his first three gives me nearly two and a half minutes worth of solid and encouraging reps. On the first, he is aligned as a two high safety before ranging from the hash to the sideline postsnap and reeling in an interception near the boundary. The range and ball skills are there.   The next rep has him working on special teams, which is expected for a freshman. The third rep is another special teams snap, as are the majority of the reps that follow. It's unclear if he is getting defensive opportunities once the score gets out of reach or if most of his current varsity role is on special teams.   Regardless, I love seeing his confidence level this high with so little high school experience to his name. We'll check back in at a later date to see how his role and production continue to develop.     Here's an unranked underclassman standing at 5'6, 173 pounds who contributed as a freshman last season at Mike backer, totaling 20 tackles and one interception. He can also dabble at wide receiver or running back and could be in line for a ranking.   His latest post on Twitter came two weeks ago, showcasing his first three game tape on Hudl. He has continued posting to Hudl since Week 3, and I'm looking forward to seeing a complete midseason tape at some point. For now, his two minute first three will be the basis of this evaluation.   He plays with a low center of gravity and looks like a balanced linebacker with a good first step after the snap. He is fearless despite what his size might convey and looks comfortable aligned inside the B gaps. As an inside linebacker, he combines his agility with an ability to take angles that make it difficult for guards to track him, often leaving him one on one in the gap against the ball carrier. His pound for pound toughness shows up in those situations. He looks like a pivotal piece of this defense's run stopping scheme.   He also has a good feel for the flow of an offense. I would love to see him work at running back considering the level of understanding he already shows at his current age. Later in the tape, he gets an offensive rep working out of the outside slot and catches a ball roughly 30 yards downfield, showcasing the potential to become a future weapon from several different alignments.   He is simply a useful and productive football player. He even scoops up a fumble later in the tape, adding another impact play to his early production. Good first impression.