Uncovered Gems #19 – RCA Pt.1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've looked at the OK Red, and now it's time to go down the road to the River Cities Alliance! This brand-new league posted some excellent competition in 2024, with Coopersville winning the league title. This article will include five brand-new prospects (who will all be ranked next month). One player each from Coopersville, Lowell, Cedar Springs, Greenville, and Allendale. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1613888' first='Caleb' last='Ashby']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"240","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Coopersville","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89af8b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If I've learned one thing in my 3+ years looking closely at Coopersville football, it's that they're always incredibly physical. They rightly believe that games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage- and that battle starts with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1613888' first='Caleb' last='Ashby'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caleb has 11 starts under his belt with a quality highlight tape. From the jump, his first highlight showcases excellent effort and drive- even though he didn't have to do that for the play to be successful. Then there are plays like 1:38 and 2:24, where he executes a great base block. All in all, Caleb is a very good high school center. His footwork and overall balance could use a little work, but as long as his height and weight are correct, I expect Caleb to earn D3 offers this Spring. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16818767/67335e8da95ccf78a937f7d9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b18b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1518214"],"_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-677b23c89b1e2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nash only played 4.5 games this season, but still performed very well when he was out there. His tape starts out against Marquette- a game in which Lowell dominated the line of scrimmage. Nash does a great job of staying square, balanced, and anchoring down against a strong (college prospect) defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rest of his tape is equally as good. Nash tends to play off-balance and leans quite a bit, but most of the time, it results in him driving his defender backward and earning pancakes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Because of his height, Nash may have a difficult time being recruited. Still, I could see him earning NAIA offers with good camp performances. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20403704/675e054ae603d6a3ff257421' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b207"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1613891' first='Drake' last='Wood']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"185","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2409","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Greenville","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b297"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Greenville played a few good teams extremely tough this season, so I'm looking forward to watching [player_tooltip player_id='1613891' first='Drake' last='Wood']'s tape. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drake's tape starts out with a dime of a deep ball against Cedar Springs- love to see it. Second, a 73-yard TD run against that same Cedar Springs team. Love the vision to cut back and find the open space. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And, well, that is what his tape consists of. Several great option or designed QB runs, plus a few instances of wide-open receivers behind the defense. In terms of throwing, I'd love to see way better footwork and some more throws to the short-intermediate areas of the field. With his running, I think some extra lower-body strength would go a long way. A little more speed with added contact balance would probably result in a few more W's in 2025! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19946731/6720f796f611e8920ef725a3' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b2be"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1613894' first='Spencer' last='Rosenberger']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Cedar Springs","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b345"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Spencer had a very solid sophomore season, but has some areas he needs to improve on if he wants to eventually become a college prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What I like best about Spencer's tape is his willingness to stop the run. If there's a clear lane to the RB, he's making the tackle. Several good run stops against good running offenses like Avondale. Plus, a few solid backside run stops, like at 1:00. Though, I don't see a ton in terms of physicality, block shedding, or sideline-to-sideline stops. More time in the weight room and more plays like 1:24 could result in D3 offers in the 2026 offseason! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19912043/6764f0367068f75707f21899' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b36a"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jayten Wallace","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"165","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Allendale","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b3f0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jayten has some nice tape! A very physical DB and great run defender in a run-heavy league. Watch the play at 0:20- while lining up on-ball, Jayten throws his blocker to the side, wins another block, then earns the QB pressure and hit. At 0:41, we get to see a decent PBU from the safety position. The rest of his tape shows several great run stops, usually as a safety. Great physicality, great pursuit, but needing improvement with pass coverage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15136628/67225e066a29f4539a163d6d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-677b23c89b414"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->