2023 Ball Hawks to Look Out For

<span style="font-weight: 400;">During the 2021 season, plenty of junior players throughout the state of Georgia stepped up to the plate, especially on defense. A large majority of these players happened to be at the DB position, which helped secondary’s all across the state to be able to defend the passing game more effectively. Out of these players, there were plenty of DB’s that could be classified as ball hawks, as they found ways to not only swarm to the football when it was in the air, but they managed to be the ones to come down with it, further helping their team. Below, take a look at some of our favorite ball hawks from Georgia’s 2023 class. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="321424" first="Ricardo" last="Jones"]- Northside</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though he has plenty of development ahead of him, [player_tooltip player_id="321424" first="Ricardo" last="Jones"] has already shown Northside fans that he has the intangibles to make a difference for his team’s defense. Not only does he have long speed, but he displays short area quickness, and footwork, which positions him well to make tackles, and get in and out of his breaks in coverage. Last season, Jones not only showed that he could handled man to man coverage, but that he was skilled enough to play in zone coverage as well. As a result, Jones totaled 6 interceptions, with over 100 yards total from this in the span of 11 games.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Carson Westwood- Schley County</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Schley County is in for a treat next season if Westwood can continue to play in ball hawking fashion. Last season, not only did he total 6 interceptions, but he also totaled around 90 yards after the pick within a 12 game span. This was a direct result of his speed, elusiveness, body control, and ability to stick to his assignments, and position himself well when the ball was in the air. In addition to this, Westwood did a great job of playing in zone coverage, pressuring the QB to pass the ball in tough situations. Next season, we fully expect for him to continue to produce at a high rate, and to use his length, speed, and natural ability to play the game of football to his advantage.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Tanner Ennis- Bryan County</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though Ennis only played in about 9 games last season, he still found ways to make the most of it. By the end of the season, Ennis had totaled around 5 interceptions, with an average of .6 a game. These interceptions largely came from his ability to bend well, change direction, and stick close to the hip pocket of receivers in coverage. Ennis tended to take advantage of flocking to the football with his speed, while also using his hands, and length to his advantage if put in a contested situation. Overall, Ennis played with great body control, and we expect him to be the same lockdown DB as he was last year, especially when the ball is let loose and is in the air.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="335644" first="JD" last="Casteen"]- Creekview</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">As a Sophomore last year, Casteen did a good job of impacting his team’s defense from the LB/SS position. Not only did he prove to play well in coverage, but he showed that he is flexible, and pliable enough to get in and out of his breaks to make tackles, and plays. When the ball is in the air, Casteen also showed that he is not lost to the concept of playing to his assignment, and using his athleticism to create plays. By the end of the year, he saw about 5 interceptions in an 11 game span as a result of this.</span>