Next up we have our #1 DL. Richie wins at such a high rate in the trenches. He brings an unreal blend of burst and power. His ability to turn the burst into power leaves OL off balance and trying to recover until Richie bursts past them and to the football. It is clear that Richie is well coached up, relying on his hand fighting technique just as much as his raw strength and tools. Notre Dame has a good one on the way.

The top OL talent of the State Finals was 2027 Notre Dame commit, Richie Flanigan Richie Flanigan 6'4" | 275 lbs | DL Notre Dame | 2027 State WI . The junior has elite traits for the trenches. Explosive power, violent and active hands, flexibility, and quick feet that keeps him square on his target. Richie also offers excellent range to be able to pull across and kick out edge defenders. Whether it be just coming out of his stance or pulling, Richie is able to generate so much power so quickly. That power has made him an outstanding run blocker. Perfect for the offense they run at Green Bay Notre Dame. Richie is able to clear gaps or reset the line of scrimmage with his power and violent play and set the tone for the rest of the team. He is also a very impressive DL.

Richie was a key contributor on an OL that set the single game State Rushing record in the D3 game. Richie himself is an intriguing, up and coming OL recruit. His body control at his age is fantastic. You see that he is able to easy pull and lead or attack LBs and easily hit his target. He has easy flexibility that allows him to gain the leverage advantage and his quickness out of his stance also gives him a major advantage over his opponents. The building blocks that Flanigan has to build on top of are strong. The sophomore has a very high ceiling.

Rankings Movement: #9 -> #6

Richie is well on his way towards developing into a special talent on the OL. He played at 6’3″ 240 lbs as a freshman this past fall. Richie is now checking in at 6’4″ 260 lbs with solid length and a frame with all the room to continue to fill out with strength and overall mass. The rising sophomore is developing a great platform of athleticism and power for the guard position. He has easy range and agility to get out in space, up to level two, or pull across the formation and kick out DTs or DEs. When he gets to his target we see an athlete with a powerful initial pop and leg drive to create a push off that initial pop in the run game. Richie was a varsity player as a freshman, so I can’t wait to see what that experience, his growth, and the offseason development has him set to do on the field as a sophomore.