We’ll keep the scouting reports rolling on top prospects from across the country.
Edwin Spillman – LB
Nashville, TN (Lipscomb Academy)
LB prospect who received over 30 offers including every Power 5 conference. Solid height and adequate weight in a compact, powerful frame. Very good run/pass recognition leading to good ability to leverage interior gaps while using that recognition to quickly diagnose reach blocks. Uses elite acceleration and foot speed to keep outside leverage on the ball to deny perimeter access. Good ability to avoid blocks and tackle in his gaps, sinking his hips with good knee bend and moving with good lateral agility. Uses very good upper body strength and his leverage to wrap up and bring down RBs of all sizes. Good zone coverage thanks to his very good processing and elite acceleration to quickly drop to his spot and constrict windows and funnel WRs into his teammates. Very good man coverage, shows the ability to match WRs on vertical routes due to elite foot speed for his position. Very good timing to play through the receiver at the catching point and get very good disruption. Good blitzing capabilities, using his athletic traits to get good timing and finish on QB with very good aggressiveness.
Adequate ability to take on blocks due to adequate lower body strength and hand technique, allowing hands into his chest from quicker OLs and giving up ground at contact. Adequate backside pursuit, his aggressive style leads to adequate cutback discipline and adequate angles in the open field while adequate consistency when not directly involved in the play lessen his range of impact. Overall very good prospect who bring the requisite athletic traits and already sports very good mental processing to give him an unusual high floor. When buying into his future strength program his ceiling can be a central playmaker in a top 5 SEC Defense with high turnover potential by his 3rd year.
Edwin Spillman is having none of it. Lipscomb Academy defense trying to go out with a goose egg. #BestofPreps pic.twitter.com/HSyBW87eFH
— Patrick MacCoon (@PMacCoon) December 1, 2022
Noreel White – ATH (WR)
Ocean Springs, MS (ST, Martin High School)
ATH prospect who also runs track and received interest from various SEC programs. Adequate height and marginal weight in a small, linear frame. Very good release against off coverage using very good acceleration and foot speed to eat cushion in a hurry with very good separation deep on all speed routes. Gets DBs hips turned and finding an extra gear to open up deep throwing windows while staying on line against man coverage due to solid core strength. Very good separation on short and intermediate routes against man coverage on high degree cutting routes, sinking his hips with good knee bend and creating windows after the breaking point with very good explosiveness. Good ball tracking and extension especially on throws over his shoulder and shows good dexterity and mental and physical toughness to bring in balls in contested situations against smaller DBs. Elite YAC, able to adjust his body all around his frame with very good balance and turns upfield quickly while using his very good acceleration and agility to challenge pursuit angles. Has very good vision and foot speed to threaten taking the ball all the way every time he touches it.
Adequate release against press due to adequate lower body strength and hand usage allowing savvy DBs to force him into lateral release and throw off route timing. Adequate separation against zone coverage, regularly sliding into zoned defenders underneath and not consistently finding underneath holes due to adequate processing. Adequate play strength limit blocking effectiveness early on. Overall good prospect whose athletic ability and YAC allow for immediate usage in gadget type of roles from the slot or as a wingback while also showing the ability to become a weapon as a returner. Needs to fill out his frame more to project to outside duties as well and reach his very good ceiling.
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https://twitter.com/StMartinSports/status/1565892717040877571
Braylon Burnside – ATH (WR)
Starkville, MS (Starkville High School)
Athlete who competes in high and long jump as well as having experience at both Safety and Wide Receiver. Solid height and adequate weight with good upper body strength and long arms. Good release against off and zone coverage using good acceleration and processing to attack blind spots and create cutting windows for himself. Accelerates when reaching that spot to utilize his very good foot speed to create separation on the deep area of the field. Very good release against press, using very good upper body strength and hand timing to swipe hands off or drive through and enter vertical stem. Good separation against zone coverage underneath and intermediate due to good vision and coverage diagnosing, showing his DB experience to read zone drops and settle in voids quickly with good balance. Very good body adjust, able to twist himself and showing very good extension and concentration to bring in balls all around his frame. Good hands when contested, showing good competitive toughness and ball tracking combined with good grip strength to finish the catch even against bigger DBs in contest. Good YAC, using his good acceleration and agility to lessen impact angles and fall forward through contact.
Adequate separation on high COD routes against man and zone, adequate knee bend leads to high center of gravity at the top of the route and hinder his explosiveness out of the break and allowing quicker defenders to stay attached. Adequate YAC against tacklers with similar athletic profiles, not able to juke out due to adequate COD when immediately in contact after the catch. Good prospect who already brings crafty play strength and athletic ability to project as an Outside WR after working on the technical elements of the position. Trust him to become a starter by his 3rd year in a Power 5 program.
https://twitter.com/K_haymer/status/1599220746257330176
Jaheim Merriweather – ATH (RB)
Gallatin, TN (Gallatin High School)
RB prospect that’s garnered interest in the ACC and Big 10 conferences. Very good height and solid weight in a high cut, powerful frame. Very good vision and patience on gap runs, especially when having a lead blocker to follow, allowing for blocks to set up and showing very good acceleration through the hole to get away first level tacklers and impact tackling angles on the second level. Very good burst on outside concepts, staying on time to his progressions with good quickness and using very good foot speed to set up his blocks and beat second level LBs to the edge and turn up field on the perimeter. Good finish using his acceleration to take away initial tackling angles and using good lower body strength to generate leg drive vs smaller tacklers to fall forward with good competitiveness. Very good hands and adjust when catching the ball out of the backfield using very good balance and dexterity to snag balls behind or above his frame and turn up field quickly. Good concentration and physical toughness to fight through at the catching point and bring in balls against defenders with similar strength profiles.
Adequate on inside zone concepts as his patience leads to him not pressing the hole enough to set up angle and combo blocks in time and allowing early penetration into the backfield. Adequate separation on higher COD routes as he’s playing with adequate leverage from adequate knee bend, hindering his ability to use his explosiveness and lower body strength at the breaking point. Rarely used in blocking concepts in the backfield and was not asked to process fronts or read coverage keys. Good prospect who project well into a gap or outside system due to his patience and athletic ability while possessing the play dtrength to generate extra yards on his own. Possesses All-Conference upside in the correct scheme by his 4th year.
