On3 standout recruits from Week 2 of high school football
Much of the nation was playing high school football this past weekend. On3 watched a number of games that included top prospects, with several making an impression.
Please note that while extensive, this is not a comprehensive list of every top performer in high school football.
Big matchup in Louisiana
Friday night saw a clash of defending state champions in the state of Louisiana with Baton Rouge Madison Prep traveling to Lafayette to take on St. Thomas More. The game featured two of the state’s top 2022 prospects in defensive lineman Quency Wiggins (Madison Prep) and LSU quarterback commit Walker Howard (St. Thomas More).
Scheduled on short notice in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, the game was an instant classic and probably the best high school contest I’ve seen early this season. The game came down to the wire with Madison Prep winning 38-35 on a last-second field goal.
Howard was 23 for 39 for 308 yards and three touchdowns. The top 100 passer was comfortable running STM’s up-tempo offense and did a nice job avoiding a tough pass rush. He worked with an inexperienced supporting cast and was plagued by a key drop late in the fourth quarter. There was zip on the passes, and he put his receivers in a position to make plays.
Wiggins immediately jumps out. He’s a large defensive lineman who looks all of 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds with outstanding length. Wiggins beat a double team for a sack, batted a pass and had several hurries. The STM offense was able to neutralize him a bit with tempo and quick game. Wiggins is still developing – there’s room for improvement with his technique and finishing. Still, he looks improved from last fall.
Wiggins’ teammate, Louisiana quarterback commit Zeon Chriss, had a very strong game in the win. The dual-threat completed 17 of 24 attempts for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 88 yards and two more scores. Chriss made several plays out of structure in mounting key drives in the fourth quarter. Simply put, he’s a steal for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Florida QB commit impresses in tight loss
Florida quarterback commit Nick Evers impressed against traditional powerhouse Dallas Highland Park. Evers’ Flower Mound (Texas) High squad quickly fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Evers led a second-half comeback with Flower Mound taking a brief lead before a late game-winning touchdown drive by Highland Park.
The Florida commit finished 27of 49 for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 94 yards. While good, the stats don’t tell the whole story. Evers had a number of catchable throws that could’ve gone for touchdowns – a number that gets as high as five depending on how generous you want to be. He was on point for the most part, even on incompletions.
Evers showcased his patented quick release – perhaps the fastest we’ve seen in the 2022 cycle. He gets it out quick and hot, making it tough for defenders to make a play on the ball. There were a number of high-level throws to the sideline, which activated the whole field and stressed the Highland Park defense.
We also liked what we saw from a mobility and pocket feel standpoint. Evers was able to break contain and pick up chunks of yards on several scrambles. He’s a good athlete and can get to the edge.
The fall of 2020 was Evers’ first year as a full-time varsity starter, so he’s still seeing a marked benefit from these valuable live reps. If the early season is any indication, he looks to be among the more talented passers in the class. Evers ranks as the No. 147 in the 2022 On300.
Checking on IMG
Fresh off the Bishop Sycamore fiasco, powerhouse IMG Academy stayed in Ohio to face Cincinnati La Salle. The Ascenders won handily by a score of 58-7.
To be honest, this team probably has no business sharing a field against normal high school programs. It’s perhaps IMG’s most loaded roster to date. The defense is nearly two deep with legitimate blue-chippers. The offensive line is a big, mauling group. There’s a number of big-time targets on the outside.
It’s tough to always get a great evaluation on IMG players in these blowout games. With that said, a few did tangibly flash against La Salle.
Clemson EDGE commit Jihaad Campbell continues to show off his length and range. He tracked down four-star Cincinnati running back commit Gi’Bran Payne from the backside. Campbell ranks as the No. 54 prospect in the 2022 On300 and is off to a fast start to 2021.
2023 linebacker Malik Bryant made some plays in space that have us wondering if he might be an off-ball linebacker long-term. Bryant has starred coming off the edge for IMG and remains very strong in that role at the high school level. He’s between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 and is more than athletic enough to play in space at the next level, should things trend that way. Bryant is the No. 25 prospect in On3’s 2023 Top 100.
Alabama commit Tyler Booker continues to be a mauling presence on the IMG offensive line from his left tackle spot. Booker plays to the whistle and has a number of plays every week where he’s blocking defenders 15 to 20 yards downfield. He is more advanced as a run blocker at this point and would be an ideal fit as a guard who could also operate as a swing tackle. Booker ranks as the No. 70 prospect in the 2022 On300.
2024 running back Stacy Gage had some more impressive runs. The quickness looks to be elite. We saw Gage unleash a nasty spin move on a defender, yet again.
Top Texas receivers with big games
Five-star receiver Evan Stewart had one of the more productive games of his high school career with 11 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown against Greenville, Texas.
We’ve seen a number of different defensive approaches to guarding the top-five prospect. This week, Greenville played in excess of 10 yards off the line. Stewart ate them up on short passes, maximizing yards after the catch. He continues to look like one of the better receiver prospects in a few cycles.
Across Dallas, SMU receiver commit Jordan Hudson is also off to a big start. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder had five catches for 175 yards and three scores on Thursday. So far, Hudson is averaging over 28 yards per catch on the season.
The top 30 prospect is a natural receiver with high-level ball skills and fluidity. He’s easily getting open and making plays after the catch through two games.
Heat check
- Penn State quarterback commit Drew Allar had his best game of the season to date, going 32-43 for 391 yards for four touchdowns in a 35-0 win. The Medina, Ohio, standout picked apart a defense that was dropping nine defenders into coverage. Allar’s had a number of big-time throws, including a beautiful deep toss between two defenders at the pylon.
- We always like to see linebacker prospects play on offense. On that note, it’s encouraging to see Ohio State five-star linebacker commit CJ Hicks line up and influence the game at so many spots. This week, Hicks had a number of grabs as a receiver, including two touchdowns. He also threw a pass and lined up at running back. This is in addition to his defensive duties.
- In watching the Aledo-Frisco Lone Star game, we came away impressed with Lone Star running back Ashton Jeanty. A converted receiver, Jeanty was the best player on the field in our eyes. He finished with nearly 240 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns while averaging nearly 10 yards per carry against a tough defense. Jeanty has a stocky, running back build with a thick base. He bounced off defenders and showed some great balance on a spinning touchdown run. Don’t be surprised to see his recruitment pick up.
- The 2023 cycle looks to be deep with long, athletic pass rushers. That group includes Platte City (Mo.) Platte County’s Chandavian Bradley. The junior EDGE had three sacks against Kearney, Mo., in addition to some other impressive athletic plays. Bradley is a long, twitchy presence off the edge with the speed to close quickly. He’ll certainly need to get bigger and stronger, but the flashes are intriguing. Bradley is fresh off a visit to Wisconsin.