Da'Shawn Hand will be a very dominant defensive lineman wherever he goes. photo courtesy of elevenwarriors.com
Da’Shawn Hand is the no. 1 overall player in the country according to analysts and it is with good reason. He has the prototypical size of a college ready defensive lineman. Hand has a very quick first step which allows him to dominate opposing offensive lineman. Hand is a very agile player who uses his quickness and technique to get off blocks. At 6’4″ and 245 lbs, Hand has the opportunity to continue playing the defensive end position or adding on weight and playing defensive tackle. Hand continues the recent tradition of defensive lineman being the top overall player in the country. Hand is favoring schools like Alabama, Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech. It is very early in the recruiting process but as of right now I would give Virginia Tech the slight advantage over Alabama for Hand.
Leonard Fournette is one of the best running back recruits in recent memory. photo courtesy of http://media.nola.com
Leonard Fournette is the top running back for the 2014 recruiting year because he is a perfect blend of power and speed. Fournette is listed at 6’1″ 225 lbs. and he is already drawing very impressive comparisons. Some analysts call him a once in a five year back and even some have went as far to call him a once in a decade back. Analysts have also said he draws comparisons to Adrian Peterson. Fournette has big play ability and a nose for the endzone. He has great ball carrier vision which allows him to see the whole field and find the biggest hole to run through. Once he finds the hole he relies on his breakaway speed to take it to the house for six. Fournette also compliments his vision and speed with juke moves and impressive lateral agility. These qualities make Fournette one the top overall players in the country. I personally see Fournette’s recruitment being a Alabama and LSU battle. However, Alabama recently signed four running backs in their 2013 class whereas LSU signed none. Therefore I believe Fournette will continue to wear the purple and gold from high school all the way through college.
Lorenzo Carter has great potential as a Defensive end or Outide Linebacker. photo courtesy of phttp://media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/482/742/6_742482.jpg
Lorenzo Carter is listed as a defensive end but I could see him playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. Carter is like Hand but he is a little under developed for the defensive end position. Carter is 6’5″ 225 lbs but has the potential to grow into a larger player. He has a quick first step and is a vicious pass rusher. He had 130 tackles and 18 sacks for Norcross last season and he hopes to build on his marvelous resume. Carter has great awareness and is always in pursuit of the ball. As Carter builds more mass and develops more technique as a defensive end, he can become a superior pass rusher and one of the best defensive ends in college football. Carter is wide open at this point and could end up anywhere. The in-state Georgia Bulldogs, along with Alabama could be teams to watch in the Carter sweepstakes.
Andrew Brown is a monster of a recruit. He has great measurables for a high school recruit who is projected to play defensive tackle. At 6’4″ 292 Brown still has room for growth. Brown will dominate in 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme, but with his set of skills it would not matter. Brown could grow into a 320-330 lb defensive tackle and could also play nose guard at the next level. He is a run-stuffer but has the quickness to get involved as a pass rusher as well. Brown uses his strength to get penetration and wreak havoc in the backfield. Brown is a very disruptive physical presence and will continue to grow more dominant. As Brown develops better technique and mass he will become more demanding as a player. Brown seems to be pretty open his recruiting process but in state teams like Virginia and Virginia Tech are teams to watch. Also, SEC schools like Alabama, Auburn, and Florida could factor into his final decision.
Marlon Humphrey is one of the top cornerbacks in the country. He has the big play making ability and instincts to be a very good cover corner in college. Humphrey has great size for a cornerback at 6’0″ 179 lbs. He is very fast and is able to close in quickly on opposing players to make the tackle. Humphrey is a very sure tackler. Humphrey has good hands and if he can get his hands on the ball he can usually make the pick. This is another area in which Humphrey uses his speed to his advantage because when he picks it off there is a good chance he can bring it back to the house for six. As Humphrey excels and develops in high school he will be able to become a more college ready defensive back. If he adds more mass he could potentially move back to the safety position. He holds offers from schools like Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, and Clemson among others. I personally believe that Humphrey will stay in-state and this could be an Auburn/Alabama battle. Humphrey’s father played at Alabama and that may factor into his final decision. He is very wide open at this point but I will give the advantage to the Crimson Tide to land this talented corner.
Michael Pope
Nice job very informative. Look forward to future articles and updates. I never heard of any of these rising stars before. Now I know who to watch in the future.
Very informative and well written ,Micheal Pope looks like a young person with a bright future in sports writing. Im looking forward to reading more.
Great article Mike. Interesting to see two Va recruits on the list and one being from the local area. Maybe your next article can be about up and coming Conference USA newbie Old Dominion Monarchs!! Go Big Blue!!