In the absence of in-person evaluations, the Rivals analyst team has been going back through video from the 2019 high school football season. Today, Southeast Analysts Rob Cassidy and Chad Simmons look at six prospects who have impressed them on film that they have not yet seen in person.
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Burgess is a versatile athlete who has offers to play safety and wide receiver on the next level. His first love is offense and it is easy to see why on tape. Burgess is an athlete who can make plays out wide, from the slot and even out of the backfield. He is a very shifty player and, on film, his ball skills really stand out. Burgess makes great adjustments to the ball, he flashes good body control and he plays with great awareness.
Just as quick as you see him make a big play on offense, he shows toughness at safety, too. Burgess is not scared to stick his head in there and make a tackle on the back-end of the defense.
Georgia Tech is viewed as the frontrunner at this time, but he has added offers from Florida State and Tennessee that has put more schools on his radar.
Dawson’s film is impressive enough to make me want to see him in person. On tape, he appears to be a hyper-versatile athlete who uses speed as his calling card. He appears to shine at receiver, cornerback and in the return game. Based solely on highlight film, I like him best in the secondary but that is subject to change once I’m allowed to size him up in person. His tape shows impressive ball skills to go along with some notable straight-line speed.
Jackson is an athlete at Prattville High in Alabama that we really wanted to see and evaluate in person this spring. On tape, he jumps out constantly. You can watch highlights of Jackson, and of course, he stands out there, but then you throw on full game tape, and he jumps out there consistently too.
He is listed as a safety, but will like be re-ranked as a linebacker, where he projects best in college. On film, he lines up on the edge and uses his speed to rush the quarterback. He also shows the ability to play in space, drop into coverage and his athleticism is something that always stands out. Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 210 pound athlete who can hit, run, tackle and cover.
The versatile defender is ranked as a very high three-star off tape, but he has a chance to really ascend up the rankings with an in-person evaluation. In the last couple months, he has added offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and many others.
Rowser isn’t a new name on anyone’s radar. He has a long list of scholarship offers and is committed to Michigan. He fits in on this list, however, because he only recently moved into my region. Originally from the Midwest, the class of 2022 defensive back will play his junior season at Florida’s IMG Academy. And while I’ve yet to see Rowser in person, his film is impressive enough to land him a lofty ranking. He’ll land in the Rivals100, and anyone wondering why is welcome to throw on his tape.
I’ve actually seen Sanders in person, but it has been nearly a full year since I attended his spring jamboree event in April 2019. Judging by his junior film, it seems as though the Florida-based athlete has become more explosive and developed exponentially in the time since.
Sanders lines up in the backfield and out wide for his high school team and showed an impressive blend of hands, explosiveness and power. He’s also incredibly difficult to tackle in the open field. A two-sport standout, Sanders is also a standout basketball player but his future is certainly in football.
Zachary is an interesting prospect who would have had a lot of eyes on him this spring. Not many do this, but he transferred schools mid-season, missing the back-end of his junior season, but after playing in an all-star game and film getting out late in 2019, he became one of the hottest prospects in Georgia early in 2020.
His burst off the ball jumps out instantly. He comes off the line low to the ground with explosiveness and really flashes that speed to the quarterback. Zachary has a good build, he has good strength and he has flashed the ability to play the run, but on tape, his ability to get up the field, pressure the quarterback and stay in the opponent’s backfield is what impresses most.
He recently added offers from Arizona State, Illinois and Mississippi State. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee offered earlier this year.
