The recruiting spotlight shines bright at certain times of the calendar year and the beginning of the season is one of those times. We take a look at which prospects will be in the spotlight, continuing the series with five prospects from the Mid-South region.
THIS SERIES: Midwest prospects on center stage when HS season kicks off | Southeast prospects
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
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It is clear at 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds that Drew Evers has some of the most potential at offensive tackle in the 2026 class. Unfortunately through the camp season, he was limited due to an injury. We were able to see him move in drills, but the 1-on-1 action not so much.
This season, especially to start, will be a big opportunity for him to show exactly what he is capable of doing and being on the field. There will be some quality opponents in his path and he has a chance to bolster his ranking back up within the top 100 where it was prior to this offseason.
Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and others have all offered.
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Brew has been considered one of the elite cornerbacks in the 2025 class for quite a while now. While he still holds that claim, we were not able to see Brew in any of the prominent offseason events to get a read on where he stands compared with some of his counterparts in the class.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Oregon commit is currently ranked as the No. 6 cornerback in 2025, which very well could be an accurate spot. But at this point in the cycle, we need to see that as well.
He will be one we are all tuned into both early in the season as well as throughout the entirety to see how he performs against both lesser and on par talent. I don't envision Brew seeing and drastic drops in the rankings, but seeing him perform well could certainly help boost him.
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There may not have been a hotter quarterback on the trail in the Mid-South this summer than Benton (La.) standout Malachi Zeigler.
Going from zero offers to more than a dozen in about a month or so (Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Baylor, Arkansas, Mississippi State, TCU, etc.) has put him in a spotlight, one he wants to be in. He is taking over as the starter in Benton after filling the backup role as a freshman. He stands in at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds with a big arm and athletic play style. As a dual sport athlete, excelling in baseball as well, I anticipate we will see some nifty arm angles on Friday nights.
Zeigler's recruitment blew up from the camp scene, but his in-game performances have a chance to see the rest of the country come calling.
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Calicut is another that saw his recruitment go from zero to 60 this offseason. A massive defensive back at 6-foot-3 and creeping up to 200 pounds with seemingly all the tools in the world to work with, Calicut has a chance to prove he's special.
Expecting to be a big piece for a stacked North Shore roster, Calicut can solidify himself as a blue-chip prospect in this class. LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and other major programs have offered and are looking for him to start strong.
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Admittedly, Hawkins is one of my favorite prospects in the 2025 class. He now gets a chance to show his skillset on a national stage, playing quarterback for IMG. The SMU commit is not the biggest at 6-foot, 190 pounds, but after a 68-percent completion rate in his junior season, he could have a massive senior season with the talent around him at IMG.
Hawkins will also get to show the use of his legs against elite competition. He has racked up nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns to this point, and is looking to show he can be among the special playmakers in college football when he arrives next year.
