Simmons: Whose stock is up?
What a wild year it has been. 2020 is a year that will go down in the history books and it will be talked about for a long time. High school football is back though — at least in the south. Recruiting analyst Chad Simmons has been out on the road the last five weeks and has taken in 16 games already.
Some prospects have played up to their ranking. Others may have underperformed. Of course some new names emerged. But today, he will highlight players that have improved their stock and could see some type of bump up in the next rankings.
Not all that see their stock up means a new star rankings or a move of 100 spots in the national rankings, but it does mean they have impressed and are viewed at least a little higher now than their last ranking.
Game scouted: Archer
Brown is listed at 6-feet, 4-inches tall and 205 pounds on his profile. He looks a little taller than that height and he looks to be every bit of 220 pounds in those pads. He is a quarterback that looks a little like a Byron Leftwich type physically. He is still a work in progress as a passer. Yes, his game has improved there, and he is making better decisions and throwing the ball better, but that is still the area he has to improve most. He has the arm strength though, he is a big athlete, and yes, he will scare defenses with his legs. In the game against Acher, he finished with over 300 yards total offense and four touchdowns. Brown is the new-age quarterback and his stock is on the rise. Since I saw him play, Georgia has offered. Ohio State could be next. Florida is a school to keep an eye on early.
Game scouted: Archer
Davis is making the move from rush end to linebacker this season, and so far, he has made that move quite easily. Sure, he is still being turned loose to rush the quarterback some like he was off the edge last year, but he has more assignments this season playing on the second level. In the game I saw, he had a big interception and he made a handful of plays in the backfield. His speed and athleticism stand out more at this position because he is moving around in space more and playing more in the open field. He also isn’t getting smothered by the bigger offensive tackles like he was at times a year ago at the end position. His size and athleticism make him a good fit at linebacker and the Miami Hurricanes could have a future playmaker headed for Coral Gables.
Game scouted: Brookwood
I have been around Edwards a good bit the last couple of years, so I have seen a lot out of him. He took it to another level in game one this season. A couple of things really stood out to me. The Georgia Tech commit has always been a versatile athlete and he has made plays all over the field his entire high school career, but in this game, I saw him play faster and I saw first-hand the passion and leadership he plays with. Those last two things mean something to me. He left it all on the field. Edwards stock is definitely up for me, and he will be a playmaker on the Flats.
Game scouted: Oxford
Harrell is a prospect who has officially put his name on the map this season. He was patient, he waited his turn, and he is off to a great start a month into the season. Tennessee has already offered, and others will. He is an athlete that can run, but he looks to pass first. He has displayed good arm strength, he can extend plays and as his film gets out, you will hear about him much more.
Game scouted: Pinson Valley
Kelly is a player I have seen in practice and in a game over the last six weeks. He is smooth. Since seeing him practice over a month and a half ago, he has added offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Kentucky. The tape was good from last season, but he is longer in person, he is more versatile than I expected and he is just smooth on the football field. I still like him most as a receiver, but he could play free safety on the next level as well. Kelly is an athlete in the 2022 class that really stood out to me this year early.
Game scouted: Buford
Moss is the only prospect in the 2021 or 2022 class on this list without stars yet, but he will have those soon. He will have offers soon too. Prospects coming on late this year will be different due NCAA ruling to give players a free year of eligibility this season. Moss will get offers though. He scored two touchdowns and had 130 yards receiving against a very strong Buford defense. If there would have been a normal spring and summer, Moss would have offers for now. He is long, rangy, flexible and has great body control.
Game scouted: Dacula
I really did not know a lot about Morrissette coming into the season. I knew him as a freshman at Marietta (Ga.), but he moved to Maryland for the 2019 season, so I did not scout him or evaluate him. Well, he made quite the impression out of the gates now that he is back in Georgia. In a thrilling four overtime win, he had over 200 yards and three touchdowns. He is a very strong, physical wide receiver with great hands. He uses his body to shield defenders, he is a blocker on the perimeter and he was the talk of week one in the state of Georgia. Schools like Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oregon and Penn State have offered since that performance.
Game scouted: Milton
Nelson goes all out on the football field. He is tough. He is a leader. He plays hard. The Virginia Tech played game one last week and although his team lost, he got off to a good start. He was strong at the point of attack and played the run well. He is best though when he is able to turn it loose and rush the quarterback. He had a sack, he had numerous quarterback pressures and he had a couple of tackles for loss. Nelson was quick off the ball, he played with good pad level and he will provide a pass rush threat to the Hokies.
Game scouted: John’s Creek
Overton has had all the hype around him since moving to Georgia from Alabama over the holiday break as 2019 rolled over to 2020. He is only a sophomore, but one coach (jokingly) told me we need to check his birth certificate after seeing him play Thursday night. He was coming off the ball like he was fired out of a shotgun. He is super-athletic, he is long and he is only going to get better. Overton is wanted by major powers across the country and he showed why in game one. He had a couple of sacks, a couple of tackles for loss, a few quarterback knockdowns and numerous quarterback pressures. He also scored a two-point conversion. It is scary to think about his upside. His father is Milton Overton, a former offensive lineman at Oklahoma.
RELATED: SMITH WILL BE NATIONAL RECRUIT
Game scouted: Park Crossing
A few weeks before the Park Crossing game, I had watched Smith practice in shorts for about an hour. I knew quickly what type of athlete he was at 6-3, 255 pounds. He is a 2023 prospect that I think will explode with offers. Since I saw him play over a week ago, Florida State and Georgia have offered. He went into that game with offers from Auburn, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. So Smith has six offers now. He will have over 20 more sooner than later. He is so athletic and twitchy for a player his size. He is still raw and he needs to add strength and power to his game, but he plays fast, he is explosive off the ball, he can change direction and he is on pace to be a national name. It is hard for a 2023 player to improve his stock because we are not ranking that class yet, but he is one to know.