Who's closing in on a fourth star in Texas and Louisiana?
Southeast Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman covers Louisiana and Texas for Rivals and has taken in 12 games over the first month of the season. That includes games in Houston, Dallas, Austin, East Texas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
There are several uber-talented three-star prospects that are right on the cusp of adding a fourth star to their resume by their early performances this fall. Here are some of those candidates to add a fourth star in the next rankings update.
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One of the top uncommitted running backs in the country, Bradford has pieced together a truly impressive start to his senior season at Lancaster. Bradford has bulked up while maintaining his 4.4-second speed, which has been quite evident on tape thus far.
Bradford is excelled at exploding through holes and running downhill. He’s broken off a handful of big runs early on this season and has also made his presence felt on kickoff return duties. Bradford, a top target for Ohio State and Wisconsin, is a tough, physical runner with breakaway speed. He lacks the flashiness of some other top tailbacks, but makes up for it with excellent vision and the ability to run between the tackles or bounce runs outside. Bradford has earned a spot among the nation’s best at the position.
Coleman was a force off the edge in Carver’s showdown with John Ehret. The coaching staff emphasized the defensive end’s quickness by allowing him to attack from a stand-up position, working the edge and standing up as a middle linebacker.
Coleman had success all over the place with four sacks to show for it. He has excellent bend and short-area quickness, which allows him to pursue quarterbacks so well. Coleman has superb speed for the position and long arms that allow him to disrupt quarterbacks’ vision and has a knack for stripping and finding the football.
Cooper has been on an absolute tear to open up his senior season for Covington, especially as it pertains to showing off how versatile a linebacker he is against the run and the pass.
Cooper has been charged with plenty of pass-rush responsibilities and has answered the call. He’s been a force off the edge and in the middle of the defense with one sack in the first three games and plenty more pressures. He’s managed an interception and threatened a touchdown return on it. He’s been equally as dynamic against the run, making several stops behind the line of scrimmage, making sure tackles of runners in the open field and helping to spy against mobile quarterbacks very effectively.
We were all aware of the speed that Crawford brought the table, especially as he transitions into a full-time role in the secondary, but the biggest question mark was his ability to cover. Crawford sees much more action at cornerback than he does in the backfield for John Tyler nowadays, and the added focus on coverage showed in a big way against powerhouse Longview earlier this season.
Crawford is fast and sticks with receivers downfield. He’s a lockdown cover corner in man-to-man coverage and has fantastic instincts to break on passes in the air and jump routes. Of course, he still needs to polish up certain aspects of his game, but early on as a full-time cornerback, Crawford has the right makeup of speed, athleticism and ball skills that should allow him to carve out a big role at Texas.
The one-time LSU commitment is now sought after by several SEC and Big 12 programs, and Tulane continues to stick around in the mix for the New Orleans native. Jenkins has always been a force in pass-rush situations, but has worked hard to become a more well-rounded defensive tackle.
Jenkins showed great stamina for a 3-technique this season, refusing to give up on plays — whether they were run or pass plays — and managed to come up with big stops or sacks in those instances. Jenkins is a mismatch in 1-on-1 situations and has too good a blend of power and quickness to contain consistently. He also makes use of his violent hands to toy with opposing linemen. It’s also clear even if he doesn’t make tackles in the run game, he forces runners to change direction to help his teammates make stops.
Karic has been on a mission to open up his senior year, overpowering defensive linemen with ease and flashing the ability to block multiple defenders on a single play. The future Longhorn has been a versatile asset for Southlake Carroll, pulling on run plays, initiating contact and finishing on the back end of plays.
Of course, when it comes to offensive tackles, the biggest focus is always on pass protection. Karic has been excellent in that category, giving standout 2022 quarterback Quinn Ewers plenty of time to scan the field and make throws. By our count, Karic had 10 knockdowns through his first three contests this fall.
Mims was a one-man wrecking crew is a lopsided victory over defending Class 4A state champion Highland Park this season. At 6-foot-1 and 170 or so pounds, Mims doesn’t blow anybody away with his top-end speed. However, he has a fantastic release off the line of scrimmage and is quick enough to trick up defensive backs. Mims is a fantastic route-runner and competes well for jump balls.
Additionally, the future Stanford Cardinal showed off soft hands, the ability to gain separation on his routes and make plays in the middle of the field on punt returns.
We are already well-aware that Wren is fast. He’s certainly the speediest prospect in The Boot and quite possibly the country, but the biggest question is how that prolific speed translates to the field.
Wren, who plays running back for John Curtis’ infamous split-back veer offense, has been electric to open his senior season. In a cloud of dust, Wren is a threat to take any carry to the house, which has largely been the case. He’s also an asset in the return game and passing game and inspires the same fears as a Tyreek Hill or Mecole Hardman would. This kind of speed is rare and needs to be considered.