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On3 standout recruits from Week 4 of high school football

charles power hsby:Charles Power•09/21/21•

CharlesPower

newly-minted-5-star-jeremiah-alexander-is-locked-in-with-bama
Jeremiah Alexander / Courtesy

Week 4 of high school football saw some intriguing head-to-head matchups between teams that feature top prospects, particularly in the Southeast. On3 watched several of those games and more that included top prospects, with a number of players making an impression.

Please note that while extensive, this is not a comprehensive list of every top performer in high school football.

Alabama commit shines in big game

In terms of sheer talent on the field, the biggest game in the Southeast might have been in the Birmingham area with Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson playing host to Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville. Both are loaded with talent on an annual basis with this year being no different. There were upwards of 10 big-time Power 5 prospects on the field on Friday night.

Nationally-ranked Thompson turned in another dominant performance, winning 42-9.

The top player and overall prospect in the game was Alabama EDGE commit Jeremiah Alexander. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder was a dominant force on the edge and lived in the Hewitt-Trussville backfield for three quarters. Alexander did not play much of the fourth. He finished the game with eight tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, five quarterback hurries, one pass deflection (that went for a pick-six) and one fumble recovery.

Alexander is an extremely powerful player. He rocks opposing linemen back on contact and put a few on the ground throughout the game. As a pass rusher, he’s best using speed-to-power and when he has a runway to create some momentum for his bull rush. We also saw Alexander register a sack on an effective stunt.

The top-30 prospect also showed football intelligence and high effort on a snap to snap basis. He’s a highly communicative player and is constantly signaling and making sure his teammates are in the right spots. We saw the instincts and football IQ show up when Hewitt-Trussville ran two screens Alexander’s way. He blew up both by closing quickly to the quarterback and was able to tip the second, which resulted in a pick-six.

Alexander doubles as a strong run defender. He uses his strong base to anchor and hold position in setting the edge. It’s pretty easy to see Alexander does not miss leg day.

All of Thompson’s games to date had been first-half blowouts, so this contest provided our best chance to get an extended, albeit only three quarters, look at their top prospects. Alexander certainly stole the show but was not the only top prospect to catch our eye.

Other prospects in Thompson-Hewitt-Trussville

Friday night was the best we’ve seen 2023 defensive lineman Peter Woods play. At times it felt like Woods and Jeremiah Alexander were racing to the Hewitt-Trussville quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound Woods had a number of flash plays including one where he tracked Auburn wide receiver commit Omari Kelly out to the boundary. The No. 26 prospect in On3’s 2023 Top 100, Woods is a quick, attacking defensive lineman who could play 3-technique or potentially as a big end in some fronts.

North Carolina quarterback commit Conner Harrell had a strong night in the win, going 16-for-23 for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Like his teammates, this game gave us the best chance yet to see Harrell play against a considerable defense and pass rush. We’ve been high on Harrell for some time – he ranks No. 177 overall in the 2022 On300 – and Friday night furthered that feeling. Harrell has a live arm along with the speed and quickness to pick up chunks of yards on the ground as a scrambler. He also is highly efficient and rarely commits turnovers.

Western Kentucky wide receiver commit Ryan Peppins continues to be Harrell’s top target. The shifty pass-catcher is a steal for the Hilltoppers.

This game provided a matchup of two On300 prospects on the outside – Auburn wide receiver commit Omari Kelly (Hewitt-Trussville) against Miami cornerback commit Trequon Fegans. We came away thinking both four-stars showed well, with each having their moments. Fegans showed off his ball skills and length in pass defense with several pass break-ups, including one in the end zone. Kelly showed his athleticism, getting loose for a 51-yard touchdown on a catch and run. The score was the only touchdown the Thompson defense has surrendered to date.

Thompson’s 2023 blue-chip safety Tony Mitchell also had a few flash plays in the secondary. Mitchell came screaming downhill for a big hit that forced a fumble in the first half. He later had a pass breakup in the end zone.

Texas commit Justice Finkley had a quiet night along the front for Hewitt-Trussville. We didn’t hear his name called until well into the second half when the game was out of question. His 2023 teammate Hunter Osborne looked more active on the night.

2 of Georgia’s best lock horns

One of the biggest games in Georgia was a 7A tilt between Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth and Alpharetta (Ga.) Mill Creek. West Forsyth features top 100 2022 tight end Oscar Delp while Mill Creek’s star is safety/athlete Caleb Downs – On3’s No. 15 prospect in the 2023 cycle. Downs and Mill Creek came away with the win, 38-10.

We got to see some of the skills that make Downs one of the better secondary prospects in the 2023 cycle. First off, 5-foot-11, 185-pounder is a dynamic athlete with the ball in his hands. Downs had multiple long punt returns, including a 67-yarder. He also scored on a direct snap from nine yards out, using his speed to get to the edge and extend over the pylon.

Downs also flashed his ability on defense. He has quick recognition skills and made a number of plays in coverage. One strong play came in covering Delp. Downs undercut the route and came away with a pass breakup. We also saw Downs roll into the box and defend the run with some strong tackling.

Needless to say, it was a good weekend for the Downs brothers. Caleb’s older brother, Josh Downs, is a wide receiver at North Carolina and had a big game for the Tar Heels on Saturday, catching two touchdowns. Caleb touts offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida among many more.

It was a quieter evening for Oscar Delp in the loss. The No. 83 prospect in the 2022 On300 entered the game in the midst of a hot start to his season. Delp entered the contest averaging over 100 receiving yards per game through the first three weeks.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is a very fluid mover at tight end. He lines up both split out and in-line for West Forsyth. At this point, Delp is at his best as a catch-and-run target. He does much of his damage in his ability to get open downfield and maximize yardage after the catch. He’s not as advanced of a ball-winner in contested situations as some other top tight ends and we saw that show up at times on Friday. Regardless, the four-star is still off to a strong start overall.

Delp has narrowed his recruitment to a top four of Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and South Carolina.

2023 EDGE turns in strong game

Thursday night provided us with the chance to watch one of the hotter prosepects in Alabama early this season – Montgomery Carver EDGE Jaquavius Russaw. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder and his team took on an annually strong program in Opelika High.

Russaw has had a number of dominant showings so far in 2021 and Thursday night was no different. He lived in the Opelika backfield, making a number of explosive plays behind the line of scrimmage.

The first-step quickness, physicality and finishing ability all stood out.

It’s safe to say Russaw will be a mover within On3’s 2023 rankings when they’re expanded later this fall. He holds offers from much of the SEC including Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Easy work in Arch Manning’s debut

Friday night marked the season debut for On3’s No. 1 prospect in 2023, Arch Manning and his New Orleans Isidore Newman team due to Hurricane Ida.

The five-star passer and his Newman squad made easy work of an overmatched Vanderbilt Catholic team, jumping out to a quick 28-0 lead in the first half. Manning was able to find open receivers downfield early on.

His best play of the night came when he stepped up in the pocket and found a streaking receiver down the left sideline. We saw similarly impressive pocket movement from Manning on several other occasions.

Manning finished 19-of-34 for 238 yards and three touchdowns with several incompletions being dropped passes. The Newman offense slowed down a bit in the second half, so there are certainly some areas to improve moving forward. But overall, we saw some of the continued development from the top junior prospect. He processed the game quickly and looks to have continued to progress both physically and instinctually.

The NFL legacy kicked off the first of several planned fall visits with a trip to Georgia on Saturday.

Looking at Isidore Newman’s schedule, we have the October 2022 game against Tampa Berkeley Prep circled. Berkeley Prep features Notre Dame EDGE commit Keon Keeley – who may push as the top pass rusher in the 2023 cycle. Keeley is a highly coordinated and long rusher who entered last week as the state of Florida’s sack leader on the season.