There is an old adage in recruiting that states “if you’re good enough, they will find you.” I can tell you that as a national analyst who’s been in this game for close to 30 years, that is one of the many myths in recruiting and football. There are plenty of players every year nationally that get missed by recruiters for various reasons but more often than not, they simply didn’t know about these sleeper talens. Some of these guys don’t camp during the Summer, they don’t go to the big combines, they don’t have social media, and many are just at hidden in the obscurity of high school programs that just don’t get any coverage.
Today, I’m going to take a look at some very talented football players from around the Midlands who have big time talent but are virtually unknown in the recriting circles – and we hope to change that for them.
One of the talents I’ve found in the off-season is linebacker Terrell Hopokins (6’3,190) of CA Johnson. Obviously, the Hornets have drifted around in the douldrums of high school football for many years, falling off of the media map. But Hopkins is the real deal. He’s a physical player who racked up 125 total tackles as a junior, with 10 for loss and 4 sacks. He is a sprinter for the Hornets track team, anchoring the state champion 4×100 relay team and the 4×400 relay team. This is a guy who can play at the Division I level.
Another hidden gem is safety Christian Anderson (6’2,205) of Eau Claire. Like Hopkins, Anderson is in a program that gets very little exposure but the eye in the sky doesn’t lie and Anderson is a defensive guy that makes things happen. He covers a lot of ground in the secondary with excellent range, and is physical in run support. He has the ability to read a play and come up and make the stops.
Orangeburg-Wilkinson’s DeAndre Simmons (6’3,210) is a multi-position players who can play a couple of different spots at the next level. The junior played defensive back at the sub-varsity level but was converted to Quarterback and will be taking the snaps for the Bruins. As a quarterback, he is mobile and can extend plays and throws good balls. He is still learning to see the field but is progressing well. As a defensive back, he’s got great vision and is physical. I could easily see him playing safety at the next level.
Hammond’s Mike Tyler (6’3,210) is a sophomore who is going to put up big numbers for the Skyhawks as a wide receivers. But I believe this is hidden talent as an outside linebacker or possibly even a tight end as his body develops. He’s got great speed, has a great wingspan and vertical ability and is a Major prospect waiting to be spotted.
Lugoff-Elgin’s KJ Golden (6’3,180) is another sophomore that just hasn’t been seen yet. He was only involved in the offense for about half the season in 2021 but this kid has speed and hands.He could develop into one of the top wide receivers in the state and could also be very strong in the seconary on the defensive side of the football.
Crestwood junior Javion Martin (6’1,189) took over at quarterback during his junior season and passed for 1,242 yards and 12 scores and fushed for 175 yds and 5 more touchdowns. He was the region co-offensive player of the year. But, he gets very little coverage with little to no high school spors coverage in his area and he just simply hasn’t camped a lot. This is a player who will be one of the top offensive players in the Midlands this year, guaranteed.
Willie Smith (6’0,190) is a sophomore at Dreher and I’ll be the first to tell you that I have not seen a lot of film on him. But what there is is impressive in that he is a very physical athlete. He’s got good speed and is still growing. As a running back last season, he was very physical as a blocker and was even more physical as a linebacker. What is impressive is he is still learning the game, what I saw on film was just raw, instinctive talent. I believe this young man is going to develop into a solid prospect as a linebacker but look for the Blue Devils to use him a lot in the offensive backfield.
