Youth1 looks at some of the top freshman offensive playmakers in the nation. This is part one of a three-part series. We've researched some statistics via MaxPreps and also reviewed some highlight reels. A few evaluations may be brief for now until the player has a full highlight reel available.
Brayden Stoker | 6-2 | 195 |Running Back | Georgia
Stoker has been a force both running and catching the football. In his first six games, he ran the football 68 times for 532 yards and 11 touchdowns. In that same timeframe, he caught 15 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown. I had a chance to watch some of his film and it looks like he is going to be a solid safety prospect as well. Despite the rushing stats, I do like the small sample size I've seen from him as a wide receiver. Definitely a name to remember.
Calvin Lacewell | 5-10 | 180 | Running Back | North Carolina
Lacewell has rushed for 598 yards and 14 touchdowns on 69 carries in nine games. He is a north-south runner who runs with power and can break tackles. Would like to see how he develops in regards to speed and explosiveness in the next few years.
Charlie Mallett | 6-2 | 165 | Wide Receiver | Ohio
In his first eight games, Mallet caught 24 passes for 433 yards and one touchdown.
Elijah Kimble | 5-10 | 185 | Running Back | New York
Kimble is looking like he's going to be one of the top prospects out of New York in the upcoming years. He's picked up offers from Oregon and Penn State in the past couple of weeks. In his first six games, he's carried he football 105 times for 1,059 yards and 11 touchdowns. That's 10.1 yards per carry. Kimble doesn’t dance around like a lot of young running backs do when they start playing at the high school level. He can get yardage in chunks either via running inside or outside. His run vision and instincts are impressive, and he hits the hole quickly.
Jakoby Dixon | 5-9 | 183 | Running Back | Texas
Since the beginning of November, Dixon has picked up offers from Texas State, SMU, and UTSA. He has carried the football 86 times for 702 yards and nine touchdowns through his first seven games. He's also caught 18 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Dixon’s ability to accelerate to top speed in a quick manner stands out. For his size, he runs with a lot of power and is hard to break down. Several of his highlight’s show is ability to run through tackles. Dixon is a legitimate threat as a pass-catcher out of the backfield as well.
Jordyn Kees 5-10 | 185 | Running Back | Mississippi
Kees has been the most productive player out of everyone on this list. He has carried the football 198 times for 1,404 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and 21 touchdowns in his first eight games. After watching his highlights, it gives a lot of insight as to how he's currently being used in his team's offense. The majority of Kees' highlights show him taking a direct snap from center and then making it happen from there. According to MaxPreps, he's only attempted 13 passes all season. Kees is an running back, lining up at quarterback, but doing the things that running backs do with the football. He has some speed to him, he's quick, has vision, and is elusive. His team is currently undefeated.
Stay tuned for Part Two of Youth1 Football's Freshman Playmakers.
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Ed O'Brien @EdOBrienCFB 1 month ago