Area high school football players to keep an eye on in 2024

Dec. 23—As the dust still settles on the 2023 season, let’s go ahead and take a peek at which players could make an impact in 2024, by position.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks

—Wyatt McDaniels showed tons of promise in the six games he played for Mooreville, before a shoulder injury ended his season. If he can stay healthy as a sophomore, McDaniels could be primed for a huge 2024.

—Dy’Lan Johnson quickly grew into the position as a first-year starter. He’s losing two of his top receivers, Hastin Nelson and Drelin Watson, to graduation but returns Marquez Davenport (577 yards, eight TDs).

—Braden Shettles has played beyond his years in his first two seasons as New Albany’s starter. From his freshman to sophomore season, Shettles improved in all major categories: completion percentage, yards, touchdowns and interceptions.

—Nettleton’s Braylen Williams will enter his junior season with two years of experience under his belt. One of the best dual-threat QBs in the state, he showed improvement as a passer this season and remained a danger to defenses with his legs.

—Gavin Wooley had a breakout season for Falkner under first-year coach Kevin Walton. As a junior, he passed for 2,371 yards and 28 TDs, but he’ll need to cut down on his interceptions (13).

Running backs

—With QB Trey Petty, RB Jay Stevenson and WR Braylon Burnside all graduating, there could be a lot of pressure on tailback Courtland Cooper to perform for Starkville as a senior. He did well in a complementary role this season, rushing for 792 yards and 13 touchdowns.

—Sophomore J.J. Hill was thunder to Qua Middlebrooks’ lightning for Tupelo this season. With Middlebrooks graduating, the 6-foot, 220-pound Hill should be the feature back. He averaged 7.0 yards a carry and scored a team-high 18 touchdowns.

—Zion Nunn has been a model of consistency for Booneville….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/area-high-school-football-players-133400098.html

Author : Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo

Publish date : 2023-12-23 13:34:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.