3 Underclassmen DBs That Could Play on Friday Nights in 2020
Defensive back is one of the hardest positions to play varsity at while being an underclassman. The amount of athleticism, quick twitch reaction, and length needed to lock down a receiver isn’t something that usually comes until a player nears…
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Continue ReadingDefensive back is one of the hardest positions to play varsity at while being an underclassman. The amount of athleticism, quick twitch reaction, and length needed to lock down a receiver isn’t something that usually comes until a player nears the end of their high school career. It is the ones that are gifted with natural athleticism and size that have the chance to play on Fridays at an early age. There are three particular defensive backs from the 2023 class that I believe could earn playing time this season on varsity. Ahead we will take a look at what they have to offer and where they could fit into the lineup.
Austin Eklund Austin Eklund 6'1" | 170 lbs | DB Sussex Hamilton | 2023 State WI , 2023- Hamilton
Austin is an athlete. I’m not sure that I can even label him a certain position yet. It’s more about just trying to find a way to get his athleticism on the field in some way. It looks like the best way will be in the defensive backfield where several high impact players graduated. When you watch his freshman film you see a player that plays at a different speed that everyone else. You see a player who is willing to fly downhill and fill against the run or read the QB’s and make a play on the ball. Pair that with even better size after 9 months of growing and developing and you get a player who will be in consideration for a Friday role during the 2020 season.
It takes a special player to carve out a consistent varsity role as a sophomore. With that said, I can’t guarantee Eklund’s role will be huge, but his traits from last season paired with an offseason of development should put him into the thick of the competition for playing time. With players like Lucas Finnessy and James Troutman graduating from the secondary, there are going to be voids to step into. The opening and talent give us this rare opportunity of a sophomore hitting the field for the biggest division in the state.
Avery Kurth, 2023- Slinger
Similar to Eklund, Avery is another underclassman bursting with athleticism, size, and breakaway speed. Kurth checks the boxes for what you hope to see in a budding young player. Avery is another player where you are looking for a place to play him on the field. In his freshman film he played a ton of offense, but I think he could find a role for himself early on defense. That way he can not worry so much about thinking and rely more on his reactive athleticism. He can sit back and read what is happening and go make a play. Overall, Avery is an athlete first that should be able to find a role if he can prove it in practice.
Kurth is another example of opportunity and talent merging perfectly together creating competition. Kurth has the natural athletic gifts you want to see out on the island that is defensive back, and Slinger had two talented DBs graduate in the summer in Connor Goodwin and Andrew Beine. One DB position should be locked down by Aydan Dautermann Aydan Dautermann 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Slinger | 2021 State WI , but there is plenty of snaps left available that Kurth can slide into if he shows in practice that he is ready to.
Keany Parks, 2023- Bradford
Parks looks fully ready to play on Friday nights on a consistent basis. He has shown that he has the range to play as a deep half safety, he can play in the slot, and he will come up and deliver a hard hit in the run game. Keany looks like a true three level player that is ready to breakout. His speed is varsity ready and as he continues to grow and develop there isn’t going to be much that he can’t be trusted to do by his senior year. I fully expect him to have a strong hold on one of the DB positions by season’s end. He is fun to watch fly around the field.
Parks already has gotten a bit of a taste of Friday night football, but the opportunity to be a key member of the defense is there to be had for him. He has the talent needed for coaches to confidently put him out there. He just needs to find where he can fit in. Bradford is coming off of a less than stellar 3-7 season. When that happens a lot of time you will see things get shuffled up. No spot is secure when practice starts. Parks has what it takes to compete for early playing time in a team ready to take the next step forward.