Sandy Creek Football’s Top Returners For The 2021 Season
In Tyrone, Georgia lies Sandy Creek High School, which has had one of the most exciting, and successful football programs within the past 15 years. While many people may be familiar with Sandy Creek due to the fact that it…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn Tyrone, Georgia lies Sandy Creek High School, which has had one of the most exciting, and successful football programs within the past 15 years. While many people may be familiar with Sandy Creek due to the fact that it is the alma mater of Hall of Fame WR, Calvin Johnson, the program has also been recognized for its consistent success, and even state titles. Lately, the Patriots have not had the same success in recent years, but they always prove to be competitive, while also developing talented prospects. In 2021, with what will likely be a much more normal season compared to 2020, the Patriots will most likely be looking to return to prominence, while some of their returning players will hope to raise their recruiting stock, and be an instrumental part of the team’s success. Below, we have listed a few players worth looking out for.
Kaleb Cost
Kaleb
Cost
5'8" | 159 lbs | DB
Sandy Creek | 2023
State
GA
– CB / WR
There are plenty of reasons why colleges have been looking to recruit Cost, as he has big play ability on both sides of the ball. Not only is he an instinctive CB, but he plays very fluidly, and light on his feet. This allows for him to fly around the football field, change direction on the dime, and make tackles anywhere that he is needed to. Along with this, his overall physicality is very impressive, as he does not have a problem coming downhill to make hard tackles, even if it means using his arms and hands to separate from blockers, and to ultimately get the job done. Cost also does a great job of moving his feet quickly, and positioning himself well in coverage. In doing so, he runs well within the hip pocket of receivers, and plays the ball well when it is in the air. He does not get lost in space often either, as he has a good feel for where the football is at all times. While on offense, Cost allows for his movement skills, speed, and burst to translate well, as it helps him to be lethal with the ball in his hands. This helps him to cut up the field, put moves on defenders, and make game changing plays for his offense. This upcoming season, expect for his offers to continue to increase.
John Phillips– WR / S
Even though Phillips may have not been able to show out as much as he would have wanted to for the Patriots in 2020 due to the COVID season, he certainly has a ton of upside to his game that makes him exciting to look forward to watch this upcoming season. To start, Phillips has great ball skills, and also proves to be shifty with the ball in his hands. This allows for him to gain plenty of yards after the catch. Additionally, he tracks the ball well with his eyes, and also does a good job of running good deep routes when on offense. To add to this, what will make him a great player for Sandy Creek is his ability to play both sides of the ball. While he can be a bit raw on defense at times, there is no denying his overall physicality, and ability to run with receivers. Even though we feel he can be better with technique when playing DB, and can improve in his overall fluidity, we feel his ability to be a good role player will go far for his team.
Cameron Watts– CB
While Watts may not be the biggest, or longest corner, his ability to be effective in press-man situations is a huge part of his game. Not only does his physicality knock receivers off of their routes, but it also allows for him to come up and make tackles effectively when needed. Along with this, Watts also has great footwork, backpedaling ability, and burst. This helps him to get in and out of his breaks well when he is in coverage, and it also allows him to be able to reposition himself well when needed. Moving forward, while we like his ability to crossover run, we would like to see him work on snapping, and flipping his hips more smoothly. This could ultimately improve his ability to cover down the field, as well as eliminate any wasted movement from time to time.
Rashaan Thaxton Jr– RB
With this ball in his hands, Thaxton is a very quick, and slippery runner of the football. Not only does he manage to maneuver through traffic well, but he is even able to shed tackles with his shifty running style. Thaxton also runs with good vision, and has no problem sticking his foot in the ground to get vertical. While he has a bit of twitch to his game, we also recognize that he is more of a north and south runner due to his straight line speed. With this, even though he is quick, we can’t rule out his overall ability to use good leverage, and run at a good pad level, which at times can cause defenders to be ran over. Next season, if he can continue to build on top of his current success, and add some more speed to his game, Thaxton can continue to be a big time player for the Patriots in 2021.