Five 2023 Safeties to Watch
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Over the past several weeks, I have been taking a deep dive into the incoming senior class in the state of Kentucky. While there is a ton of talent throughout the state, I have been trying to focus in on…
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Continue ReadingOver the past several weeks, I have been taking a deep dive into the incoming senior class in the state of Kentucky. While there is a ton of talent throughout the state, I have been trying to focus in on five uncommitted players at each position that stand out to me. In this article, I will be wrapping up the defensive side of the ball with some intriguing players on the back end of the defense that get it done both against the pass and the run. With that being said, here are five senior safeties in the state of Kentucky that I believe should be on college football radars.
Lennox Jackson Lennox Jackson 5'10" | 185 lbs | DB Louisville Ballard | 2023 State KY | 5’10″, 170 lbs.| Ballard High School| Junior Year Film
Jackson is a very under the radar safety that I believe needs more attention. He has great zone awareness and route recognition skills, using them to read plays successfully and put himself in the right position to make a play. Jackson does a great job of jumping these routes and has the ball skills to come away with interceptions. It also isn’t a surprise to me at all that Jackson runs track at Ballard as he has incredible speed. He uses his speed to his advantage to cover ground quickly in the secondary and to run down ball carriers to make tackles in the open field. Jackson gets it done both on and off the field as he made both First Team All-District and All-State Academics as a junior. While he doesn’t have any current offers, I expect them to come soon as he can definitely play at the next level.
Amare Townsend| 6’0″, 170 lbs.| DuPont Manual High School| Junior Year Film
I am staying in the talent-rich city of Louisville with my next safety prospect. Amare Townsend has everything that you could want in a true free safety. He has tremendous ball skills with the ability to break on passes and use his athleticism to go up and come down with interceptions. Townsend also shows great man coverage skills with the ability to use his speed to his advantage to turn and run with receivers in the deep passing game. He also provides great run support with the ability to read the play, come downhill, and secure the tackle in the open field. Townsend currently holds one Division II offer from Fairmont State and I expect many more to come this summer.
Tyler Boggs| 5’11″, 180 lbs.| Saint Xavier High School| Junior Year Film
Yet another safety out of Louisville, Boggs is coming off an outstanding junior year in which he helped lead his team to a 6A State Championship win and was named First Team All-District. He has great zone awareness ability, reading both the route combinations and the quarterback in order to put himself in position to make a play on the ball. When the ball is thrown his way, he has tremendous ball skills. He does a great job of breaking on the pass and then attacking the ball to come away with interceptions. Against the run, he does a great job of filling the lane and making secure tackles in the open field. Boggs doesn’t currently hold any offers but I expect them to come soon as St. Xavier will be in the spotlight and he looks to be one of their key players once again this season.
Zachary Clark Zachary Clark 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB Owensboro | 2023 State KY | 6’2″, 185 lbs.| Owensboro High School| Junior Year Film
While Clark mainly plays in the nickel role in Owensboro’s defense, his play style will also transition very well to the strong safety position at the next level. The first thing that stood out to me with Clark is his ability to break on the ball quickly to make interceptions without breaking stride. He is also a very physical player. Whether it is against the run or when closing in on a receiver making a catch, he lays very hard hits. Against the run, he does a great job of coming downhill to provide support and takes good angles to the ball when the play is away from him to make tackles down the field. He is another player that doesn’t hold any offers currently but should very soon as he has been taking advantage of camps and college visits already this summer.
Wyatt Fowler| 6’4″, 210 lbs.| South Oldham High School| Junior Year Film
Wyatt Fowler is a big, physical strong safety that makes his presence felt against the run. He does an outstanding job of filling the lane with a sense of urgency and laying hard hits on ball carriers. While he likes to really lay the wood as a hitter, he also does a good job of simply making sure the tackle is secured in the open field. He does so well against the run that he is even used off the edge as more of an outside linebacker on occasion. Fowler is also very reliable in coverage with the ability to make plays on the ball in the deep passing game. He makes a big impact on special teams as well, returning a kickoff for a touchdown last season and blocking a punt as well. Fowler has had a very successful past couple seasons, being named All-District as both a sophomore and junior, and finishing with 70 tackles. I fully expect Fowler to bring in some offers this summer as his size and skill set should attract college coaches.