Most high school football players get their first taste of Varsity football during their Junior season. Most develop into great role players, while few step onto the varsity field and immediately become superstars. This article will cover five prospects, all of which who’ve taken a MASSIVE step up for this season.
ATH | Samson Gash | Detroit Catholic Central
Detroit Catholic Central is arguably the State Championship Favorite, and Samson is a massive reason why. He’s utilized mostly as a slot receiver, earning touches in several speed-in-space type plays, as well as deep routes. I know several prospects who fit the same type of role as Samson on their respective teams, but I’ve never seen anyone play at the level Samson’s been playing at.
- Excellent overall athleticism
- Excellent open-field play (makes defenders miss)
- Twitchy route-runner
- Extremely versatile and can fit several roles in college
QB | Tommy Carr | Saline
Tommy was one of the most highly anticipated (new) Varsity starters this season. Of course, he’s following up his brother, CJ, who’s now at Notre Dame.
You never truly know what you’ll get from a Quarterback until he makes a few Varsity starts. Very quickly, it became obvious that Tommy has great IQ and arm talent. In a QB-friendly offense, Tommy has been thriving. Look out- Tommy is a sleeper Mr Football candidate for next season!
- A+ Processing ability
- Consistent fundamentals
- A step above any other QB in Michigan’s class of 2026
WR | Austin Abbate | Saline
An elite high school QB usually means breakout seasons for some of the other offensive weapons. This is 100% the case for Austin. Throughout the season, Austin has been the prime playmaker for the Saline offense. His connection with Tommy is unmatched, and he does an excellent job at finding holes in the defense when the structure of the play breaks down. Here are a few other notable things helping with Austin’s breakout year.
- Very good route runner
- Developing RAC
- Good athletic profile: need to get testing numbers
WR | Ahman Edmonds | East Kentwood
There were a lot of changes made at East Kentwood this past offseason. In addition, their WR room is extremely good. Not only was Ahman able to crack the starting lineup, but he also became EK’s best offensive weapon. Having watched EK in person earlier this season, I can safely say that Ahamn is their best overall route-runner, and one of their best athletes.
- Explosive release
- Elite middle-of-the-field target
- Has flashed great RAC ability
- Should have an excellent offseason and be a GLIAC prospect
DL | Max Kruger | Seaholm
With a media space obsessed with covering the D1 prospects, I’m happy to be talking about one of the more unsung players in this Junior Class. Although I don’t view him as a Division 1 prospect, he has stepped into varsity and immediately started to produce on both sides of the ball. Max has an excellent shot at earning D3 offers this spring and could work his way into GLIAC attention if he steps on the gas early in the offseason.
- Incredibly physical football player on both sides of the ball
- Violent hands on defense
- Great motor on both sides of the ball
- Needs to work on block shedding and overall size- could legitimately be an Elite D2 prospect if he gets bigger and stronger