Sports360AZI thought for a little while about what I wanted my first piece for the website to be, my statement piece so to speak. Should I talk about the top recruits? Nah, they get a ton of press already. As I watched Red Mountain versus Mt. View last night and then got home and watched the last quarter of Brophy versus Westview on TV, I decided I wanted to write about sleeper prospects, the hidden gem. I guess I have a love for those players because I consider myself one of those players from back in the day.
I have seen Westview outside linebacker/defensive end Chuks Amaechi now two weeks in a row and I am SHOCKED the kid doesn’t have an offer yet. At least a four year offer because I know Glendale Community College has already offered. Chuks has one of the main attributes that college coaches are looking for, length. He is 6-2 or 6-3 and weighs between 205 and 210. Not great size yet, but what is important is the fact that he has long arms and is only going to get bigger once he’s in a college weight program and eating training table.
Last week versus St. Mary’s, Amaechi blocked a punt for a safety, had a tackle for a loss in the opening series, had a sack and returned an interception for a score. And that was all in the first half!!! Last night against Brophy, I saw much of the same. Chuks is a playmaker! He plays in the opposition’s backfield and is very disruptive. I project him as an outside linebacker at the next level because he runs so well but I can see him growing into a defensive end by the time his senior year rolls around.
I know NAU was watching him last week. My advice to Jerome Sauers. Offer him!!!
I have been a fan of Red Mountain tight-end/h-back Billy Freeman for over a year now and last night I feel more in love with his play. He impressed me mainly because he is so versatile. With offenses becoming more and more complex at the four level, a player like Freeman becomes more valuable.
Now Freeman does have four-year offers. San Jose State and Northern Colorado have extended scholarship offers. Smart move. But my point here is I think he is worthy of more and bigger offers. Billy is about 6-2 and weighs 230-240. He is listed at 6-4 in the program but he is not that tall. The former Brophy QB plays with his hand down as a true TE, as an h-back, lined up at QB in the Wildcat and even drop kicked a two point conversion last night. Talk about versatile.
Now, the knock is his height. Freeman doesn’t have prototypical height but he can certainly play at the midmajor level at the least. He catches the ball extremely well, has solid speed, is very tough and is a willing blocker. He has been hurt most of 2011, so that won’t help him in recruiting but if he can but together a few more games like he played last night, his senior highlight film is going to draw a ton of interest.
