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Southeast Spotlight: Five most impressive performances
Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman has covered multiple games in multiple states over the past month, getting extra looks at some of the nation’s best in the 2025 class and beyond to 2026, 2027 and in some cases, even 2028.
Here is a look at five of the best live evaluations from the early portion of the high school football season so far.
THIS SERIES: Best Midwest performances
Injury derailed part of Bradford’s sophomore campaign, but the talented 2026 safety returned in time to make several pivotal plays to lift Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic to a state championship.
Bradford, the No. 17 prospect in the Rivals250 in next year’s cycle, picked up right where he left off playing with a purpose in his junior season debut. The elite safety was all over the field. Bradford covered a ton of ground on the back end playing free and made his presence felt closing in on ball carriers from up-field in a hurry.
Bradford punishes ball carriers and is outstanding making stops in the open field. Not only did he close in quickly to stop the run, Bradford is fluid in coverage and can turn and run, as well as close in on passes underneath.
After a compelling off-season in which he tested out of the water (4.4-second 40 at Ohio State) at 6-foot-2 and 205-plus pounds, there is no cap on Bradford’s potential.
Harris is a pressure-cooker up front and proved as much against a touted Providence Day offensive line. The four-star prospect lined up off the edge and also inside over the guard. He has an explosive first step and generated consistent pressure while also beating double-teams in this contest. Harris accounted for three sacks and applied even more heat on the quarterback winning with speed, power and persistent motor playing downhill with excellent hand usage.
Harris is one of the notable stock-up candidates after a statement start to his junior campaign. The Buckeyes are trending with one of North Carolina’s best in 2026.
Keys is a stock-up prospect after enjoying a terrific off-season on the 7-on-7 circuit, where he was a notable top performer on several instances this spring and again this summer. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Keys is long and wiry. We’re projecting him as someone who could play north of 200 pounds at the next level.
Keys has outstanding athletic traits, including a daunting vertical jump as well as the ability to play head and shoulders above opposing corners. He is a crafty route-runner, and the threat of him winning downfield allows Keys to easily matriculate underneath and also outside the numbers. As a long-strider, Keys is superb after the catch. He’s able to attack all areas of the field with a plus catch radius and very reliable hands.
He possesses all of the traits to be a dynamic X-receiver and undoubtedly one of the best at his position in next year’s class.
Kyle saw his recruitment reach new heights this off-season after committing to Rutgers, then camping and collecting an offer from in-state Georgia. Kyle fills out his uniform as a true defensive tackle at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, and plays big, too.
The three-star prospect pushes the pile and battles tough inside. He’s bulky in the middle of the defensive line and came away with multiple sacks and pressures in a tough season opener in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The big man not only occupied gaps and ate up blockers, Kyle also snatched an interception right before the end of the first half and then punctuated the game for Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett with a strip-sack in the final quarter.
Georgia is actively working to change Kyle’s mind and Texas extended an offer following his strong Week 1 debut. He’s a stock-up candidate at a premium position on defense.
Sander is a first-off-the-bus type of prospect and played like one when Rivals was on the sidelines for the marquee showdown between Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day and Matthews (N.C.) Weddington. Against a rotation of Power Four-bound defensive linemen, Sanders stood tall to the test and then some.
At 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, Sanders has the size and football IQ to anticipate well in pass pro and is strong enough to withstand power rushes and agile enough to dispel speed rushers off the edge. Sanders is light on his feet and plays with fantastic leverage. The future Vol thrived blocking out in space and clearing paths in the run game in motion and even saw spot duty on defense from a two-point stance setting the edge in the run game and also applying pressure on the quarterback.
Sanders was one of the best in-person evals from a left tackle in recent memory and checked several pivotal boxes along the way.
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