’25 CB/WR has proven quick study in his new atmosphere
Isaac Manning is a ’25 prospect with a frame which appears to be morphing into the type frame which will make him a real prospect and soon. He had a big year in ’22 and got eight (8)-games of varsity run, though only a sophomore. College prospects need to find the field sometime over the course of the sophomore season. Entering his junior year, this is a player who will contribute to the forces which cause change in the Kentucky High School football environment.
HB Lyon, Scouting Divison, KPGFootball
We got a call from a parent once about where he wanted to enroll his rising ninth (9th)-grader. At one high school, he would surely play early. At the other, a perennial powerhouse, he wouldn’t see the field until his junior year.
Here’s the unvarnished truth. College coaches really don’t care if your kid’s high school has won 30-state titles. They don’t take that into any account, and they won’t give you a pass because of it for not seeing the field until you are a junior or senior.
There was a super QB in Kentucky a few years back who didn’t play until a junior. The guy ahead of him was equally fantastic and was the reason the kid didn’t crack the lineup until he was a junior.
When I called around to scouts the first thing out of their mouths was, “Why did it take him so long to get on the field.” I told them the guy ahead of him was great. They could not have cared less.
Manning is a back-third guy with plenty of length and growth left to do
Fletcher Long, Senior Sports Writer, KPGFootball
Isaac Manning, who wears No. 1, played in eight (8)-games as a sophomore. In those games, which were mostly spent on the defensive side of the football at corner, he had 20-tackles and tied for the club lead in INT’s (2). Manning was among the club leaders in PBU’s too.
Manning is a back-third guy with plenty of length and growth left on his frame. How his frame finishes, and how well he runs and flips his hips, changing directions, will have way more to do with college interest than his high school’s on-field success.
We caught up with Mike Evans, the OC for the Storm. His offense has to work against Manning in practice and we get the since Evans would love to use him more at WR on offense this coming season.
Manning’s a kid who loves to fly around the ball, on defense, …good athlete that makes plays when it’s thrown his way
Mike Evans, OC, Hopkins Central Storm
“Manning’s a kid who loves to fly around to the ball on defense, Evans told KPGFootball about this ’25 prospect. “He’s a good athlete that can make plays on the ball if it’s thrown his way.”
A coaching rival, on the coaching staff at a different program, who preferred to comment anonymously, told KPGFootball, “Manning is a gamer. The kid is tough and when the going gets difficult, he really shines. This is a player for whom we are starting to have to ‘game-plan.'”
Getting back to the benefits of playing for a program where a prospect is on the field, and not the bench, colleges need film to evaluate whether to offer. They aren’t evaluating the prospect’s team, the other team, or anything aside from the kid they are watching, how well he moves, how fluid he is, and his anatomical measurables.
Can’t accumulate film, for the purposes of evaluation, from the bench. You better think about this.
This is Fletcher W. Long, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply