Battle in the Trenches

The Tampa Bay area has an enormous amount of talent all over the field, but it’s the guys in the trenches that sometimes get overlooked. They aren’t the most talked about. They aren’t flashy. They aren’t being featured on the headlines of any newspapers or the splash page of any websites, but we wanted to highlight where it all starts: up front.

Many of these guys you already know about, but many you haven’t heard about yet. Make sure you keep a close eye on these underclassmen.

First up we will list some of the top offensive linemen. The linemen are in no particular performance order. As always we will miss many of the talented athletes, but this is a look at some of our top underclassmen.

Mason Cole [6’ 4” 240 lbs |2014 East Lake OL]

Drawing Interest From: Florida, Florida State, South Florida

Cameron Ruff [6’ 4” 277 lbs | 2013 Jesuit OL] HILITES

Zach Rosinski [6’ 2” 250 lbs | 2013 Countryside OL]

Ricky Klepal [6’ 5” 275 lbs | 2013 Plant OL]

Offers: Central Florida, South Florida

Drawing Interest From: Miami, Indiana

Seth Crowell [6’ 3” 242 lbs | 2013 Plant City OL]

Logan McNeal [6’ 3” 260 lbs | 2013 Lakewood OL]

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Chaos; Mayhem; Havoc; Turnovers all start with the animals on the defensive line. In a year where Tampa Bay brought home two state championships, and had many other teams make playoff berths, it started with defense. Here is a look at some of the top defensive linemen in our area.

Byron Cowart [6’ 3” 220 lbs | 2015 Armwood DT]

Auggie Sanchez [6’ 2” 215 lbs | 2013 Northeast DE] HILITES

Mike Love [6’4” 205 lbs | 2013 Countryside DE]

Offers: Ohio, UAB

Drawing Interest From: Central Florida, South Florida

Mitchell Wright [6’ 4” 205 lbs | 2013 Plant DE]

Drawing Interest From: Colorado State, Eastern Michigan, Minnesota, Utah State

Jevon Fripp [6’ 0” 270 lbs | 2013 Tampa Bay Tech DT]

Antonio Guerad [6’ 4” 230 lbs | 2013 Tampa Bay Tech DE] HILITES

Robby Garcia [6’ 4” 245 lbs | 2013 Jesuit DE]

Jordan Sherit [6’ 3” 221 lbs | 2013 Hillsborough DE] HILITES

Offers: Auburn, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Miami, Purdue, South Carolina, South Florida, Central Florida, Vanderbilt

Brad Smith [6’ 4” 205 lbs | 2013 Jesuit DE]

Drawing Interest From: Boston College, Colorado State, Florida, Florida International, Florida State, Fordham, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Central Florida, Villanova, Wisconsin

K.J. Kyles [6’ 3” 230 lbs | 2013 Armwood DE]

Tyree Graves [6’ 3” 220 lbs | 2013 Pinellas Park DE] HILITES

This list only scratches the surface of the laundry list of talented athletes battling in the trenches in Tampa Bay.

For the latest information and updates on Tampa Bay prospects follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleBennettUT