DCTF's Recruiting Tales from the Road - Bi-District Round, 2023

Mike Hawkins (Photo by Greg Powers)

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Over half of Texas high school football teams' season ended two weeks ago. After the Bi-District round, half of those select few were sent packing. The teams left have sights set on Jerry's World, but it'll take four more victories to get there. Here are the guys who dominanted in week one of the state tournament, and some who we'll be seeing more of in the coming weeks.

Offensive fireworks galore

Name: Mike Hawkins Jr. | School: Frisco Emerson | Class: 2024 | Pos.: QB | HT: 6'2 | WT: 185

The constant rain hampered the ability to complete passes, so Hawkins relied on his run skills to lead his team to victory. Smooth is the perfect descriptive word for his play style, as he is always under control and never panics. The four-star Oklahoma Sooners commit rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown in the 34-24 win. - Greg Powers

Name: Baron Tipton | School: Coppell | Class: 2024 | Pos.: WR | HT: 6'5 | WT: 195

The 6-foot-5 North Texas commit had his work cut out for him on Friday, having to go heads up with three-star Oklahoma commit Eli Bowen and a stingy Denton Guyer defense. Not only did Tipton accept the challenge, he flourished. Tipton hauled in five receptions for 201 yards and a TD. His biggest play may have been a 75-yard reception in which he ripped the ball away from Bowen to set up a Cowboys score. He spearheaded Coppell to its first playoff win since 2017. - William Wilkerson

Name: Amante Martin | School: Port Arthur Memorial | Class: 2026 | Pos.: RB | HT: 5'10 | WT: 185

PA Memorial had to adjust the game script after losing its starting quarterback, and Martin had the only score when he took a snap playing wildcat QB and went off tackle for a 73-yard touchdown run. Martin is part of a special group of 2026 prospects at Memorial featuring CB Brock King, LB Tank King and OT Michael Milson -- all four of these players showed flashes of tremendous potential. - Greg Powers

Name: Micah Ellis | School: Allen | Class: 2025 | Pos.: RB | HT: 5'8 | WT: 165

Allen lost starting quarterback Brady Bricker midway through the second quarter. Then, they rode Micah Ellis and fellow RB Amir McDowell to an 18-17 win over Lewisville. Ellis's 11 carries for 62 yards came with Lewisville packing the box, and he broke free for a long gain in the third quarter that set up an Allen field goal, their only points in the second half. Ellis is a jitterbug with impressive lateral agility. But don't be fooled, he'll hit the hole once he sees an opening. - Carter Yates

Name: Caleb Smith | School: Allen | Class: 2026 | Pos.: WR | HT: 5'9 | WT: 155

Smith didn't have much opportunity to flash on offense as Allen throttled down the passing game in the rainy conditions without Bricker, but his 96-yard kick return touchdown in the second quarter proved to be the difference in a win. He showed the track speed that made him the anchor leg on Allen's 4x100 relay team. Smith has offers to Texas Tech, Utah and Memphis, among others. - Carter Yates

Name: Javian Osborne | School: Forney | Class: 2026 | Pos.: RB | HT: 5'10 | WT: 190

Osborne went OFF for 201 yards and four touchdowns as Forney ran over PA Memorial 44-7. The DCTF four-star possesses impressive burst and acceleration with top-end speed to finish his runs with scores. While he is a 'flashy' running back, he works hard in between the tackles and will grind out tough yardage. Osborne has double-digit scholarship offers, including Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and USC. - Greg Powers

Name: Frank Moss | School: Houston Heights | Class: 2024 | Pos.: IOL | HT: 6'0 | WT: 330

Moss, a Texas Southern commit, can best be described as a mauler on the interior of the offensive line. He's a force for the Bulldogs run game as Heights relied heavily on the run in their 42-20 bidistrict win over Houston Memorial on Saturday. - Matt Stepp

D-Line Wrecking Crew

Name: Michael Riles | School: Port Arthur Memorial | Class: 2025 | Pos.: DE | HT: 6'3 | WT: 230

Riles is already considered one of the best in 2025, as he is rated the state's No. 1 prospect per On3.com and quickly passed the eyeball test. The long-armed edge rusher had his team's best defensive play on a tackle for a loss that pinned Forney deep in its territory. Unfortunately for the Titans, Osborne scored a long touchdown run on the next play. Still. its easy to see why he has secured 15 offers, including Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC. - Greg Powers

Name: Carlon Jones | School: Bay City | Class: 2024 | Pos.: DE | HT: 6'3 | WT: 270

The Nebraska commit dominated at the line of scrimmage in Bay City's first round playoff rout of Houston North Forest. Jones was quick off the ball and showed an array of pass rushing moves, North Forest when they ran the ball avoided Jones, but he showed great effort getting down the line in pursuit to get involved. - Matt Stepp

Name: Zina Umeozulu | School: Allen | Class: 2024 | Pos.: DE | HT: 6'4 | WT: 210

Umeozulu lined up most of the night on five-star Lewsville offensive tackle Michael Fasusi and still managed to get into the backfield multiple times. Umeozulu is a high-effort defender who never gives up on a play, crashing inside multiple times when Lewisville quarterback Ethan Terrell darted up the middle. He even showed impressive tackling in space, something most defensive ends his age have to develop. He'll enroll this winter at Texas. - Carter Yates

Name: Nathan Marsh | School: Allen | Class: 2024 | Pos.: DT | HT: 5'10 | WT: 260

Umeozulu grabs the bulk of Allen's headlines as the star outside, but Marsh was just as dominant plugging the middle against Lewisville. I loved watching him use a great blend of speed and power to make multiple stops in the backfield. His 5'10 frame is the only reason I can think of for why he's reported two offers, to Grambling State and Stetson, because this dude had five-star production. - Carter Yates

Name: Xavier Fleming | School: Lewisville | Class: 2026 | Pos.: DT | HT: 6'0 | WT: 265

Allen tried to run the ball down Lewisville's throat in the second half, and Fleming stopped them at the line of scrimmage time and time again. He was so physically imposing I did a double-take realizing he was a sophomore. Oh, and he's got the athleticism to spell as a tight end on offense. Sometimes he gets too high with his pad-level, but I believe Fleming is going to blow up in the next two years as a big-time prospect. - Carter Yates

Name: Sean Oliver | School: Lewisville | Class: 2025 | Pos.: OLB/EDGE | HT: 6'2 | WT: 220

According to his Twitter, Oliver finished the season with 13.5 sacks and 34 tackles for loss. Thursday night was my first time watching him, and I was impressed with his physicality in setting the edge. He's kind of a tweener prospect, with the power to transition into a defensive end in college or move to outside backer with his athleticism. Either way, he's a straight-up football player who should rake in offers this offseason. - Carter Yates

Dynamic Defensive Backs

Name: Maliek Hawkins | School: Frisco Emerson | Class: 2025 | Pos.: DB | HT: 6'0 | WT: 175

It's easy to see why Hawkins has early offers from Texas, Texas State, Arkansas, Indiana and Oklahoma. The OU legacy is an aggressive-minded defensive back with safety size and experience playing on the island at cornerback. Emerson held Grapevine under 100 yards passing. - Greg Powers

Name: Aaron Flowers | School: Forney | Class: 2024 | Pos.: S | HT: 6'0 | WT: 185

Flowers is a model of consistency in the Forney secondary. He is equally valuable versus the run or the pass. He made a big statement on the game's first drive with a tackle for a loss as he used his speed and chase skills to pull down the running back on the perimeter, and (Flowers) made a few more wow plays just like that throughout the game. - Greg Powers

Name: Tony-Louis Nkuba | School: Lewisville | Class: 2024 | Pos.: CB | HT: 6'1 | WT: 170

Nkuba is part of a bevy of defensive backs committed to Arizona State, and he looked every bit of a future Power Five starter. He's got great hands to break up passes, plays through the ball and is rangy. - Carter Yates

Name: Lebron Bauer | School: Allen | Class: 2026 | Pos.: CB | HT: 5'10 | WT: 155

Bauer plays with the swagger you love to see out of a shutdown corner. It looks like he relishes the competition going up against an opponent's best receiver. He's got offers to Arizona State and Arkansas right now, but he's another guy I think is going to soar onto a lot of radars in the coming years. - Carter Yates

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