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South Central Spotlight: 12 players who need a fall season

Fernando Garza
Fernando Garza (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

The coronavirus pandemic eliminated most of the off-season football opportunities for high school athletes, and now it is threatening to wipe out the senior season for the class of 2021. The loss of a final high school season would affect the development of every prospect in the class, but some will be hurt more than others.

Here are 12 prospects from the South Central region who would benefit most from playing as seniors.

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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022: Top 100

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McRee emerged as the top tight end in Texas after a breakout sophomore year in which he hauled in 17 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns in a small six-game sample size. The athletic, big-framed tight end enjoyed a strong offseason after the 2018 season, but he missed his entire junior campaign at Lake Travis and has spent the past few months rehabbing.

McRee is ready for his senior season, but will do so with a new quarterback under center. Lake Travis is counting on the USC commitment to be a heavy volume pass-catcher in the offense in his first action in more than a year.

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Like McRee, Martin was in the conversation as one of the premier pass-catching tight ends in the South Central region after a strong sophomore season that yielded 24 receptions for 427 yards and six touchdowns. Martin was poised to be the focal point of the passing game for Mesquite Poteet (Texas) before missing his entire junior year due to off-the-field issues.

Martin has informed Rivals he plans to announce a new high school for the 2020 season in the near future, which means that the three-star tight end could make his return to the field for the first time in a year-plus. Martin is a mismatch as a flex tight end with offers from Alabama, Georgia, USC, Baylor and Kansas, among others.

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Watson is a productive hybrid edge-rusher from Austin-area power Hutto High School, but the one-time LSU commitment is bracing for a new role in 2020. Hutto introduced longtime Cibolo Steele defensive backs coach Adam Henry as the Hippos' defensive coordinator, and Watson is expected to transition from defensive end to a stand-up outside linebacker.

Watson, at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, recorded seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss (TFL) a season ago, and has 18 sacks and 40 TFL over the past three years. Virginia Tech and TCU are among the top suitors for Watson entering what could be an even more productive senior campaign.

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Fay was only three games into his junior season before partially tearing his labrum. Fay completed 70 percent of his throws for 845 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception. More impressive: this was Fay's first action behind center after playing receiver for Aledo (Texas) earlier in his high school career.

Fay has already resumed throwing, and the Michigan State quarterback commitment could be in store for his best season passing to date in 2020.

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Gumms was among the 2021 prospects that began to garner buzz early on in his high school career at Spring DeKaney. After a strong sophomore season, Gumms landed offers from Texas and LSU and was poised to emerge as one of the most sought-after tight ends in Texas.

Injuries shortened Gumms' 2019 season in which he split snaps at tight end and defensive end. He's a candidate to play on either side of the ball at the next level and if healthy, look for more schools to join North Texas, Grambling, Houston, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech in the race for Gumms.

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Kitna is preparing to make a start at quarterback for his third team in as many years this fall. The Florida commitment is now enrolled at Burleson (Texas) High School, where his father and former NFL signal-caller Jon Kitna is the new head coach.

Last season, Kitna guided Frisco Reedy to a 6-5 mark and accounted for seven touchdowns, six picks, 1,500 yards through the air and a 52% completion percentage. Still, Kitna has an NFL pedigree and serious arm talent. The biggest obstacle will be tempering the number of turnovers and improving the completion percentage. A change of scenery may be the solution.

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Davis was a very productive sophomore for Everman (Texas) High School as he turned 81 touches into 734 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in 2018. That season led to an offer and commitment to Texas, which is eyeing a two-tight end haul in the 2021 cycle.

However, injuries to the Everman team forced Davis to take on quarterback duties in 2019. He was up to the challenge and turned that into 18 touchdowns passing and rushing last season.

Texas eventually went in a different way with the aforementioned McRee and recently added a commitment from Colorado four-star Gunnar Helm. However, Davis should be in line to return to his traditional position as a pass-catcher as a senior as he prepares for a future in Austin.

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Garza was one of the positional MVPs as the RCS stop in Houston earlier this year as a big-framed, sure-handed tight end. That unsurprisingly coincided with a boom in his recruitment, which included an offer from Texas A&M. Garza pledged to the Aggies in early May, and he has seen his stock soar since his camp performance.

Garza has only six receptions and one touchdown over the past two seasons at Houston-area powerhouse Katy, but he should be in store for an amplified role this fall in what should be one of the state's top championship contenders. He could easily out-produce all of his previous varsity stats on any given Friday night.

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Williams began the 2019 season playing wide receiver for South Oak Cliff (Texas) before transitioning to the other side of the ball midway through the season. He found a fit at outside linebacker, which translated to a ton of sack production. If healthy for a full season, Williams certainly has double-digit sack production potential.

Williams spent the off-season in the weight room and boasts impressive track times in the 200-meter (23 seconds) and 400-meter (52.31). He's long and has a great initial step. Arizona State held off Texas, Oklahoma, SMU and Kansas for his commitment earlier this spring.

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Watkins is one of the speediest prospects in all of the 2021 class. Last year, the four-star running back notched a 10.71-second 100-meter time, which is on par with his 21.71-second 200-meter. Both were state records in Louisiana.

Watkins has the speed, but was unproductive for Riverside Academy (Louisiana) last season. He'll get a fresh start as a senior as the focal point of the Klein Forest (Texas) offense. Right now, he boasts offers from Miami, Colorado, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Arizona, among others, but could see that list deepen with a big senior year.

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Campbell has been the epitome of consistency toting the rock the past two seasons at two different Houston-area schools. As a sophomore at Katy Taylor, the four-star back amassed nearly 900 yards and seven touchdowns. Last season at Pearland, Campbell accounted for well over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 22 total scores.

Now, the USC pledge and Rivals250 talent will be in line to be the top ball-carrier for Katy, which has a ton of weapons up and down the roster. Campbell should eclipse 1,000 yards on the ground and be a part of the passing game.

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Byrd debuted as a five-star in the 2021 class ahead of his junior season at Duncanville (Texas), but to put his team first the talented big man played defensive tackle instead of offensive tackle last fall. Still a Rivals100 prospect, Byrd was a key contributor on the defensive line for the state runners-up, but is expected to return to the offensive line as a senior.

A full season at left tackle with a new quarterback and new offensive line coach should provide for a better evaluation of Byrd to determine whether he can be as dominant in pass protection and run blocking as he was as a sophomore, when he was paired with Ja'Quinden Jackson.

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