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TOP 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Top 2021 football recruits at College Football Today is about to feature Top 2021 ATH recruit Cristiano Palazzo out of Heritage HS in Colorado. Not many can play at such a high level on the football field for four quarters and deliver the type of numbers Palazzo achieved in the kicking game, as well being among one of the most feared DB's in the State of Colorado. Palazzo was targeted a total of 24 times the entire 2019 season in which 16 of those passes were broken up and also had one interception, as well as a TD. He is a very aggressive player when coming up to make plays and a very sure tackler, as he tallied 31 tackles total. He has quite a few accolades that he listed on Cpalazzo.com, which we will also list below for STEP ratings purposes. Cristiano was a perfect 7-7 on field goal attempts and blasted 30 touch-backs, while playing full-time as a Top 2021 DB recruit. Check out Palazzo's junior year highlight's and read more below!
TOP 2021 ATH RECRUITS
Top 2021 ATH recruits normally does not feature specialists, but that is why we make the rules at College Football Today. Palazzo is the epitome of what an overall athlete should display in football, soccer and as a top sprinter in track & field, as he is wiring his body year around for ultimate success. He is arguably one of the hardest working recruits in the weight room, as his goal is to play defensive back at the next level. Palazzo will not rule out kicking at the D1 level, as he obviously knows that his skill-set is that of a FBS power five kicker. Check out the resume that Cristiano has built thus far below and at Cpalazzo.com.
TOP 2021 DB RECRUITS
Top 2021 DB recruits should have outstanding hip flexion and be able to break on a moments notice, once the football is released or the schematics of the play is identified (Run,Draw, Pass etc;). Cristiano plays with great technique at the DB position and reads his keys extremely well, while being able to stick his back foot in the ground and abruptly break to the football. He is able to play beautiful "inside hip" coverage, while keeping his eyes on the flight of the football. Lined up at the wing position on extra point at around :49 seconds, Palazzo can be seen sneaking out to the flat for a 2 point conversion, which further adds to his overall abilities as a Top 2021 ATH recruit. After a nice pass breakup a few plays later, you can witness Palazzo's strength playing up in the 8 man box and how he could also translate to a big time Nickel Back with his ability to finish tacklers. As a kicker, he shows his athleticism on a beautifully designed fake PAT for a 2 point conversion and more outstanding downfield coverage as his junior year DB highlight's progress. The bone shattering collision at 2:08 is a beautiful example of the physical style of play that Palazzo brings to a defensive backfield. He can be seen on the very next play making up ground on an open receiver over the top and is able to create a remarkable turnover in the process. Check out more of Palazzo at defensive back and read more below.
TOP 2021 KICKERS
Top 2021 kickers should possess not only a strong leg, but demonstrate consistency in all facets of the kicking game. Palazzo was able to convert 7 of 7 attempts on the season, while averaging over 70 yards a kickoff with 30 touch-backs on the 2019 season. Cristiano was seen practicing this spring on his website and was able to convert from 60 yards in warm-ups before practice. Along with a long distance field goal leg, Palazzo is able to consistently kick touch-backs at an average distance of 70+ yards in his junior year. In the film below, he is able to blast a bomb from 42 yards that clears the top of the uprights and would have been good from 50 or further. That type of ball lift back in the day when I was being recruited FBS college coaches used to covet, as many field goals are blocked at the next level do to poor trajectory of the initial flight of the football. Technique wise, he has a very smooth approach and creates power with his very fast leg, while maintaining control of his body. His eyes stay on the ball through contact and his kickoff technique is consistent, as well as extremely productive at blasting the ball deep into or out of the end-zone.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING NEWS
We have been covering football recruiting news for almost 5 years straight at Scout Trout Elite & College Football Today and we have yet to see this type of ATH recruit thus far. The best knowledge I have is what I experienced as a top 2005 kicker recruit that excelled in all facets of the game of American football and many said I should have stuck to just kicking. But, you then ask yourself the question would I have learned as much about the game or have just been another kicker trying to make a name for themselves? Honestly, from the shape that this kid is in I would test him out at both positions at the next level and if he won both jobs, so be it. With a 3.95 GPA and selected as a 2021 HS Football All-American, I believe he will be able to choose the path that best fits his football attributes and academic aspirations.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Football recruiting starting to shift towards being conducted digitally around the time I was coming out of high school. We will be releasing new recruit rankings all week long at CollegeFootballToday.org and preparing for the NCAA football evaluation period. Create a college football recruiting profile by clicking the box below to join the Scout Trout Elite & College Football Today pipeline recruiting program.
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