The Zone
- NFL Draft Board ‘26
- College Hoops Preview: UConn
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is The Weeknd’s The Zone featuring Drake. With College Football’s Week 0 set to kick off this Saturday, it’s time to get into the zone.
That sounds so lame, so let’s just get to the player profiles…
Building A Board
Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama
Deontae Lawson is from Mobile, Alabama. In high school at Mobile Christian, Lawson spent his junior season claiming his conference’s Lineman of the Year in ‘19 before becoming the #2 ranked recruit from Bama at linebacker. He joined the Crimson Tide in ‘21, redshirting behind the likes of Christian Harris and Henry To’o To’o. Lawson received a significant amount of playing time in ‘22, as his role grew on defense and he became a menace on special teams. He finished his ‘22 season with 51 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 4 pass breakups, and was revered as one of the Tide’s best special team tacklers by his coaches. By ‘23, Deontae Lawson had earned a starting role at linebacker, which saw his numbers jump to 67 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 4 pass breakups. As an RS junior in ‘24, Lawson was named a permanent team captain. In 11 starts last season, Lawson made 76 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 sacks, and came down with his first career interception. Unfortunately for Lawson, his season would be cut short in Week 13 as he suffered a torn ACL. Had he not been injured, Deontae Lawson likely could’ve gone pro. Instead, the 5th-year senior is set to make a full recovery from his knee injury for Week 1. If fully recovered, Deontae Lawson will easily be one of the best linebackers in College Football this fall.
R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
R Mason Thomas Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A 4-star prospect out of Cardinal Gibbons HS, Thomas combined 19 sacks with 36 TFLs in his junior and senior high school seasons. During his first two seasons at Oklahoma, R Mason Thomas was a rotational player, finishing with 16 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and 13 QB Hurries. In ‘24 as a junior, the defensive end broke the Sooners’ starting lineup and earned the 2nd Team All-SEC as voted by the SEC Coaches. Thomas’ breakout ‘24 season saw him register 23 tackles, 13 TFLs, 9 sacks, 16 QB Hurries, 2 forced fumbles, and he even scored his first TD on a scoop-n-score. His best game of the season came against ‘Bama, when he was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. While he’ll need to improve on other elements of his game, like setting the edge and defending the run, R Mason Thomas is an elite speed rusher. As an edge rusher, he’s on the smaller scale regarding NFL height and weight. However, NFL team scouts are always interested in bringing in players who can get after the QB and R Mason Thomas can certainly do that in at least a 3rd Down role in the pros.
Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Caleb Lomu is from Gilbert, Arizona. A 4-star prospect out of Highland High School, Lomu helped his program win back-to-back Arizona state titles. Lomu redshirted when he first joined Utah in ‘23, playing in limited action in 3 games as a backup. ‘24 was a different story as Lomu earned a starting role with the Utes at Left Tackle. In 12 starts at Utah, Lomu allowed just two sacks and 6 QB Hits while only committing one penalty all season. Although he’s a bit green regarding starting experience, Caleb Lomu’s redshirt freshman season proved he had some elite pass-blocking traits, including quick feet for somebody with NFL-size at 6’6” and 302 lbs. Lomu also has the benefit of playing opposite Spencer Fano, as the two make up an elite duo of offensive tackles in College Football.
Terry Moore, S, Duke
Terry Moore is from Washington, North Carolina. A 3-star prospect out of Washington HS was a star RB in high school, rushing for nearly 5,000 yards in two seasons. As a freshman in ‘22, Terry Moore began his college career as an RB at Duke. In 8 games of action on offense, Moore had 29 carries for 128 rushing yards and 4 catches for 26 receiving yards. During his sophomore season, Moore transitioned to the other side of the football at defensive back. In his first season on defense, Moore made 43 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, and chipped in as the team’s kick returner on special teams. While his first season at safety was solid, ‘24 would be his breakout campaign. As a junior, Moore became a 2nd Team All-ACC selection as he finished with 71 tackles, 7 TFLs, a sack, 4 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, and broke up 6 passes. Duke awarded Terry Moore the recipient of the program’s best skill player of the year award. PFF College graded Moore as an 89.2 in pass coverage, 80.5 in pass rushing, and 81.7 in rush defense, which makes his ‘24 season elite. Entering his senior season, Terry Moore has an opportunity to jump up NFL Draft boards if he can continue to develop as a playmaking safety.
Max Klare, TE, Ohio State
Max Klare is from Guilford, Indiana. However, he attended high school at St. Xavier HS in Cincinnati, where he played football and baseball. A 3-star prospect, Klare’s first stop out of high school was at Purdue. After redshirting entirely in ‘22 with some lingering collarbone issues, Klare earned playing time with the Boilermakers in ‘23, but sustained a season-ending ankle injury by Week 5. In his first five career games, Klare showed signs of good play as he caught 22 passes for 196 receiving yards. He returned healthy in ‘24 and was Purdue’s best receiving target. As a sophomore, Max Klare caught 51 passes for 685 receiving yards and 4 TDs. This spring, he transferred to The Ohio State University, where he will serve as a reliable safety blanket to 1st year starting QB Julian Sayin. Now playing alongside Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, Max Klare should see plenty of one-on-one matchups over the middle. He joins the Buckeyes on a 17-game streak of multiple catches per game and has proven to have some sneaky YAC ability.
This week’s player profiles are on the projected starting 5 of the UConn Huskies. For previous weeks…
- Florida Gators
- Houston Cougars
- Purdue Boilermakers
Alex Karaban, PF, UConn
Alex Karaban is from Northborough, Massachusetts, where he started his high school days before going to school in New Hampshire and then accelerating his graduation at IMG Academy down in Bradenton, Florida. He was named the Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year for ‘20-21 after averaging 25.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. After redshirting for a year, Alex Karaban entered the starting lineup at UConn in ‘22-’23 and was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. Karaban averaged 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 39% from 3 in UConn’s back-to-back National Championship seasons. Despite not earning much recognition nationally, Karaban was an easy choice to be named captain of the Huskies his junior season. In his new leadership role, the power forward averaged career-highs with 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game as he was named 2nd Team All-Big East. While his stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, Karaban’s success does. Now entering his senior year, he owns a 92-22 career record, is 13-1 in the NCAA Tournament, and is the only active College Basketball Player with 2 National Championship rings. According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Alex Karaban “is noticeably bigger and stronger here at UConn practice. Has added mass and size to his upper body. Looks significantly different physically.” If UConn rebounds as a Top 5 nationally ranked team this season, Alex Karaban is a dark horse candidate to win the John Wooden Award as the Nation’s Top Player.
(Cough, cough, the odds are currently +12000, cough, cough.)
Solo Ball, SG, UConn
Solomon Ball is from Leesburg, Virginia. However, he finished his high school hoops up at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. As a North East prep school senior, Ball averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He participated in the Iverson Classic and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Solo Ball was a freshman on UConn’s ‘24 National Championship. Although he made 10 starts in his first season with the Huskies, Ball backed up eventual NBA Draft Lottery Pick Steph Castle. His sophomore season was different as he made all 35 starts for UConn in ‘24-’25. Ball averaged 14.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting a Big East-best 41% from beyond the arc. The southpaw sharpshooter was named 2nd Team All-Big East as he scored double-digits in points in all but three games last season. Entering his junior season at UConn, Solo Ball is a valuable wing scorer for the Huskies and has improved into a plus defender. Last week, in an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Coach Dan Hurley said of Solo Ball, “I don’t think his scoring is going to go up a whole lot because we’re a deep team and we’re going to have a cluster of players that average from 7 to 15 points per game. His efficiency is crazy. He can shoot 45% from three…We need a big jump on the defensive end…I think he’s the type of guy we need to take the other steps and he’ll be one of the best guards in the country.”
Tarris Reed Jr., C, UConn
Tarris Reed Jr. is from St. Louis, Missouri. He finished his high school hoops at Link Year Prep Academy, where he participated in both the Iverson and Jordan Brand Classics. His first stop in college was at Michigan. As a freshman with the Wolverines, Reed Jr. served as a bench big man, averaging 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and a block per game. He took over a starting role as a sophomore, with his numbers increasing to 9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Tarris Reed Jr. decided to transfer to UConn last season, where his role shifted back to coming off the bench. He embraced his new role on the Huskies as he was named the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year with 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Reed Jr. flashed some serious talent, logging seven double-doubles, which included 4 games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. Entering his senior season, Tarris Reed Jr. is poised for a starting spot as the team’s center and should have a massive impact in the paint on both ends of the floor.
Silas Demary Jr., PG, UConn
Silas Demary Jr. is from Raleigh, North Carolina. His father, Silas Demary Sr., played football at Virginia State and was named the Arena Football League’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. A 4-star recruit out of Combine Academy, Demary Jr. was invited to the National Basketball Players Association’s Top 100 camp and excelled against the best recruits of his peers. His first stop out of high school was at Georgia. In his two seasons with the Bulldogs, he averaged 11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 35% from deep. Demary Jr. was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in ‘24 and logged the most minutes for Georgia last season. The 6’4” point guard decided to transfer to UConn this past spring. Although he’s got two years of starting experience in the SEC, Silas Demary Jr. told @WTNH, “Obviously this is my first year here, so I’m trying to fit in before I stand out…Off the court, I feel like I’m very laid-back, but on the court, I’m a different person. I’m a dog and will compete at all times.” The veteran PG sounds like the right fit for the culture that Coach Dan Hurley has instilled at UConn.
Braylon Mullins, SF, UConn
