GAMES
RANKINGS
Former Denton Ryan star, Drew Sanders, declares for 2023 NFL Draft
"Football isn't a lifetime sport; it's a once-in-a-lifetime sport," Arkansas junior linebacker Drew Sanders wrote in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday morning announcing his decision to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Denton Ryan star spent just one season with the Razorbacks after transferring from Alabama.
Sanders can be remembered at Denton Ryan as one of the nation's top all around athletes where he was ranked as the No. 1 player in Texas in a 247 Sports composite- ranked No. 13 in the nation. Sanders, specializing on the defensive side of the ball, was a four-star athlete coming out of high school. During his time in a Raiders uniform, he earned multiple honors and awards including being named the 2018 SportsDayHS Utility Player of the Year after completing 8 out of 9 passes for four touchdowns and rushing 280 yards with 13 touchdowns. Defensively, Sanders made 119 tackles (10 for a loss and eight sacks) while also bringing in three interceptions- two of which were pick sixes. In 2019, Sanders threw five touchdowns on only eight passes, rushed 326 yards for 10 scores, caught 34 passes for 717 yards and 12 touchdowns. Sanders was a finalist for the 2019 Landry Player of the Year Award, was selected to the Top 150 Dream Team, and played in the Under Armour All-America game.
pic.twitter.com/EE7DPQ5013
— Drew Sanders (@Drew_16Sanders) December 6, 2022
At Alabama, the 6-foot-5 athlete started in three games through two seasons where he recorded 16 total tackles and one sack before transferring to Arkansas. In a Razorbacks' uniform, Sanders recorded 9.5 sacks- the second-highest in the SEC. Sanders also finished fourth in the conference for tackles totaling 103 with 13.5 being for a loss. "Arkansas has allowed me to show my ability and improve," Sanders said in an interview.
"I will be forever grateful for Coach Pittman, Coach Odom, Coah Scherer and the University of Arkansas for allowing me to be a part of the Razorback family," he wrote in his social media post. Sanders has decided to forgo the Liberty Bowl on December 28th against Kansas. Instead, he will head to California to train for the NFL Combine. "The NFL has always been a dream for me," Sanders said with full intentions to use every opportunity to make it.
Four DFW area stars help lead Alabama to a National Title
Senior, OL - Chris Owens, Arlington Lamar
After redshirting his freshman year, Owens has made his impact felt on the offensive line. Owens found himself filling in at center for the Tide after All-American Landon Dickerson suffered a torn ACL against Florida in the SEC Championship game. Owens helped the Tide complete their season with a Championship title playing Monday night against Ohio State.
At Arlington Lamar, Owens was a four-star guard and rated as the No. 10 guard Nationally according to a 247Sports composite and the No. 2 Guard in Texas. Owens earned an All-State selection by the Texas Associated Press and chose Alabama over Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M.
Freshman, PK - Chase Allen, Colleyville Heritage
Allen joined Alabama as a walk-on addition this season. Allen has served the Crimson Tide by kicking off in various instances to include the starting kickoff duties in the first four games of the 2020 season, against LSU, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Auburn. Although Allen didn't play during the National Championship game, he totaled 2,029 yards on kickoffs for the Crimson Tide.
At Colleyville Heritage, Allen was ranked as the No. 1 kicker and punter in Texas 5A Division 1. He earned an All-District 4-5A Special Teams Player of the Year honor his senior season and recorded a touchback on 30 of his 46 kicks during his senior season. Allen chose Alabama over Ole Miss and Villanova.
Freshman, RB - Jase McClellan, Aledo
McClellan has shown his ability more than once on Alabama's offense and special teams. He got his first collegiate playing time against Missouri early in the season where he played on special teams before doing the same against Texas A&M in the Tide's home opener. McClellan even earned special teams player of the week recognition from the Alabama coaching staff against Mississippi State where he helped limit MSU to zero yards on punt returns. McClellan totaled 245 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and one receiving yard during the 2020-2021 season with Alabama. McClellan joined on special teams during the National Championship game.
At Aledo, McClellan was a highly sought-after recruit. As a four-star prospect, he was ranked as the No. 6 running back and the No. 6 player in the state of Texas according to a 247Sports composite. McClellan was selected to play in the Under Armor All-American Game and competed in Nike's "The Opening". McClellan helped lead Aledo to a State Title in the 2019-2020 season with a 45-42 win over Fort Bend Marshall. McClellan totaled over 6,800 yards and 842 carries with 125 touchdowns. He chose Alabama over Oklahoma after first pledging his loyalty to the Sooners two years prior to his Tide commitment.
Freshman, OL - Drew Sanders, Denton Ryan
Drew Sanders came out of Denton ready to show his strength to his SEC opponents. Sanders saw consistent play on special teams throughout the entire season as an outside linebacker. In his collegiate debut, Sanders recorded an unassisted tackle against Missouri early in the season. Sanders earned special teams player of the week from the Alabama coaching staff for his play against Tennessee and Arkansas. Sanders recorded four solo tackles and five assisted tackles prior to the National Championship game. Sanders saw playing time against Ohio State during the Championship showdown.
At Denton Ryan, Sanders made a name for himself and quickly became a five-star recruit. Rated as the No. 1 player in Texas according to a 247Sports composite, Sanders played on both ends of the ball where he completed over 10 passes and scored over 45 touchdowns in his career. Sanders was also named as a finalist for the 2019 Landry Player of the Year. Sanders chose Alabama over Oklahoma, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, and more.