Speed may be something you can't learn, but knowing how to make a move at the right time to find open space can help you skip the tests all together.
The New Orleans Saints know that better than most. They saw NFL greats like Alvin Kamara, Deuce McCallister, and of course, the untouchable Reggie Bush dice NFC South defenses up on a weekly basis.
That's why the Saints, in the midst of their FREE High School Showcase Series Powered By Sanderson Farms, are giving out awards to highlight some of the best feet they found in athlete submissions.
The Footwork Freak Award is a virtual trophy that every young football player, who claims to be the best on the field, wants to have on their Twitter profile.
And whether they submitted a footwork drill that we had to put in slow motion or a best highlight that had the defense running in circles, the Footwork Freak is the validation that those top participants deserve.
Here are the three winners of the Footwork Freak Award, given to the top athlete submissions in the New Orleans Saints HS Showcase Series Presented by Sanderson Farms.
Marlon Gunn - 2022 RB from Baton Rouge, LA
The Saints only had to look out their back door to find one of the most electric running back recruits in the region. Out of Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, 2022 recruit Marlon Gunn is a threat to score from anywhere... at any point in a game.
His speed makes it tough for anybody to hang with him in open space and a 6-foot, 2oo-pound frame leaves defensive backs on the ground if they ever do catch up to him. Wearing No. 26, "The Gunn Show" in Scotlandville's black-and-yellow has me seeing flashes of vintage LeVeon Bell highlights.
But, as a winner of the 2021 Footwork Freak Award, the New Orleans Saints weren't looking at Marlon's elite size, as much as his lightning quick feet. In his submission to the New Orleans Saints HS Showcase, Marlon shared his Best Play. In the video, he was torching defenses all over Louisiana and collecting touchdowns in about every city the team bus would stop in.
Strachan Liberman - 2023 DB from Vancouver, BC
There aren't many places more different from the bayous of Louisiana than Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada. But, past the tall evergreens and snow-capped peaks, the New Orleans Saints saw something they recognized in the Great White North.
It was the quick feet of 2023 defensive back, who was hawking balls deep down field like a young Marshon Lattimore.
The resemblance of Footwork Freak Award winner Strachan Lieberman to some of the Saints' greatest to play in the secondary wasn't hard to see. The 3-time District Champion sprinter can cruise alongside any wide receiver he matches up against. And his awareness down the field can make any offensive coordinator second guess the passing game.
Lieberman, who is a 2023 recruit from Notre Dame High School, stood out with his submission to the Saints High School Showcase on GMTM. Submitting a 40-Yard Dash, a Ladder Drill, and a 5-10-5, it only took a couple video submissions to show why he's one of the most exciting prospect to watch from north of the border.
Tommy Kinsler - 2023 OT from Ocala, FL
In the course of any football game, nobody is making as important moves as the boys on the offensive line. A step too late for an O-lineman can be the difference between a game-winning pass or a 7-yard loss. And without the hogmollies up front hitting their mark as the ball is snapped, not even the shiftiest skill player will be able to show what they can do.
One offensive linemen stood out from the rest in the New Orleans Saints High School Showcase Series, a 6-foot-6 prospect out of Trinity Catholic HS in Florida.
Tommy Kinsler submitted some of his offseason work to GMTM in the spring and showed how much offensive lineman rely on their fas feet. This class of 2023 Footwork Freak is putting in the work to make coaches at every level excited about the next generation of versatile talent.
If you want to earn an award and be recognized by the New Orleans Saints, claim your profile and submit your videos to their High School Showcase Series Powered By Sanderson Farms this offseason.
Scotty Jenkins is a staff writer for GMTM covering all kinds of events in sports. He grew up in Nebraska in the midst of the Husker football dynasty of the '90s... and has been aging rapidly ever since.
