Outside the Huddle and Blitz are counting down who they feel are the top 50 individual players in northeast Indiana heading into the 2026 season.
Our highest preseason honor, the 8th annual First Eleven, profiles the top players (in the mind of Outside the Huddle) entering the fall.
No.4: RB/LB Austin Phillips, sophomore, East Noble
A dynamic player who is impossible not to notice on either side of the field, Phillips’ ceiling is immeasurable, even as a sophomore.
Phillips burst onto the scene as a freshman in Kendallville with authority last fall. After a quiet Week 1, he rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown against Snider while also amassing 11 tackles a week later. Things snowballed from there as he terrorized foes from both sides of the ball. On defense, he amassed 99 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks and three forced fumbles. Offensively, Phillips saw plenty of action at running back, finishing with 967 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He also had a receiving touchdown against New Haven.
On the cusp of 100 tackles and 1,000 yards rushing, as a freshman.
So what exactly stands out about Phillips’ skill set? In a word – everything. He is big and strong, but he can move anywhere and everywhere with exceptional quickness. He has good vision coming out of the backfield as a running back, and already appears to have the innate ability to diagnose plays at linebacker to where he is simply reacting, not thinking.
Year 2 for Phillips at the high school level is going to be something to watch for its excitement and impressiveness.
COACH’S QUOTE ON AUSTIN PHILLIPS
“Austin is an incredible player and he has worked extremely hard to make himself bigger, faster and stronger. He’s a great teammate and leader. He was all-state as a freshman and I believe that the sky is the limit for him over the next three seasons.”– East Noble coach Alex Stewart
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