Midwest Boom “Best of the Best” Showcase: Standouts & Awards

Top prospects from Illinois and the surrounding states met up for the annual Midwest Boom "Best of the Best" Showcase on Sunday night.  Year in and year out this is one of the top showcases hosted in the Midwest and beyond. This showcase is typically held in Chicagoland, but was moved to the Sparta Dome in Crown Point, IN due to Covid.  There were around 300 (2022-2024) prospects in total, including a number of national recruits, and some under the radar players looking to make a name. When I say that there was a ton of talent at the showcase, that is certainly not an exaggeration.  There were dozens of players that already have D1 offers, and many more that will see them coming soon.  Below is my personal awards, along with players that stood out and caught my eye on the night.  With 300 players it is impossible to see everybody, so there will be prospects that had a great performance, but did not make this list because I did not see them. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Highlight Real Award:</strong></span> 2024 WR/ATH <em>Alonzo Manning, Marist HS:</em> This kid was a human highlight reel on the night.  What he lacks in size, he makes up for with an incredible amount of athleticism, and a fantastic skill-set.  When Manning has the ball in space, he is nearly impossible for defenders to wrangle up. There were a number of times during the cat and mouse drill where he made defenders look downright goofy.  The 2024 prospect has a little Tyreek Hill to him, and as he continues to grow physically, so will his interest from college coaches.  Alonzo Manning already has a D1 skill-set as a freshman, so it will be exciting to follow his development over the next few years.  He has a bright future! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Grand Entrance:</strong></span> <em>2022 RB Kendrick Washington, Shepard</em> Due to the amount of events I attend, my relationships with HS coaches/trainers, and the amount of film I watch... It is rare for me to see a rising Sr, with this amount of talent, who I did not have circled going into the event.  That is the great thing about these showcases, they can make a prospect go from just being a name on a list, to a player that I need to get in front of the coaches and teams I work with.  That is exactly what Kendrick did on Sunday evening.  The 2022 RB is a great combination of size and athleticism.  He showed a great burst, ability to make defenders miss in space, quick feet, and just a high level of athleticism overall. Kendrick is a player that I will be watching closely over the next year, and a name that college coaches need to know. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>FBS Teams Need to Hurry Up &amp; Offer:</strong></span>  <em>2022 RB [player_tooltip player_id="20874" first="Maurice" last="Edwards"], Warren &amp; 2022 WR/ATH [player_tooltip player_id="20872" first="Trevor" last="Burnett"] Glenbard South</em> A huge benefit that I have as a scout, opposed to being a college coach, is that I am not limited by the NCAA as to how often &amp; when I’m allowed to do in person evaluations.  Meaning that unlike a college coach, I am able to evaluate these players multiple times throughout their HS career, while college coaches are very limited as to how often they can evaluate a prospect in person.  I only bring that up because [player_tooltip player_id="20872" first="Trevor" last="Burnett"] and [player_tooltip player_id="20874" first="Maurice" last="Edwards"] are two prospects that would have multiple FBS offers, and most likely Power 5 offers, if D1 coaches had the access to evaluate in person like I do.  Both players are legit Power 5 talents, and both have developed a ton since they last played in a HS game.  The offers will definitely come with time, but these are two talents that would already have a handful of suitors in a regular/non-covid recruiting cycle. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Name a Better Combo:</strong></span>  2023 OL <em>[player_tooltip player_id="20842" first="Paris" last="Patterson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"], East Saint Louis </em> I challenge anybody in the nation to show me a more impressive combo of 2023 OL from the same school than these two.  From their physical presence, to their competitive nature, to their ability on the field... These two are flat out impressive.  Huge bodies that are twitched up, and will flat out get after you.  Both players have the chance to be big time national recruits and they both have big futures in front of them.  East Saint Louis will continue to be in good hands over the next couple seasons with these two anchoring a very strong position group for the Flyers. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Came from out of state to show out:</strong></span> <em>Jahsia Galvan, West Liberty</em> There were a handful of standouts from surrounding states at the event, but the majority were kids that I had on my radar from states that I cover as a scout.  Iowa is not a state that I cover, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw an athlete with Galvan's physical profile coming from a state that I am not as familiar with.  Galvan has a great frame for a DB, and comes in around 6’2" with great length.  He possesses the frame of a big time college safety, and has the coverage ability of a corner.  Jahsia is still growing into his body and perfecting his craft, but this is a kid that has an extremely high ceiling. He has some really good football in front of him, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Galvan is a multi offer prospect when it is all said and done. <strong>Here are the rest of the players that caught my attention and were standouts on the night...</strong> <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2022’s</strong></span></em> <ul> <li>RB Jaden Hale- East St Louis</li> <li>DB [player_tooltip player_id="20930" first="Saveon" last="Brown"]- Thornwood</li> <li>OL Melvin Priestly- East St Louis</li> <li>ATH [player_tooltip player_id="20872" first="Trevor" last="Burnett"]- Glenbard South</li> <li>RB [player_tooltip player_id="20874" first="Maurice" last="Edwards"]- Warren</li> <li>DL/TE [player_tooltip player_id="65803" first="Trystan" last="Anderson"]- Buffalo Grove</li> <li>QB Hayden Timosciek- Lockport</li> <li>DB Ben Wilson- Warren</li> <li>RB Deandre Lawrence- East St Louis</li> <li>LB Jacob Bottarini- Marmion Academy</li> <li>LB Cameron Adams- Oswego</li> <li>DL [player_tooltip player_id="20893" first="Brian" last="Allen"]- Marian Central Catholic</li> <li>DB Jasiah Galvan- West Liberty (IA)</li> <li>TE [player_tooltip player_id="65741" first="Chris" last="Petrucci"]- Maine South</li> <li>WR [player_tooltip player_id="20868" first="Kaleb" last="Brown"]- Saint Rita</li> <li>ATH Myles Walton- Homewood-Flossmoor</li> <li>DB Michael Mankaka- Mayo HS (MN)</li> <li>OL Milind Kumar- Schaumburg</li> <li>DL [player_tooltip player_id="20908" first="Jireh" last="Mays"]- East St Louis</li> <li>TE Kayden College- Armstrong (MN)</li> <li>ATH Chris Eubanks- Warren</li> <li>TE Tyler Fawcett- Wheaton Warrenville South</li> <li>ATH Quinton Henry- Kenosha Bradford (WI)</li> <li>RB Kendrick Washington- Shepard</li> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="65764" first="Luke" last="Dalton"]- Marian Central Catholic</li> <li>LB Joe Taylor- Northmont (OH)</li> <li>LB Blake Bellamy- Winterset</li> <li>DB Khary Shaw- Brother Rice</li> <li>LB [player_tooltip player_id="20921" first="Carson" last="Eggebraten"]- St Viator</li> <li>DB [player_tooltip player_id="20936" first="Lamar" last="Box"]- East St Louis</li> <li>LB [player_tooltip player_id="65813" first="Jalen" last="Handford"]- Warren</li> <li>DB Ben Wilson- Warren</li> <li>WR Amarion McDonald- Marist</li> <li>WR Marcuson Taylor- Crete-Monee</li> <li>TE Marques Boddie- Wheaton North</li> </ul> <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2023’s</strong></span></em> <ul> <li>QB Ben Monahan- Hinsdale Central</li> <li>LB/DE Tyson Beck- Homewood Flossmoor</li> <li>WR [player_tooltip player_id="20843" first="Malik" last="Elzy"]- Simeon</li> <li>RB Marquise Palmer- East St Louis</li> <li>WR Ryan Boyd- East St Louis</li> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="20847" first="Jacob" last="Welch"]- Johnsburg</li> <li>TE Nick Hawkins- Lemont HS</li> <li>WR [player_tooltip player_id="65730" first="Luke" last="Jones"]- Deerfield</li> <li>DL Karl Schmalz- Notre Dame College Prep</li> <li>WR [player_tooltip player_id="20836" first="Carnell" last="Tate"]- Marist</li> <li>TJ McMillen- St Francis</li> <li>DL Brooks Bahr- Loyola</li> <li>ATH [player_tooltip player_id="20839" first="Kaleb" last="Miller"]- Nazareth Academy</li> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"]- East St Louis</li> <li>OL [player_tooltip player_id="20842" first="Paris" last="Patterson"]- East St Louis</li> <li>WR Charlie Newton- Payton Prep</li> <li>DL Nashaun Jenkins- Oswego</li> </ul> <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2024’s</strong></span></em> <ul> <li>ATH Alonzo Manning- Marist</li> <li>WR David Coffey- Montini</li> <li>QB Robert Battle- East St Louis</li> <li>DL [player_tooltip player_id="1575" first="Jack" last="Anderson"]- Glenbard West</li> </ul>