PrepRedzoneWI Showcase Session 2 Standouts/Awards: LB/DB

Our third and final installment of my post-event coverage from last week’s PrepRedzoneWI Showcase will highlight the standout defensive performers from Session 2 that included our "skill" player signups of linebackers and defensive backs. With triple digit attendance on the second day of the Showcase, there was a lot of talent and skill packed into the Wisconsin Dells Center Dome, but unlike some other positional groups the LBs and DBs had some particularly noteworthy senior talent from the 2021 class. These 2021ers have and still are facing the most difficult and unforeseen recruitment circumstances any graduating class has had to face, so seeing some of these kids ball out in-person was a sight for sore eyes and I’m sure relieving not only for the kids themselves but the college coaches in-attendance. Once again, thank you to everyone who signed up, showed up, and participated in any way, and please enjoy this PrepRedzoneWI article featuring the athletes who caught my eye and showed out from Session 2. Good job, fellas! Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id="31280" first="Jack" last="Baretz"] (Franklin) 6’3, 215 lbs. 2022. - Grabbed my attention on multiple occasions throughout the evening and started things off with a great performance on the short shuttle where he ran a 4.29 and flashed an ability to start and stop efficiently and generate force when he plants and cuts. He’s a smooth athlete who also exhibited fluid hips and competed hard in 1-on-1s with a a good ability to read, react, and get hands on RBs as they ran routes. With a great frame to continue to keep adding weight and the ever-growing tradition of accomplished Sabers coming out of Franklin High School there’s a strong bet that Baretz has a D1 ceiling. Will Campbell (Kaukauna) 6’1, 225 lbs. 2022. Built like a prototypical LB with wide shoulders and a thick lower-body. Campbell looked great running 40s and posted a great time for a legit 225 lber. He also showed off some nice hips and I liked how fast he gets downhill when he sticks a foot in the ground. HIs footwork is really clean and I liked what I saw from him in-terms of coverage, competitive demeanor, and overall athleticism, so I think it’s safe to say he’s a every down LB and should absolutely be getting more recruiting attention as of right now. He’s potentially got a D1 ceiling as well. [player_tooltip player_id="30852" first="Riley" last="Christensen"] (Belmont) 6’2, 220 lbs. 2021. One of PrepRedzoneWI’s favorite unsigned seniors as of right now comes from 2x 8-Player Offensive POTY who has totaled 4,901 yards of total offense and 79 TDs as an upperclassman at Belmont and backed up his eye-popping numbers with a really strong performance at our Showcase. He ran a 4.58 at legit 220 lbs. and is light on his feet with great hips and an impressive ability to change direction. His acceleration was even better than expected as well, and I just can’t say enough good things about the small-school prospect. With his absurd production in high school and the rare physical attributes and gifts he possesses I personally would bet he could find his way onto the field in the Missouri Valley, but I’m definitely not a D1 recruiting coordinator and from what I’m hearing he’s getting DII and DIII looks, so he is going to make whatever team he signs with very very happy. Kevin Jagiello (Messmer) 5’11, 230 lbs. 2022. Was a brick wall of a LB whose playing style matched his compact and powerful frame. He played LB with a low center of gravity and showed some nice burst when getting downhill as well as laterally during positional and 1-on-1s. He’s an under the radar 2022 LB prospect and looks to me like a physical and tough competitor. [player_tooltip player_id="30767" first="Brock" last="Lampe"] (Bradford) 6’1, 225 lbs. 2021. Had the D2 coaches interested and intrigued coming into the camp and lived up to the hype and cemented the fact that he’s an under-recruited 2021 LB prospect. He’s a hard-nosed, intense, and explosive competitor who can cover a ton of ground and has the range and athletic ability I see on his Hudl. He should have significantly more NSIC offers than he currently has reported. [player_tooltip player_id="31258" first="Brady" last="Lehman"] (Jefferson) 6’3, 200 lbs. 2022. Raised a lot of eyebrows after he killed it during our testing portion of the event with a mid 4.6 40-yard dash and a 4.37 short shuttle and sports a lean and long build with a ton of room to add weight. Also was great in coverage and had that itch to compete that I like to see. [player_tooltip player_id="30750" first="Sammy" last="Smith"] (Sun Prairie) 6’1, 230 lbs. 2021. Coming into the event I was very excited to see [player_tooltip player_id="30750" first="Sammy" last="Smith"] play in-person, and I was interested to hear that he had recently transferred from Madison West to nearby Sun Prairie for the remainder of his senior season. He’s a big kid at the OLB position, and Smith brought the most energy and juice of any one competitor at the entire Showcase, almost single-handily elevating the atmosphere and hype in the Wisconsin Dells Dome to a fun and energetic mood for the competition portion of the Showcase. He’s got tremendous physical tools and attributes and can cover ground out in space to hang with RBs and possibly even TEs at the next level, and he carries his 225-230 lb. frame really well and shows a lot of burst out of his stance near the LOS. I also like his hip flexibility and how he uses his hands, and I left with no doubt in my mind that Upper Iowa University landed a DUDE. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-80356" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/2-11-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Defensive Backs Sebastian Jefferson (Waukesha South) 6’, 180 lbs. 2021. If there’s one position I really trust myself to evaluate it’s the defensive backs, and with that being said Waukesha South’s 6’, 180 lb. CB Sebastian Jefferson was my MVP of the DB group. To preface things, the DBs were the lightest group at either session of the event, and these boys were facing a night filled with a ton of reps against a deep and loaded WR group. I was anxious to see how they would respond, how guys would compete when they were tired, and if anyone would shy away from competition, but Jefferson impressively answered the call and more than rose to the occasion. He kept his technique throughout the night even when he got tired, and never seemed to shy away from the competition and finished every rep from start to finish and never once from what I saw let up early or didn’t finish a rep in coverage. In position drills his footwork was clean, he had loose hips, and showed off a nice vertical and an ability to high point the football when it was in the air. He was also patient in coverage and never fell for a double move, patient to get hands on at the LOS but forceful when he did, and was disciplined in his eyes and only turned back for the ball when he was in good position. He also used the sideline to his advantage and as extra defender and had the recovery speed to make up for an ill-advised read, and played some off-man as well as press coverage at the LOS. Basically he checked all of the boxes I was looking for, and with a long but strong 6’, 180 lb. frame he’s a really promising CB prospect in college who could play in the NSIC at the scholarship level. As of right now he has no reported offers, so college’s please hit this man up. His Twitter is: @SebastianJeff12 [caption id="attachment_80362" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-80362" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/2-6-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Sebastian Jefferson - Waukesha South[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="30764" first="Raymone" last="Jones"] (Indian Trail) 6’2, 215 lbs. 2021. Man, what a prospect. I don’t think there was anyone more versatile at the Showcase, as Jones took reps at DB AND WR on the day and absolutely showed out at both. He is a legit 215 lber. who had no problem covering shorter and shiftier slot receiver types or the deep-threat X receivers trying for fade and post routes. It was a sight to see, as he has a TE build but played with the speed and fluidness of a kid weighing 185. He was patient yet explosive in coverage, with great ball-skills and an understanding of route combinations and nuances to anticipate receivers moves. He has some serious force in his punch as well, and uses his hands effectively at the top of the route to break up passes without interfering with wideouts. I didn’t see him get burned either, so the top-end speed seems to be present as well, and it was just truly something fun to watch a man of his size play these skill positions like he did. I could see him playing basically any position he wants to at the next level, and I was pumped that I got to see him compete in-person. Great job, Raymone! [caption id="attachment_80357" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-80357" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/2-8-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="30764" first="Raymone" last="Jones"] - Indian Trail 2021[/caption]Anthony Ward II (James Madison Memorial) 5’10, 155 lbs. 2022. Ward was another exceptional DB prospect from the thin defensive back positional cluster, as the junior was a true cover corner who possesses top-end burners as well as speed in and out of his breaks that helped to rarely find himself out of position when covering a receiver. He was a strong competitor who also finished every single one of his reps, and used his long arms to his advantage as he was really effective at getting hands on at the LOS and disrupting receivers routes and rhythm. He always played through the ball, was awesome at melting wideouts into the sideline, and has an impressive vertical that helped him contest passes at its highest point. He’s got great upside as a coverage corner and was one of the stickiest cornerbacks at Session 2. Philip Austin (St. John’s NW) 5’11, 202 lbs. 2021. One of the best built DBs at the event, Austin’s size, physicality, and skill-set screamed that put the strong in strong safety as his projected college position. He had a ton of power in his hands, the speed to keep up faster WRs at the event, and good hands with an athletic gait that helped him test off the charts in our opening portion of the event. He’s also a weight room junkie and was engaging and fun to talk to after the event, so he’s the real deal as a person and a football prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="31282" first="Logan" last="Engeseth"] (DeForest) 6’2, 185 lbs. 2022. Loved his length at the defensive back position and I could see the DeForest prospect playing either safety or CB at the next level. He was a great competitor who went hard from start to finish, had clean footwork and a smooth backpedal, and could transition his hips effectively and get out of his breaks well. Lot to like in the Norski DB. Kegan Huber (Badger) 6’, 170 lbs. 2022. Technique wise Huber was really sound. He got out of his breaks with explosiveness and could fly in a straight line as evidence from his impressive 40-yard dash time. He’s fast, competitive, and has great feet and hips. If he can keep adding weight he’s going to be a nice looking 2022 defensive back. Devin Yeats (Hampshire) 6’1, 190 lbs. 2022. Tested well in the opening portion of the Showcase and competed hard from start to finish. Well-built DB prospect to boot with a lot of upside. Probably projects as a safety in college.