2021 Stock Risers: January Rankings Update

Our rankings update for the Class of 2021 just went live on the Prep Redzone Wisconsin website today! If you haven’t gotten a chance to check them out make sure you take time to do so! As I was working through the rankings update for the Class of 2021 I started noticing several players that were making jumps in our rankings. I wanted to take the time to highlight those players in this article to make sure that they are receiving the attention that they earned with their play on the field and their preparation off the field. In today’s article, I want to take a look at seven players that were really rising up the boards! All seven are still available and are going to be impact players for a college team at the next level. Make sure you try to get these dudes on your team, college coaches! Let’s dive in! [player_tooltip player_id="31013" first="Marko" last="Rajkovic"], TE- Franklin Marko broke out this season at the tight end position. He spent the 2020 season proving he had all the tools you could hope to find in a high schoool tight end prospect. He has all the size you could want at 6'5" 220 lbs and has the room to continue to fill out. His athleticism at that size is special and his natural hands prove that he is just starting to come into his huge potential. Marko's versatility as a receiver and a blocker demonstrate that he is one of the most well rounded TEs available. He can be successful split out wide, in the slot, or in line as a pass catcher and he can be an effective run blocker. All these traits and the impressive film have led him to go from no offers to several interested programs from the D1 level and a big jump in our rankings update. [player_tooltip player_id="30852" first="Riley" last="Christensen"], LB- Belmont Riley has been doing his best to get the attention that his skill set deserves. He had an excellent season as an LB and a QB and after his season ended he came out to the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase and had a very impressive performance that showed off his eye catching athleticism for the LB position. You can't let the fact that he played 8 man hurt his evaluation. Otherwise you are going to miss out on a kid that plays with the physicality that will hold up at the next level and the athleticism needed to win in college. He has that college level speed and strength combination in an impressive 6'2" 220 lbs frame. If you haven't checked this dude out yet you need to. We can't let him be under the radar anymore. I believe he could play at the D2 level and that believe shows up in his ranking. [player_tooltip player_id="30926" first="Colton" last="Hougom"], OL- Onalaska Colton has some crazy potential as an offensive lineman. He will need some time to fill out, but his 6'3" 235 frame is built for the size needed at the position in the next level. Even at his current size, Hougom plays with the strength to move defensive linemen and finish them into the ground. The athletic abilities are very clear as well in his tape. He can easily pull and hit his targets at the second level springing ball carriers for big gains. His arm length is going to be a big plus for him as well as he can get contact with defenders before they can get ahold of him. As a pass blocker, Colton easily slides in his stance and his reactive athleticism is a major plus that always keeps him in proper position while mirroring edge rushers. I believe Colton is going to be a steal for a team and can play at the D3- D2 levels. [player_tooltip player_id="31027" first="Curtis" last="Jaskulke"], DL- Stoughton Curtis is the only player on this list that hasn’t had a chance to compete in his senior season, yet. The Stoughton team got moved to the spring along with several other programs making Curtis one of the top pass rushers to watch this spring. The reason he has been a stock riser since our last rankings came out is that even though he hasn’t been able to play he has been out competing and getting himself in front of college coaches. He burst onto the scene for me at the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase in early December. It sounds like he had a good night at the Prep Redzone Iowa Showcase on 1/14 as well. Jaskulke is making the most out of a bad situation and is getting noticed for it. Jaskulke is a really nice edge rusher that teams should be all over. He has a long frame and long arms that he uses to get separation. He pairs his really nice build with a deep pass rush repertoire and the flexibility to bend the edge. A college program is going to get a dude when they steal Jaskulke. [player_tooltip player_id="30795" first="Owen" last="Arnett"], LB- Arrowhead I thought I had a pretty good idea of who Arnett was as a player during my summer scouting. Then he spent his fall season making me realize I wasn’t high enough on him. I can confidently say that he is the best cover LB that this class has to offer. His play speed gives him the range to easily get to anywhere on his side of the field before the ball does. He has great body control and plays really well in space. The awareness he plays with while in coverage is exceptional and his ball skills generate a ton of turnovers. He isn’t just a kid that has to play in space either. He is more than willing to come up off the edge and smack a running back trying to get around the corner. I’m not the only one to notice either as he has started to collect the scholarship offers and PWOs during and after his great senior campaign. He’s still uncommitted though, so don’t miss out on him. [player_tooltip player_id="31003" first="Rome" last="Zupke"], LB- Oconomowoc Rome is a long and lean LB recruit out of Oconomowoc. Check out his film and you will see an LB that can win while lined up as an inside backer and as a stand up edge defender. Against the run, Rome uses his quickness and burst to fly past blockers before they can get themselves in position to block him. He also does a good job of quickly getting off blocks to make the tackle. Against the pass, Rome's athleticism shines. He can use his speed to rush around the edge to create pressure just as well as he can drop into a zone. Rome has been a late riser for us here and it looks like he's about to be one for college programs too as he doesn't have several offers currently. [player_tooltip player_id="30757" first="Evan" last="Ladwig"], OL- Plymouth Evan went from being one of the best linemen in the state last summer to being one of the best players still available overall in our newest rankings update. We have him listed at OL, but with his strength, agility, hand usage, and versatility I wouldn't be shocked to see him play on the DL at the next level. When we look at him as an offensive linemen it's clear how he has become one of the best overall players in the state. He has the rare size at 6'5" 270 lbs and the body control to go with it. Evan moves so easily and with a ton of power. He can move defensive linemen in the run game and his anchor in pass protection makes him unmovable when bullrushed. He spent 2020 dominating on both sides of the line of scrimmage, so I can't wait to see what side he ends up on at the collegiate level.