Good Luck Class of 2021

It is time for reflection and looking forward. I was hired in June 2020 to serve as the first scout for Prep Redzone Kansas and it has been an interesting nine months, to say the least. I jumped in by constructing the Class of 2021 rankings, I visited the Shrine Bowl Camps, five school camps, and watched nine high school games. I posted 91 scouting reports on our website and featured more than 500 players. The books are not completely shut on the Class of 2021, but now that National Signing Day has come and gone. I wanted to wish six players extra luck and give them one more shout-out before their college experiences begin. I am proud of the growth of the Kansas website and the scouting exposure we have provided Kansas Athletes. Here is a look at six players who will hold dear spots in my scouting book. QB, Lem Wash Lem Wash 5'10" | 205 lbs | QB Derby | 2021 State KS , 5’10”, 205, Derby  –The most explosive player I witnessed in 2021.  The Derby senior QB finished the regular season with 740 rushing yards, 667 passing yards, and 18 total touchdowns. Wash followed me on Twitter early in my time with Prep Redzone and was a help in passing information on to Wichita area athletes about our website. Wash is committed to playing at Tennessee Tech and has a huge ceiling in football and in life. OL, Ewan Mills Ewan Mills 6'2" | 285 lbs | OL Seaman | 2021 State KS , 6’2”, 185, Seaman – One of the first schools I visited was Seaman. One of the first players featured in a scouring report was Mills. He was ranked way too low in our initial rankings, but he was happy with the early exposure and reached out on social media. He handled himself with class and a positive attitude about improving his stock. He is a hard-nosed center and will be a great addition to the football program at Northwest Missouri. His signing is really bittersweet since I have degrees from Pittsburg State and Emporia State, but I was so happy for him. Mills is a leader and will continue to grow as a young man with the Bearcat family. WR, Malik Benson Malik Benson 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Lansing | 2021 State KS , 6’1”, 175, Lansing – Benson has immense talent and was a player who could have been utilized more in his team’s offensive game-plan. He is a guy that the first time I saw him play I knew he could play at the next level. He has greasy fast speed and has a huge future at Hutchinson Community College. It was enjoyable keeping tabs on his recruitment. More importantly, he is a respectful young man, who will do great things on and off the football field. OL, Robbie Malcom Robbie Malcom 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Topeka West | 2021 State KS , 6’4”, 290, Topeka West – Malcom is a person who looks out for others. He protected the Charger ball carriers at Topeka West and he looked out for other players in scouting. Malcom always name-dropped other players when I would tweet about looking for unsigned or under-the-radar players to feature. He played a huge role in helping other Kansas student-athletes learn about our website and increase their recruitment exposure. Malcom’s football career will continue at Concordia in Chicago. Do yourself a favor young man and order the Pork Chops and Cheesy Potatoes at Carson’s. DB, Wetu Kalomo Wetu Kalomo 6'1" | 195 lbs | DB Wichita West | 2021 State KS , 6’1”, 195, Wichita Northwest – It looked as if Kalomo and other Wichita area athletes would not get to play at all in 2020. I am so happy for them that they did. Kalomo is a difference-maker on defense and the Wichita Northwest program was very accepting of what Prep Redzone Kansas wanted to offer Kansas high school programs. I watched two games in the Wichita area in 2020 and it was primarily due to the connections I made with Grizzly players and coaches. Wetu is committed to playing at Missouri State and will play an important role in the continued growth and success of that program. QB, Bo Dilliner Bo Dilliner 5'8" | 155 lbs | QB Anderson County | 2021 State KS , 5’8”, 155, Anderson County – This guy will always have a special memory for me. I watched the season opener for Anderson County and Dilliner finished with five touchdowns. He threw for three, rushed for one, and returned a punt 38-yards for another. Naturally, he was featured in my second game report of the season. He very quickly received an offer after that game and reached out to me on Twitter to let me know about it. The senior quarterback was injured and his season cut short soon after. Dilliner’s kind words and support inspired me to move forward and continue scouting when I had doubts and other jobs pulling me in different directions. Dilliner has committed to play college ball at Ottawa University. It was a pleasure watching these six young men play a game they love. I wish them nothing but success moving forward. All of your college coaches are lucky to have signed you for their programs. More than likely there will not be any large-scale updates to our 2021 player rankings. We will want to add college info for players yet to sign. If Prep Redzone Kansas can be of assistance in providing exposure to unsigned players from 2021 please reach out. Moving forward Kansas scout Santino Bernal will be our primary contact for player rankings. I will still assist, but I am shifting more focus to our Prep Dig Kansas volleyball website of which I am the only scout currently. I still look forward to watching games in 2021 and assisting the talented Santino. Class of 2022 you are up next!