Iowa's Young Guns: C/O 2023 Watchlist Part 1

Being a standout athlete on Friday nights is never easy, especially as an underclassman. Take a look below at the Sophomores who dominated their 2020 campaigns looking just as mature and impressive as their upperclassman counterparts. These young guns are fearless, on the rise, and making big contributions to their teams. [player_tooltip player_id="24028" first="Kooper" last="Ebel"], Hartley, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13236765/5fa4add07bd3660c5c1e330b">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KooperEbel">Twitter</a> DB, 6’2, 190 Ebel is a big hitting strong safety who does a terrific job of patrolling the field in single high coverage. Ebel does it all: he flies downhill to make tackles inside the box or the alley, plays center field and contests deep balls, and breaks on underneath routes leading to big hits and turnovers. Ebel is equally skillful tackling in the open field as he is meeting a ball carrier in a gap; it is rare that yards are gained after contact. Ebel instinctively picks up routes as they enter his zone and keeps receivers from getting behind him. Blaise Porter, New London, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13060055/Blaise-Porter">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/blaiseporter21">Twitter</a> QB, 6’0, 165 As a ball carrier Porter is everything you could ask for: quick feet, patience, downfield vision, precise cuts, burst acceleration, etc. Porter does a terrific job in the mesh, patiently making his reads, and when he keeps it he is very dangerous. If a defense leaves any space for Porter to work with at the line of scrimmage he is going to take it and make them pay. Porter is a challenge to tackle cleanly in the open field and makes lots of defenders miss. He can get the job done with his arm too; he is a great scrambler and can extend plays to get receivers open. [player_tooltip player_id="104108" first="Zach" last="Lutmer"], Central Lyon, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12679616/Zach-Lutmer">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/LutmerZach">Twitter</a> QB, 6’0, 170 The throwing mechanics and body control Lutmer displays are mature beyond his years. He is a very talented down field passer who can quickly read coverages and work his progressions on play action and sprint out. Lutmer has a quick release and knows when to lead a receiver or put a little extra on the ball; he is very accurate. Lutmer is equally impressive with his feet; the style of offense and play calls really play to his strengths as many of the designed runs have the window dressing to make it look like a pass at the snap. Aidan Hall, Harlan, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13665817/Aidan-Hall">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/aidan6hall">Twitter</a> WR, 6’2, 195 Hall can line up all over the field at X, Z, slot, and tight end; he is a dynamic threat wherever he is taking the snap. Hall’s greatest asset is his huge catch radius. He has a massive wingspan and can absolutely leap. There aren’t many 50/50 balls he isn’t going to come down with. He can make his quarterback right downfield and runs really crisp fade, wheel, and post routes. He knows how to leverage a defender away from him as he is about to cut and get open. Hall also has impressive body control and speed for his size. Watts McBride, Washington, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13012113/Watts-McBride">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/wattsmcbride21">Twitter</a> DB/OLB, 6’0, 175 McBride is a violent, hybrid defender that prowls in coverage and destroys unwitting receivers. He can also scream off the edge on a blitz and disrupt the backfield. It is a lot of fun to see him separate receivers from the ball. McBride keeps his feet active through zones and breaks on the ball at just the right time to cause big collisions. He plays in the box fearlessly and tackles with textbook technique. A defensive coordinator could get very creative in how they use McBride as he is so versatile. Mcbride is unblockable in space and patrols the field sideline to sideline. [player_tooltip player_id="24025" first="Brady" last="Wavrunek"], Sioux City North, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12472275/Brady-Wavrunek">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Brady_Wavrunek">Twitter</a> RB, 5’11, 180 With a low center of gravity and square shoulders Wavrunek does a nice job of getting north-south in his carries. He is a patient runner who has a knack for getting to the edge on outside zone and turning it up or cutting it back into an open gap to pick up big yards. Wavrunek is shifty in his lateral movement to avoid contact and keep contact from being direct. He is also consistent on film in keeping his feet moving and knees driving through tackles. It is almost always going to take more than one tackler to get Wavrunek down. Cole Lipper, Mediapolis, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10047062/Cole-Lipper">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ColeLipper">Twitter</a> LB/TE, 6’2, 210 Lipper is a versatile two-way player who uses his size to make vicious tackles on defense and big blocks on offense. He is pretty darn good at running routes and catching the ball from the tight end position too. Lipper is equally impressive in the physicality he uses to finish tackles and runs after the catch. Lipper is dominant at the line of scrimmage as he can strike, squeeze, and separate with relative ease. He sets a hard edge and can disengage quickly to stop the flow of a play from getting outside and make tackles in the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id="104081" first="JJ" last="Kohl"], Ankeny, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11882528/5f9f8c0a6898c20a54f23511">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/JJKohl3">Twitter</a> QB, 6’6, 220 The measurables on Kohl are off the charts. At 6’6 he can settle right into the pocket with a line of sight above the blockers in front of him and pick a defense apart. Kohl has a big arm and puts really nice touch on the ball. The throwing mechanics are an impressive compliment to his size; he pairs a quick release with a powerful step off the back foot and shoulders that square up to his target even when throwing on the run. Kohl sees the field well and places the ball on harder routes to throw where only his receivers can get it.