The Line Showcase: Session 1 Standouts OL/DL
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Yesterday’s talent-ridden “The Line Showcase” OL/DL event in Elkhorn, WI couldn’t have came at a better time. With around a week until the historic Spring 2021 high school football season kicks off, around two weeks until some of Wisconsin joins…
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Continue ReadingYesterday’s talent-ridden “The Line Showcase” OL/DL event in Elkhorn, WI couldn’t have came at a better time. With around a week until the historic Spring 2021 high school football season kicks off, around two weeks until some of Wisconsin joins them (sorry, Madison area) for a Spring season, and college coaching rosters still needing to be filled post-NSD, the trench warfare event was a great way for the preps in attendance to compete and earn themselves a little recruiting recognition. Plus, I was not aware that Elkhorn Area High School had a beautiful indoor facility that created a nice setting for the showcase that spanned over two sessions and around six hours. The preps in attendance were a diverse group representing a half dozen states, five graduating classes (including 2025s), and an assortment of sizes, and did a great job of focusing and competing. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite performers from the opening session of “The Line Showcase” below. Thanks for reading!
Offensive Lineman
Luca Kowalik Luca Kowalik 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Milwaukee Marquette | 2022 State WI (Marquette University, WI) OG. 6’4, 280 lbs. c/o 2022. A possible MVP from both position groups during the first session came from outside Milwaukee in Marquette University High School’s powerful Luca Kowalik Luca Kowalik 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Milwaukee Marquette | 2022 State WI . Let me tell you, he made a heckuva impression on me and Mark Johnson, and his stock on the 2022 rankings has definitely shot up after seeing him in person. He was built like a Mack truck, with wide shoulders, a thick neck, and a stout upper & lower body that can put on more weight in a college program. What stood out to me was his power, in both his punch and how he handled absorbed and handled contact. He was incredibly hard to move backwards for opposing DL and was a brickwall in pass-pro, and also handled twists and stunts well from what I saw in group drills. With clean technique to boot, it’s no wonder the DIIs at the event were all over him.
Max Stuhlmacher (Shorewood/Messmer, WI) OG. 6’1, 275 lbs. c/o 2024. Another exciting freshman that played above his age at yesterday’s event, Stuhlmacher is a well-built youngin’ who played well during the competition portion of the event and got some nice wins and good reps against the stellar competition at the showcase. He had a strong base and did a good job of staying square to opposing rushers and not overextending on his pass-set. The future is bright for him and it’s been fun seeing him progress at these events.
Griffin Rousseau (Stoughton, WI) OT. 6’6, 270 lbs. c/o 2025. A name we had on our radar coming into the Showcase was the more than impressive 8th grader Griffin Rousseau. The younger brother of standout 2022 prospect Gabe Rousseau Gabe Rousseau 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Stoughton | 2022 State WI , the 13-year old can already bench 300 pounds and is all of 6’6 and a lean 270 lbs. He took some lumps yesterday in 1-on-1s, but he’s got a varsity body already and was tough for DL to disengage from if he got his hands on them. To think about where I was in 8th grade compared to Rousseau taking reps against seniors and juniors yesterday, it’s really hard to not be impressed. All of the physical tools are there and he’s going to drastically improve once he consistently faces varsity competition. Another big name to watch going forward.
Keegan Delaney (Aurora Christian, IL) OC. c/o 2021. Another unsigned senior on the list, Delaney flashed as a ferocious finisher who loved running DL into the dirt who also had a strong base who did a good job of making the DL play through his entire body instead of allowing them to work on a half-man. I liked his grind, attitude, and physicality.
Defensive Lineman
Nick Blatnik Nick Blatnik 6'3" | 255 lbs | OL Arrowhead | 2022 State WI (Arrowhead, WI) DT. 6’3, 255 lbs. c/o 2022. Arrowhead has a stud in Blatnik who I am disappointed in myself for not having more on my radar coming into the Showcase. He’s a special combo of speed & power with very long arms, broad shoulders, and some powerful quads that helped him generate a ton of force off the LOS. Although he was still a little raw, he was an aggressive pass-rusher who could overwhelm his blockers with his length and strength and set them up for various rips, shucks, and other moves. Every rep he seemed to get better, and his initial punch was noticeably powerful, often knocking blockers back a step or two and forcing them to readjust. He was dominant during 1-on-1s, and also possessed some good flexibility for a kid of his size. Overall I think he’s a really promising talent who has D1 potential no doubt. Blatnik was fun to watch.
Eddie Tuerk (Lyons Township, IL) DE. 6’4, 225 lbs. c/o 2024. Man, I could not believe my eyes when I read later that Tuerk was only a freshman. With great size for his age and a frame that will be able to carry a lot more weight, the future is looking very bright for the Lyons Township pass-rusher. It takes a lot of competitiveness to come to one of these events and take 1-on-1 reps against upperclassmen and more experienced varsity players, but Tuerk didn’t seem fazed by any of that. What he was lacking in technique he made up for in fight, and he kept his motor running until he was told to stop. I also liked his length, and he had a good stab that threw OL off-balance. Big-time name to watch in the 2024 class.
Steven Wauer (Muskego, WI) DE. c/o 2022. I was all in on Wauer before I found out he went to Muskego, which only sweetened the deal for me. With length, a strong chest, a great get-off, and a ton of swag, he was a handful for offensive lineman all day long and was efficient in his hand placement as a pass-rusher. I also liked his speed and bend off of the edge, which helped get some big wins in 1-on-1s, and if he can continue to add weight he’s going to be a serious threat next season. He was also a ferocious competitor who played with a lot of energy and never gave up on a rep. All in all a lot to like.
Gabriel Alyousef (Oak Creek, WI) DT. 6’2, 275 lbs. c/o 2022. The more and more I cover the state of Wisconsin for PrepRedzone the more I am becoming a fan of the Oak Creek Knights and the prospects coming out of their program. Alyousef is a shining example of the talent that the Knights can produce, as he’s a strong and athletic defensive line prospect who is built like a brickwall and has a thick upper-body with obvious strength in his arms, chest, and hips. He continued to stand out throughout the day during both testing and especially 1-on-1s, where he was dominant to say the least. With his overwhelming strength, I saw him execute bull-rushes and push-pulls, and he even had some twitch for a big guy and could put shake on offensive lineman off of the snap. He was all in all a really complete DT prospect who I would love to have on my college squad.
Evan Oberg Evan Oberg 6'4" | 255 lbs | OL DeForest | 2022 State WI (DeForest, WI) DT. 6’4, 250 lbs. c/o 2022. An attendee of our inaugural PrepRedzoneWI Showcase, Oberg was a standout then but built on his game and his body since December. It looked like he added some weight, but not only that I saw his technique to be refined and accurate during competition portion of “The Line.” Although I wish I got to see him a couple more reps, he was a really intriguing blend of speed and strength and used both to defeat opposing blockers. I saw him win a couple of 1-on-1s in style, and coming from a great program in DeForest I think his potential is through the roof.
Logan Burress Logan Burress 6'0" | 230 lbs | DL Hartford | 2021 State WI (Hartford, WI) DE. 6’, 230 lbs. c/o 2021. One of the limited seniors at the event, this was my second time seeing Burress in-person and was once again blown away by his get-off and explosiveness off the LOS as well overall. He was one of the fastest lineman from either session and was incredibly twitchy, with impressive bend, flexibility, and some of my favorite hands at the whole event. He was patient in waiting for OL to show hands, and when they did he was deadly in chopping, ripping, and defeating the attempted punch. It was really fun to watch, and there were not many kids there who could come close to the efficiency of Burress in-terms of hand-usage and placement. He’s a still uncommitted senior who I hope more college programs contact before his senior year ends. Lot of upside in his game.
Joe Reiff (York, IL) DE. c/o 2025. Unfortunately “The Line” roster did not have the player’s school or graduating class listed, so I had some trouble finding information for Reiff. I was told at the event he was an 8th grader, which is a helluva accomplishment in itself, and from what I saw on Twitter it looks like he’s set to go to York High School in Illinois. He had a ton of game for an 8th grader, and was strong and competitive with a solid foundational skill-set to be an impressive varsity OL in high school. Keep your ears to the ground for Reiff’s name in the years to come.
Mason Desrude Mason Desrude 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Nicolet | 2023 State WI (Nicolet, WI) DE. 6’2, 215 lbs. c/o 2023. We at PrepRedzoneWI were all in on Desrude after out recent 2023 rankings update, but after seeing him work yesterday I think it’s safe to say that we graduated to super fans. Just like on film, this kid is a really refined, nuanced, and technically sound pass-rusher with a wide array of pass-rush moves and awesome anticipation and counters that made him dangerous off the snap as well as the closer he got to the QB. He’s added weight since we last saw him at the PrepRedzoneWI Showcase, and is a filled out 215 lbs. with long arms and the awareness to use them. He also possessed some great bend and flexibility, with loose hips that helped him have proficiently execute the drills given to him during testing. The amount of pass-rush moves and natural understanding of leverage were two of the most prominent characteristics of his game to me, and as only a sophomore I think he’s going to be a potential D1 prospect very soon.
Sam Scullion (Glenbard South, IL) DE. c/o 2022. I got to see Scullion compete at our PrepRedzoneIA Showcase, where he showed off a long, twitchy, and aggressive playing style that caught my eye during coverage drills where he ran as a OLB. Although I didn’t get to watch him as much as I’d like to have yesterday, I did see him completely run an OL back 5 yards through the QB dummy and straight onto his butt. It was one of the more physical – and legal – reps I saw all day. Hopefully I can catch a game this Spring.
Jhermari Mabry (Palatine, IL) DT. 6’, 235 lbs. c/o 2022. Was a baller during 1-on-1s and had a heckuva performance during 1-on-1s where he showed off a nice variety of pass-rush moves and counters that helped him earn a ton of wins. He’s got a lot of strength in his frame and was pretty twitchy for a DT prospect.
Khalin Jackson Khalin Jackson 5'8" | 270 lbs | DL Menomonee Falls | 2021 State WI (Menomonee Falls, WI) DT. 5’8, 270 lbs. c/o 2021. Committed to the University of Jamestown. What a showing the University of Jamestown commit had yesterday. Although one of the smaller DL prospects at the event, Jackson dominated 1-on-1s and rattled off almost 10 straight wins at one point. His quickness and twitchiness were off the charts, and he was laterally quick enough to play two gaps and could beat blockers with inside or outside pass-rush moves. He also was strong, and could disengage from OL if they got their hands on him. I think the Jimmies got an outstanding DT for the NAIA level and I’ll be following his college career with enthusiasm.