Marist at Notre Dame: Players who stood out

The season opener for both teams got off to a rocky start, but then Marist turned it on during the second quarter and go out to a comfortable lead and cruised to a 34-13 road victory. It was really nice to be back on a sidelines with a great view of high school football. Let’s take a look a which players from each school that stood out on Friday night starting with the home team. Make sure to click on the links to view the on-field videos of the prospects. Notre Dame College Prep Don’s 2021 Defense end #77 Jonathan Kahn (6’4” and 240lbs) @j_k___5 First time seeing Kahn and he certainly has the frame that you’re looking for in a defensive end. It’s understandable why Tulane thought so highly of the young man, as he showed good strength off the line. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.6B678265-29AD-48B5-AD3D-72C2EC9ACFBE.mov">Kahn was disruptive</a> enough to make things uncomfortable for Marist’s offense on occasions but he obviously wasn’t quite enough. He slid inside on a few plays and lined up as a nose, showing his versatility. The Green Wave got a solid prospect. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-122707" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/86CD181D-02B7-404C-8B32-1132A36F8EA6-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Offensive tackle #72 [player_tooltip player_id="65767" first="Tommy" last="Shipman"] (6’6” and 285lbs) @TommyShipman1 Shipman is absolutely massive, the biggest player on the Don’s team, but he carries his weight well. Still room to continue to add strength and size, I love the upside with him. Shipman has extremely long arms, which tend to have him projecting as a tackle instead of guard. The base to have <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.F9FF7B54-BBD8-43EC-9E8C-88D46CE71AD0.mov">solid footwork is there</a> although with more training Shipman certainly can improve in that area. The Don’s really didn’t pass too much, but when they did, Shipman held his own and didn’t allow any backside pressure. As for the run game, he’s a got great leg drive and hand placement. Shipman is athletic enough to pull and be a lead blocker on screen passes as well. Another prospect that I got to see for the first time shouldn’t be much of an unknown commodity for longer. Shipman already has been in contact with a few MAC schools and if he continues to progress, other schools will come calling. 2021 Running back #2 Jimmie Fidanzia (5’11” and 185lbs) Unfortunately it seems like Fidanzia’s playing career after high school is going to come to an end. That’s a shame because I really liked what I saw out of the Don’s running back. He had multiple long runs where he weaved in and out of traffic, showing the vision needed to be a factor as a back. Solid size as well, might not be a burner but plenty of speed to be effective. It seems like Fidanzia will continue his education at Iowa State, which is certainly not a bad academic school at all. Maybe his football itch continues and Fidanzia transfers where he would definitely help a schools running back room. 2021 Safety #8 [player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="[player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="[player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="Jordan" last=""]" last=""]" last=""] Geroulis (6’ and 190lbs) @[player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="[player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="[player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="Jordan" last=""]" last=""]" last=""]Geroulis The Augie’s are getting a good one, Geroulis was the player in the Don’s secondary and on more than one occasion flashed his abilities. There weren’t many throws that Marist’s Dontrell Jackson (more on him below) that were bad, but Geroulis showed some very good recovery speed and almost <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.491B2665-E55B-4133-8107-3CE6B9851B8A.mov">picked off this pass.</a> Geroulis had very good awareness, jumping on a fumble by the Red Hawks in the endzone for the Don’s first score of the game. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1373079072293683207?s=21 He covered ground well, with good size as a back-end safety. Geroulis was one of the bright spots for a Don’s defense that struggled on Friday evening. Marist Red Hawks <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-122733" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/9A646126-DE4A-4832-B0B6-19033E71121D-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Quarterback #1 Dontrell Jackson (6’ and 185lbs) @trelljackson17 Our paths have cross on more than one occasion, but this was the first time I was able to see Jackson live in a real football situation. It was easy to see why Coastal Carolina came after him so hard. The decision making when bullets are flying was impressive, there were only a few throws that Jackson would like to have back. His intermediate passing accuracy was on point all night and although the Red Hawks didn’t take many shots down field, when they did, this was the result. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1373067123690516483?s=21 Something I couldn’t see during the camps we were both at was his ability to scramble and pick up yardage on the ground. Jackson picked his running lanes well, always fell forward and avoided taking big hits. He is exactly what many schools look for in a dual-threat quarterback. If Jackson continues to play like this, there might be other big-time schools trying to flip the Chanticleer commit. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-122734" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/146A1EA2-0C3A-4B5E-82A3-AF340ADB623C-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Linebacker #8 Jimmy Rolder (6’3” and 215lbs) @JimmyRolder I didn’t know anything about Rolder coming into the game, but after seeing him play, I was very impressed. Great size for a ‘backer, Rolder lined up at outside and inside, playing well at both spots. He did a good job tracking plays, dropping deep enough to keep things in front of him the few times the Don’s passed. Against a run-heavy offensive Rolder showed that he can read the play, disengage from the initial blocker and find the ball carrier <a style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.39E18C43-909A-4926-9E31-C1CBA74DEC60.mov">to make the play</a><span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">. What’s unfortunate for football coaches right now is that Rolder has committed to Illinois to play baseball. After seeing him play, I have not doubt in my mind that if Rolder wanted to, he could play both in college. He was extremely impressive on Friday and should be on your radars now. He’s on mine.</span> 2022 Safety #14 Nicholas Verzoni (6’ and 170lbs) @NicholasVerzoni It’s hard for a defensive back to stand out against a team that really doesn’t pass the ball often, but Verzoni did when he <a style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.EBB6D652-3F39-4262-8696-A038C97F36F2.mov">intercepted one of their few passes.</a> <span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">He has decent size at the moment, but a frame that is long and can add on some weight as he gets older. Verzoni often played centerfield, using lining up behind the side the Don’s had more receivers on. </span>A good backpedal put him in great position on plays, along with being the last line of defense for a defense that only game up two big plays. Verzoni is now a player that I will keep tabs of going forward, he’s got the skills to be a force at the back end of a defense. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-122739" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/4C7A0B28-C418-4179-9458-A68FED0303E0-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2021 Interior offensive lineman #78 [player_tooltip player_id="20195" first="Pat" last="Coogan"] (6’6” and 300lbs) @coogs53 Our number one ranked player in the state needs no introduction. All I really needed to see was a few plays to justify why he is ranked so high. Smart, physical, and a leader, Coogan would have played defense if his Red Hawk team needed him to. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1373057983903633411?s=21 He didn’t, but he was the long snapper and you could see the joy that he had being on special teams. Notre Dame will be extremely happy with Coogan when he arrives on campus in the fall. 2022 Offensive guard #79 [player_tooltip player_id="20898" first="Deuce" last="McGuire"] (6’5” and 273lbs) @deucemcguire The other hyped linemen for Marist didn’t disappoint either. McGuire is just as physical and strong as his teammate Coogan. The football IQ was impressive, as he called out protections multiple times and stayed in his lanes and picked up <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/trim.9D0A0EEC-C287-43E7-8BB0-EF1CFB9775CF.mov">this impressive stunt.</a> There was one blemish on McGuire’s night, he has a false start, which isn’t a huge deal at all. The majority of designed run plays were right up the middle, obviously the strength of the Red Hawk line. McGuire showed that he has great leg drive and awareness when bullying defensive lineman. Pass blocking was exceptional as well, Jackson was barely pressured all night. McGuire did everything you’d expect from a lineman who already holds P5 offers, an impressive opening night for the junior.