Prep Redzone WI Showcase: WR Standouts

WAUKESHA-- We take a look at the seven wide receivers who caught my eyes at the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase at Carroll University. Side note, the Class of 2023, gets my nod for the strongest group of WRs we watched on Sunday! [player_tooltip player_id="136403" first="Kristian" last="Gavric"], Libertyville (IL) (2023) Twitter: @GavricKristian Gavric caught my attention at the broad jump station, where he was one of two back-to-back WRs that jumped over 9 feet in the testing sessions. The best thing about Gavric’s testing numbers is in every single category; he got better on the second rep, which he has to be one of the few at our Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase that did that across the board. Gavric’s tape shows off a prospect with some solid footwork to catch DBs off guard and is a slippery runner that can shed some tackles. The one development Gavric can work on is his downhill speed and his stamina. Early in his film, you see him get run down when he had a chance for 6. My gut tells me this kid is working hard on that this offseason to prep for his junior season. I like his ability to change directions by watching his QBs eyes to see where he wants Gavric to run. He engages the defender well and then burns him off to get separation to get some quality yards. I would love to see more tape with Gavric due to his size get more deep ball opportunities in 2021 as he has solid size at 6’3 to work his vertical on some smaller DBs. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FPv2p">So. Tape</a> Lynel Billups-Williams, Crete-Monee (IL) (2023) Twitter: @BillupsLynel Lynel logged one of the fastest 40 yard dash times at 4.47 and 4.5 and was impressive in the shuttle drill and the L-drill. I was really impressed by watching this young man’s twitch in his hips in 1on1s as he was a straight burner, grabbing every ball I watched thrown his way. One of two WR MVPs I will hand out. He has just scratched the surface regarding high school football, with not much film available yet due to playing for a loaded program. He has plenty of clips from 7on7 that we could take in, though. He has an electric burst out the gates that can change directions any way he wants, with his fluidity in his hips being very high. As a 5’8 WR, this kid has a get-up when it comes to his stretch in his vertical. I look forward to seeing some more 7on7 film this summer, as well as his first junior tape this upcoming fall season. [embed]https://twitter.com/OliverJamesWes1/status/1396599456322265089[/embed]   Reese Osgood, Franklin (WI) (2022) Twitter: @ReeseOsgood I will hand out my second MVP to Reese Osgood of Franklin because across the board is testing this kid threw up some incredible numbers from the 40-yard dash all the way to the L drill and everywhere in between. Reese just got out of track season, so it’s no wonder he was more than prepared for our testing sessions. The first thing I saw on tape from Osgood was how much his speed improved from this fall season until now. He worked off DBs with his heck of a quick turn in his hips, but I feel this fall season, he’ll add more burner-type speed to his game vs. being able to twist DBs around with his quick footwork. Although he has a solid twitch in his hips, I would love to see Osgood create longer plays from screen passes with more power in his legs to shed off tacklers easier. He is an alert player that will do the dirty work without the ball on blocks, as he has a bigger size than I have seen most slot WRs. I think folks will see Osgood getting some deeper balls thrown his way now that he has gathered more speed and will continue to grab even more speed this offseason. Somehow with those testing numbers, Osgood’s interest is light, but I’m sure he has picked up this week when coaches Divison I thru JUCO, saw his top-notch testing numbers. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Earx1">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104985" first="Daniel" last="Simon"], Winneconne (WI) (2024) Twitter: @DanielSimonFB I will give Daniel an MVP in a separate category, marketing yourself as a prospective college athlete. There was not a kid at our Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase who marketed himself better before and after our showcase than [player_tooltip player_id="104985" first="Daniel" last="Simon"] of Winneconne. He handed out business cards to each coach and Prep Redzone scout and could hold conversations better than most kids I have seen at his age. How do you market yourself and network? Business cards do the trick, prospects. As far as the numbers, Simon did show some raw ability that he has plenty of years to develop. He was a prospect in half of our testing sessions who got better on the second rep, which is what you want to see. Simon checked in at 6’3, just under 175 pounds as a TE playing WR on Sunday. Like many kids that grow tall at his age, he’ll need to fill into his body in the weight room, but as dedicated as he is, he will have no problem doing that with three years of varsity football to go. When I pulled up Simon’s tape, I saw a blocking tight end that is unlike most Class of 2024 tapes I find throughout the Midwest at the TE position. In an offensive that runs the ball the bulk of the time, I like Simon’s will just to go out and block somebody and being able to push them into that second level with the good contact he gets on the defender. He also is a finisher-type blocker that will finish off defenders when he gets his leverage on them. Excited to follow this young man’s career in the coming years to see where he ends up! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FNHiA">Fr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="118315" first="Colin" last="Girdaukas"], Kohler-Sheboygan Lutheran-Sheboygan Christian (WI) (2022) Twitter: @GirdaukasColin Colin continues to look faster and faster at every Prep Redzone showcase he comes to, which I believe was his 3rd showcase on Sunday at Carroll University. He logged his 40-yard dashes in the high 4.5s-low 4.6s range, which from what I have watched, appeared faster than and more fluid than his past reps I have watched. I had noted Girdauskas also had some of the best footwork I saw from our very early drills. I took another section of Colin’s tape to review this afternoon since I scouted him at other PRZ Showcases. Girdauskas does a good job of staying poised even on the shorter routes, even though deep routes are his bread and butter. When I say poised meaning, he doesn’t panic when the secondary attacks his lower body on shorter routes. He has a tough lower body that can shed off tackles well. Girdauskas also has stretchy arms and can extend for balls thrown just off the mark. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of splash Colin will make this summer at prospect camps, as he has the following lined up below. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/11291048/5d9f49af7bdd5514807d9e25">Jr. Tape</a> [embed]https://twitter.com/GirdaukasColin/status/1397582845527351298[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="31423" first="Carson" last="Kelsey"], Sparta (WI) (2023) Twitter: @CarsonKelsey4 Kelsey was a prospect from our Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase I found to be under the radar despite showing off some active footwork in our early drills. Kelsey tested in the 40-yard dash in the mid 4.7s, low 4s in the shuttle, and just over 7 seconds in the L-drill. He came in at 5’7, 162 pounds but showed some solid skills from what I watched. Kelsey is a defined slot-back that does a lot for the Sparta offense with the jet sweep. He has a strong burst when he gets out of the backfield and, for his size, has strong legs to power thru lower-body contact. He does a solid job of using the outside lanes to expand his running ability. Even when contact is made on Kelsey, it slows him down but not a level that shuts down the yardage on the play. He gets a lot of his lower body power from the wrestling mat, where he wrestles at 132 pounds. He has a quick recharge motor when contact is made and then accelerates with his speed to get free from the defenders. Kelsey is one if I was a small school college program, I would keep my eyes on if I recruit West Central Wisconsin, as if he can get a little stronger in the weight room, he could add some assets in the return game and more to your program. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FRWe3">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104500" first="Quinn" last="Buchinger"], Kaukauna (WI) (2023) Twitter: @QBuchinger Buchinger was another prospect on this list that improved in rep #2 in three-fourths of the testing categories. He showed the best improvement in the Shuttle, where he went from 4.57 to 4.43, and the broad jump, where he went from 8’2 to 8’10. I wasn’t able to catch him in 1on1 drills, but I will dive into his film here below. Buchinger started for the Ghosts on JV as a sophomore and had some quality reps. I really like watching Buchinger’s route running mix for his size. He’s a versatile route runner that you can use on the screen, chase the first down markers with, or he can pull in the deep ball with his 6’1 200-pound frame, in which he can use his turning ability to adjust his body based on where the ball is thrown. I don’t say this about everybody, I swear, but the bulk of clips I did see of Buchinger was defenders trying to tackle him low, but it didn’t work out as he has stronger legs with an above-average size frame for a WR prospect that played JV last year. I’m excited to see what this young man can do at the varsity level next year for the Ghosts. Buchinger also has a 4.0 GPA. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EuChq">So. Tape</a>