Prospect Spotlight: Patrick Lavin – St. Anthony Village (2022)

Coming out of the Minnesota PRZ Showcase, a lot of guys showed out and put up some impressive numbers and some impressive reps. One of the guys who I felt stood out more than most was St. Anthony Village junior center, [player_tooltip player_id="49928" first="Patrick" last="Lavin"]. He showed great technique and stoned guys during the one-on-one drills. Despite his impressive day and his three years starting, he doesn’t have any offers. If he continues on this path, the offers will be coming soon. After two straight years of great regular seasons, the Huskies struggled through a one-win season in 2020. "It was tough this year," Lavin said. "We had a young quarterback and a young running back. Our offensive line was a question mark all year. We had brand new receivers and a brand new coaching staff. Everything you would not want on a football team – plus a pandemic – all happened in the same year. Coming off two successful years, it was a shock to take that step back. I knew I had to come into my own in a leadership position and bring the freshmen and sophomores coming up behind me along and make something of the season. Like (head coach Luke Tressel) said, we didn’t have many wins on the field but had wins outside the field." When the team was clicking, success started upfront. "We were a downhill running team," Lavin said. "At St. Anthony, the last couple of years, we have had good offensive lines. That comes from our coaches putting us in the right positions to succeed. We had some receivers who could go up and get the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line was a strength for us. It was the same guys playing both ways. We worked together as a team on the line." The team has always been Lavin’s focus. "I have played center all through middle school. I switched to guard as a freshman but then switched back to center halfway through my freshman season, and our run game started clicking. This year I came into my own – seeing the linebackers, watching the blitzers come, working with the coaches on what I can do to put the team in a position to succeed. I made sure I knew my assignments and made sure the rest of the line knew their assignments. If someone asked in the huddle, I was able to tell them their assignment." "It was a big learning year to find out what my strengths are," the 6’1" 285-pound center continued. "I am not the tallest, fastest, or strongest. What can I do to help win football games and put my teammates in a position to succeed? This year was a learning experience - especially becoming a leader." After seeing Lavin helping others with technique at the Showcase, saying leadership is one of his strengths didn’t surprise me. On the field, outside of leadership, the mental part of the game helps the junior excel. "My strengths are how I think about the game and how I break down the offensive line as a whole," Lavin explained. "I think about what each position is doing, how that works together, and what is happening with the running back behind me. One of my biggest strengths is controlling the game in the tackle box that puts my running back in a position to succeed. My second strength is my feet. I am a wrestler. My feet have always been a strength; I have always been able to move." As a wrestler, Lavin had his best season this winter. "I have been wrestling about as long as I have played football. I wrestle for Irondale with a three-school co-op. I started to figure it out mid-way through the season, got some good wins against some good guys, and I just happened to make it to State. I use an outside trip, or I catch them in a mistake and throw a headlock." Lavin is a three-sport athlete. "I play rugby on a club team in Eagan. I play prop – which is kind of like offensive line. I have been around rugby since I was a kid. My parents were into it. It is fun to run with the ball and hit a few guys." Even with three sports, Lavin – who likes to fish, be outside, and work on cars -  keeps football at the center of his athletic career. "Four days a week, I do a lift and some specific football line drills. I try to be football orientated throughout the year. It is my number one sport. I am working on my mobility. It has always been a point of emphasis with wrestling – being flexible, sinking my hips, and get low. That comes from what I am doing in the wrestling room and what I am doing in the weight room with different stretches and injury prevention." The junior is a two-way player. "I have started on both sides of the ball since my freshman season," Lavin told prepredzone.com. "I play mostly inside (in the team’s 3-4 defense), but this season I played some on -the outside too. I am good at putting my linebackers in a good position, controlling my gap." Without any offers, Lavin has taken an active role in the recruiting process. "I have been trying to get my name out there. I talked to a bunch of DIII and DII schools. Every week I am sending twenty emails and Twitter messages out, but no offers yet. My goal has always been the FCS level. I think that is where I reasonably think I can succeed. I have talked to a couple of schools from that level. Recruiting is going good, but it has been a little slower than I expected." Lavin has heard from Minnesota State-Mankato, St. Olaf, Bethel, Carlton, St. Johns’, Augsburg, and Concordia-St. Paul. Southern Illinois asked for some game footage. "I market myself as an offensive player, but I don’t care what side of the ball I play on," Lavin said. "I have always told coaches I would play wherever you want me to play. As long as I am out on a football field, I am happy." If how he showed out last Sunday at the PRZ Showcase is what he puts on film this fall, Lavin will be on a football field somewhere playing college ball.