SDSU Prospect Camp: Midwest Standouts Part II
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BROOKINGS, SD– We move into Part II of our Midwest standouts from the South Dakota State Prospect Camp we were attendance in last week. These were eight more standouts that we had high impressions of at Dana J Dykhouse Stadium. Colton…
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Continue ReadingBROOKINGS, SD– We move into Part II of our Midwest standouts from the South Dakota State Prospect Camp we were attendance in last week. These were eight more standouts that we had high impressions of at Dana J Dykhouse Stadium.
Colton Gregersen Colton Gregersen 6'2" | 235 lbs | DL Burnsville | 2022 State MN | Defensive Line | Burnsville (MN) | 2022
As I watched Colton thru Indy drills, I saw a young man that had a solid stance and showed off a great balance while rolling thru cone drills. In 1on1s he was very consistent on his pad level and had a strong lower body with an efficient drive in his feet. Colton also showed off a good reach, which stretched to nearly 6’5 in his nearly 6’2 230-pound frame.
I really enjoyed watching Colton’s high physicality level from the game tape I watched this Fall. He has an aggressive motor and is visually strong in between the tackles. He shows off strong hands when moving defenders out of his way and is an attacker on the low first level. He also has solid stamina and will be that player that when everyone else thinks the play is upfield and not worth pursuing, Colton will be the one to get upfield and make the tackle. I also like his blocking ability as a fullback as that could be a position for him at the next level too as he brings the same big energy on his blocks and from a measurables perspective, checks the boxes if I am a college coach looking for a well put together fullback.
Eddie Kasper Eddie Kasper 5'10" | 155 lbs | WR Wheaton Academy | 2022 State IL | Wide Receiver | Wheaton Academy (IL) | 2022
I did not get to see Eddie until after the testing session, but with what I saw in Indy drills, I came away impressed. He showed really solid flexibility and turn in his hips and showed a good high pointing ability from what I watched in Brookings.
I found Eddie’s Youtube tape from March and really loved the way this young man runs his routes. I 100% agree with what my Prep Redzone colleague Darnell Clay said: “he doesn’t need overwhelming size or speed to win his matchup,” as that is a big thing I grasped from his film. He will be a player that will use his route running to his full advantage to get the separation he needs to get the quality yards for his team whether that is a short route to get that first down or a deeper route where he uses his super active route-running ability to break free from the secondary. Eddie also shows a good stretch for his size when using his glue hands to find the football.
Noah Thompson Noah Thompson 6'1" | 170 lbs | DB Brandon Valley | 2022 State | Defensive Back | Brandon Valley (SD) | 2022
When I got my first glimpse of our #2 defensive back in the Dakotas, my impression of rewatching his film and watching him in person lived up to the hype. Noah clocked in the top three in the 40-yard dash and the same in the pro-agility and logged one of the few 10 foot jumps in the broad jump. When I watched Noah go thru 1on1 drills, I had “holy cow” written down on my notepad as I was blown away just how fast he was with flipping his hips in any direction.
I got to watch some of Noah’s game tape against another top in 11AAA, and really enjoyed how well he moves laterally. He also makes a quick hitter when the ball comes his way with a high contact level. He has sound ball instincts and has a solid head turn on routes to realize exactly what angle the football is coming in on and makes a play on the ball. A DB prospect that can mix it up in press-man or stick like glue if he does give the WR a small cushion to operate in. He also has excellent size for the position at the next level. Somehow, Noah is still really slept on with only two Division II offers and is a kid in my eyes that can play at the Division I level. I would love to see more Division I schools in the Dakotas get into the mix.
Austin Ayobamidele Austin Ayobamidele 6'3" | 175 lbs | WR Park Center | 2022 State MN | Wide Receiver | Park Center (MN) | 2022
Austin was solid as far as I could see in testing running in the mid 4.6s in the 40-yard dash at SDSU. He also consistently jumped over 9 feet in both attempts in the broad jump.
Austin’s speed when he gets up 10 yards is very solid as that is when his jets really kick in. He also has a good stopping ability within that yardage although it’s not seen as much on film. I think if he can develop more explosiveness off the snap, he can be more effective on shorter routes and catch more eyes of college programs. His ability to also use his stretch to make a play on the tougher routes gives him the ability to gain that extra space to make a play on the football. Austin has gained mostly Division II interest. I think he is getting a little slept on, with no offers to date.
Jace Sifore Jace Sifore 6'4" | 270 lbs | DL Howard | 2022 State | Defensive Line | Howard (SD) | 2022
In my first time watching Jace in person in the Indy drills, I was super impressed by how light on his feet this young man was. He ran thru drills with great composure and was a player that finished strong on every drill which is a big thing I look for when scouting football, it’s not how you start it’s how you finish.
Since we watched Jace last Thursday, he has committed to play right where we watched him at South Dakota State wasting no time after that prospect camp to commit to Jackrabbits. Congratulations Jace on your commitment!
Blake Stahl Blake Stahl 6'5" | 195 lbs | WR Champlin Park | 2023 State MN | Wide Receiver | Champlin Park (MN) | 2023
Blake was a prospect that had an explosive jump in the Pro Agility which should have opened some eyes to the coaches in attendance. He also showed off his wingspan in Indy drills showing his length and flexibility while being able to grab the football in some tight windows.
Blake provides you with a big target to throw to that stands right at 6’4. He showed at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase and at other prospect camps that he can run some solid routes and is one that especially dependable around the first down markers. He shows a good balance for his size when bringing in the football. I am excited to see what Blake’s junior and senior film bring to the table as I think his junior season will open up more eyes to college programs. This kid will also bring great character to his future college locker room.
Brennan Palmer | Defensive Line | Fargo Davies (ND) | 2023
Brennan showed a good explosion from the start of his 40-yard dash even his finishing time wasn’t at the top of the group. I was surprised to see him as a defensive lineman as I peaked his film prior to writing this and found out he reps most of his reps at LB and WR, but after review, he has transformed his body from a 180 pound LB/WR to a 215 DE and TE
Brennan checked into SDSU at 6’3 217 pounds and logged a 6’4 wingspan. When I watched a few of his clips from last season at Fargo Davies, I saw a future TE that can stretch for the football and use that wingspan to his advantage. Brennan does a good job of finding the first down sticks. He will be another prospect that will need to put together a junior tape to get a few programs on his radar up in Fargo. He is outstanding in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA.
Sam Rensch Sam Rensch 6'6" | 205 lbs | DB Hutchinson | 2022 State MN | Tight End | Hutchinson (MN) | 2022
As someone that has watched Sam a handful of times now, I saw something at SDSU I had not seen of him before: him playing Tight End. Although it surprised me at first, when I was watching drills Sam looked like a natural Tight End out there. He had good contact on his blocks and a solid pad level. Sam also was the fastest Tight End in the 40-yard dash running like a deer at 4.83 and 4.77 and was also at the top of the pack in the pro agility. Sam is such a gifted athlete you can line him up close to anywhere and he would work hard and find success.
Sam brings a ton of dynamic to his game on both sides of the ball. He has solid hands, a high physical presence on tackles, and has solid footwork especially in his backpedal as a safety. He does a good job of spying on the offense and making sure they don’t see him crashing deep into the first level of the field as on tape he confused some of the ball carriers badly when he started charging at them for a tackle. He shows good balance catching the football in tight windows for his 6’6 205-pound frame. South Dakota State was actually the first football offer on the table for Sam. As his offer list at the D1 and D2 offers to continue to grow this summer, I would say it’s pretty safe to bet that although he can also take the rim off the basket on the hardwood, that this young man has a football future as the interest there just continues to grow.