5 Preseason Names To Watch: 23′ TE

As we get closer to the start of the Fall 2021 season these young men are practicing with their respective teams getting ready for their Week 1 matchup. With that being said let’s take a look at 4 preseason names to watch as the days are getting closer and closer to gameday. <hr /> <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136962" first="Nick" last="Hawkins"] Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Hawkinss">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12976372/6084a8c74debb114cc2d9ab8">Highlights</a></strong></em> Mr. Hawkins is from Lemont, he played on Varsity this past spring season and showcased what he can do. This young man is used in both the air and ground attacks for this offensive unit. In the air attack, once he secures the catch he plants his foot into the ground to turn upfield. In the ground attack, he’s able to wash the defensive line down by getting hands-on quickly and gets to 2nd level blocks as well. What I’m most excited about for this young man is to see how he’s developed since the spring season and his involvement in this offense for his Junior season. He was on our 6A All-State Honorable Mention list for his spring season performance and looks to break into the 1st/2nd team this fall. Be on the lookout for this young man over the next two seasons as he has untapped potential yet to come to light, once it does expect his college interest to gain traction. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157995" first="Mack" last="O’Halloran"] Downers Grove South <a href="https://twitter.com/MackOHalloran">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12927267/608636e9ab9296036c07bb1b">Highlights</a></strong></em> Mr. O’Halloran is from Downers Grove South, he played on Varsity this past spring season where we got glimpses of what’s to come. Upon securing the catch he gets upfield quickly by changing gears and blowing by the 2nd level of defenders where he’s not afraid to lower his shoulder to run the defender over. What I like most about this young man is how aggressive he is in run blocking. He fires off the ball where he gets hands-on quickly and drives the defender into the ground by playing through the whistle. He does this in multiple different blocks such as drive blocking, hook blocking, reach blocks, and square pulling to kick out block. This is an important skill to have for a TE as he can be utilized as another offensive lineman that can hold his own blocking defensive ends. All of this being said, the best is yet to come for this young man as he’s prone for a breakout season this fall. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157996" first="Joey" last="Neumann"] Antioch <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyNeumann13">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13172657/6086d46502b1891750b4c222">Highlights</a></strong></em> Mr. Neumann is from Antioch, he played on Varsity this past spring season where he showcased what he has in store for us over these next two seasons. What I like most about this young man is how he goes up for those 50/50 balls making contested catches over the defender. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage where he’s able to stack the defender breaking them off at the top of the route to make the catch in traffic and has the ability to burn the defender deep on the fly route. He’s more of a receiving tight end that can transition into a wideout at the next level, that being said he does wash the defensive line down when he’s run blocking as well. Overall, he’s a young man that can be a possible stock riser after this fall season is concluded as he has untapped potential yet to come to light. <em><strong>Nick True Jacobs <a href="https://twitter.com/NickTrue16">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11387553/609049c61762a50c444c76b8">Highlights</a></strong></em> Mr. True is from Jacobs, he played on Varsity this past spring season where we got glimpses of what’s to come. What I like most about this young man is how he makes contested catches over the defender by high pointing the ball and his quickness off the ball when lined up at wideout as well as at tight end. What I’m most excited to see from this young man is how he and [player_tooltip player_id="130225" first="Grant" last="Stec"] play alongside one another this fall as they’re both prone for a breakout season. This young man has potential yet to come to light, with it being a full season this fall I expect more of that to come to light and for college interest to pick up as a result of doing so. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137484" first="Gregory" last="Sauls-Sanders"] Rich Township <a href="https://twitter.com/king_greg63">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13438171/60829491a018ca1348ecad16">Highlights</a></strong></em> Mr. Sauls-Sanders is from Rich Township, he played on JV this past spring season where he showcased what he can do. This young man shows a lot of potential with his Sophomore season performance and I look forward to seeing how he develops heading into this upcoming fall season. That being said, he showed glimpses of blocking downfield for his teammates resulting in pancaking the defender by playing through the whistle and of getting upfield after securing the catch on the JV level. He might become a late bloomer in the recruiting game, keep an eye on this young man over these next two seasons. <hr /> These are some of the Preseason Names to Watch at the TE position for the class of 2023. Keep an eye on these young men as they get ready to put the pads on. <em>Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news &amp; information for Illinois High School Football,  @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.</em>