Pre-Season Hype: Prospect Watch

With the 2021 season just around the corner, we will be highlighting some prospects to keep an eye out for this season. Many players have begun to rise on boards as a result of their grueling summer schedule. The 2021 summer grind looked similar to pre-covid days and provided many opportunities to grow and develop for many young athletes. <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="180278" first="Beni" last="Ngoyi"] – WR – 6’4” 180 lbs – Lincoln High <a href="https://twitter.com/beni_ngoyi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter | </a><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13072059/Beni-Ngoyi">Hudl</a> One of the top wideouts for the ’23 class, [player_tooltip player_id="180278" first="Beni" last="Ngoyi"], is one of the players I’m really excited to see perform this year. He has a long, athletic frame with great hands and elevation to high point the football. Ngoyi strikes me as the player who pays a lot of attention to his craft and the nuances, including footwork and route-running. His routes are pretty polished, and he has a good understanding of creating space for himself. He is really starting to develop into a do-it-all threat for Lincoln High and will be one of those players getting touches in different ways on offense. With him going into his junior year, it is scary to think how good he will be at this point next year. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Offers: University Northern Iowa, Wayne State College</span> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13072059/5fa23dc919b03803d0bd7813" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> https://twitter.com/beni_ngoyi/status/1416949037467590658?s=20 <p style="text-align: left;">[player_tooltip player_id="157578" first="Tony" last="Failla"] – DL – 6’2” 250 lbs – Millard West</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/TonyFailla1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter | </a><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11923818/Tony-Failla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></p> Tony is a scary dude when his hand goes in the dirt. He plays with a very high motor and great effort (one of my favorite plays is when he ran down a back 20 yards downfield to make the tackle). One of the aspects of his game that is a little underrated is how well he moves for a bigger guy, quite nimble and his good hand placement skills make him so tough to block. A busy summer in the shop for Tony is bound to pay dividends this upcoming season. Offers: Southeast Missouri State, Lindenwood <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11923818/5faa002d5ef65a05d86774df" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> https://twitter.com/TonyFailla1/status/1416533380666101760?s=20 [player_tooltip player_id="151093" first="D’Andre" last="Ndugwa"] – LB/TE – 6’2” 195 lbs – Kearney <a href="https://twitter.com/DandreNdugwa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11348277/DAndre-Ndugwa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> One of the many great two-way players for Kearney High, [player_tooltip player_id="151093" first="D’Andre" last="Ndugwa"] is a super athletic LB/TE. On offense, he is a great option as a pass-catcher and a reliable target over the middle of the field. In his clip, you can see that he also has the speed to take a short catch for a long gain. He is also a willing blocker and will help open up running lanes. On defense, he is very instinctive and can move from sideline to sideline very seamlessly. Ndugwa also provides a versatile piece to a tough Kearney defense by lining up deep or up at the line on blitz situations. Ndugwa should be able to carve a niche out for himself on a collegiate roster, and a great senior year will only solidify that belief. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Offers: Wayne State, Mary, UNK</span> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11348277/5fb2cb6a90ef710b780c781a" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> [player_tooltip player_id="180280" first="Malachi" last="Coleman"] – WR – 6’5” 175 lbs – Lincoln East <a href="https://twitter.com/ChiColeman23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13101827/Malachi-Coleman">Hudl</a> Malachi is going to be a beast of a player once he learns the game a little more. Currently a very raw player but with maximum upside. He is physical and has a huge catch radius; standing at 6’5", he has the hops to outjump any DB. Coleman is also an accomplished track athlete (10.97 100m) and will certainly be bringing that speed to the gridiron. It will also help that he will have stud QB [player_tooltip player_id="147508" first="Noah" last="Walters"] (<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/position-rankings-quarterbacks-breakdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">QB #2</a>) throwing him the ball. This year, the two will make for some exciting touchdown connections and look to lead Lincoln East on a deep playoff run.  Keep an eye on Coleman to start raking in the offers after a big Junior year. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Offers: University Northern Iowa</span> https://twitter.com/Steve_Marik/status/1406079348109684739?s=20 https://twitter.com/ChiColeman23/status/1406065455970856964?s=20 &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="151106" first="Mack" last="Owens"] – RB/LB/ATH – 6’2” 200 lbs – Aurora</span> <a href="https://twitter.com/mackenson_owens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter | </a><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9963360/Mack-Owens">Hudl</a> I consider [player_tooltip player_id="151106" first="Mack" last="Owens"] one of the more underrated prospects in NE. He can play both sides of the ball and could play either RB or LB at the college level. Owens plays such a physical game; on offense, he can truck defenders and keep his feet moving to gain tough yards; he is an anchor for Aurora and makes smart decisions. The Huskies’ star also uses his speed to help him move. He will definitely be one of the more productive players in the state. You can expect to see him around the ball on almost every play. His versatility on the defensive side will likely be what draws college coaches towards Owens. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Offers: Idaho State, South Dakota, North Texas</span> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9963360/5fefad0cb3d27c0a1ccb0982" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> https://twitter.com/mackenson_owens/status/1417653368823193602?s=20 Victor Isele – DE/OLB – 6’3” 206 lbs – Grand Island Northwest <a href="https://twitter.com/VictorIsele" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12784410/Victor-Isele" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> Write this name down... Victor Isele... remember it too. Victor is a special athlete with tons of potential. Right from the gate, his first step and speed coming off the edge are impressive. He is so much faster than most tackles which give him the matchup win almost instantly. The scary part is I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface of his potential going into his junior year. Surprisingly, he has yet to pick up his first offer, but that should change this season. Eventually, I could see him being used as an OLB/EDGE player in a standup stance on top of the traditional lineman. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12784410/5fa73129ff0c3b1300164504" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> https://twitter.com/VictorIsele/status/1406093517923962881?s=20