Class of 2025: Diving into the Top 10

We have just debuted our initial rankings for the Class of 2025! It is already looking like a very talented class that is going to represent well what Wisconsin historically has to offer. That being a deep OL and DL group, hard hitting defenders, and some strong talent in the backfield. Not to mention several standout athletes at other skill positions. Today, I want to dive into the Top 10 of our rankings and do our first film analysis for most of these athletes! Let’s check out what the best of the best has to offer at this point in their development! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="203843" first="Charlie" last="Hoitink"], OL- Slinger</strong> The 6’4’’ 280 lbs freshman was tasked with anchoring a very talented Slinger HS OL from the center position. Charlie responded by putting together a standout freshman campaign. Hoitink is a powerful, and athletic athlete with a very clean frame. I’m very impressed by Charlie’s range from the center position highlighted by his ability to get to the second level and land his blocks on LBs. He can go from using that athleticism to using his strength as he drives DL into the second level or down the line with a consistently wide, strong base allowing him to make subtle adjustments during the block so he can stick on it. The nasty mentality needed to set the tone in the trenches is already there in spades also. Rep after rep on the highlights show Charlie finishing his blocks to the ground. It’s easy to see why the young fella already has earned one offer from Penn. I’m pumped to watch his development! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16170411/6136d2d34796d505245a5ff8">Charlie’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262060" first="Griffin" last="Rousseau"], OL- Stoughton</strong> When it comes to tools, nobody in this class can touch [player_tooltip player_id="262060" first="Griffin" last="Rousseau"] at this point. The 6’6" 290 lbs OL has an elite frame to shape and develop into a top prospect. The freshman already possesses 35" arms, and 10+" hands to go along with the 6’6" height. Having that much size at such a young age can be difficult to control, but Griffin has made big leaps in that area of his game along with his flexibility. As he continues to improve in those areas Rousseau is only going to become more an more impressive of an athlete. I can’t wait to see Rousseau on the varsity field this next fall after an offseason of further crafting his game. You can bet he’s working too. The Rousseaus have been one of my favorite follows on Twitter because of their weight room dedication. Big things are coming for the young man out of Stoughton HS! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262061" first="Carson" last="Fletcher"], ATH- Racine Horlick</strong> The 5’10" 200 lbs playmaker is an exciting player who put together a strong freshman campaign that helped lead Horlick to the postseason. The standout LB/RB had to step up into the QB role after the starter went down for the season. The highlight tape shows a dominant player who has the tools to develop into a stud by his senior year. On defense, Carson naturally maneuvers through the trash of the front seven thanks to the ability to quickly diagnose plays, his lateral agility, and his acceleration to shoot through gaps and openings. Carson is already a very reliable tackler who delivers sound pops at the point of contact and is always the one delivering the hit. Fletcher has shown that he is already an impactful three down option at OLB. Not only is he strong against the run, he can also drop into coverage, read the QB’s eyes, and put himself in position so that he can make plays on the ball. On offense, Carson is a physical runner who runs behind his pads well, and then also possesses a surprising amount of elusiveness in tight quarters. Once he finds his way into the open field he has the straight line speed to pull away. Big things are ahead for Carson! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10242861/618e741719af220ca8c4cf52">Carson’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262062" first="Jackson" last="Kitzmiller"], DL- Madison Edgewood</strong> Jackson is one of the athletes in the Class of 2025 who I have been able to get my eyes on quite a bit. The 5’10" 230 lbs DL has an exciting profile of attributes that earned him his top 4 rankings in the class. Jackson doesn’t have elite length, yet, so he has quickly learned to win with other parts of his game that will only make him more dangerous as he continues to grow and fill out his frame. Those other parts are a very quick first step and acceleration out of his stance, aggressive hands, and impressive flexibility that allows him to bend, dip, and contort himself around OL trying to land blocks on him. That flexibility paired with his quickness makes it hard for linemen to land solid, square blocks on him. There are also snaps on his highlights that do a great job demonstrating how well Kitzmiller uses leverage and strength to be able to walk back offensive linemen. Jackson has a very well rounded game that is only going to continue to develop. Keep an eye on the young impact player. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16199706/6189703dd469060340e42350">Jackson’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="146365" first="Seth" last="Valeri"], WR- Hortonville</strong> The 6’ 160 lbs playmaker dominated the JV field for Hortonville setting Valeri up to make the jump to the big stage in 2022! Seth is an exciting receiving threat. His highlights show a twitchy athlete who can win in short areas with quickness or tape the top off the defense with his long speed. Seth’s acceleration off the line jumps off the tape as he quickly ate up big cushions. His route running is the key to his ability to create separation for his QB. The start/stop ability, loose hips, and quick feet allow him to run every route with sharp cuts. His concentration at the catch point is also very impressive for his age. Seth does a really good job with his hand eye coordination in traffic as he fights through hands to bring in the ball. He plucks the ball out of the air with ease in the open field also. It looks natural for him. I’m excited to watch his game continue to mature! [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7HuKfpuYM&t=53s&ab_channel=SethValeri[/embed] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262063" first="Cooper" last="Catalano"], LB- Germantown</strong> When the 6’1" 185 lbs freshman LB hits you you remember it. The closing speed that Cooper plays with puts an end to plays quickly and violently. The production levels are already off the charts as he piled up 120 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 TD on a blocked punt that he blocked himself. His eye discipline jumps off the highlight reel as he quickly diagnoses the play and finds the ball. Once he finds it Cooper is able to use his lateral agility, acceleration, and closing speed to get to it. The First Team All Conference LB also has the strength to be able to take on blocks, shed them, and then make the tackle without giving up ground. He caps off his three down ability by being able to drop into coverage comfortably where he has shown he can read the QB and jump routes entering his zone. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16420507/618af69f0c53e80b4cd54c66">Cooper’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262064" first="Wade" last="Lindahl"], QB- Lourdes Academy</strong> The 6’ 165 lbs signal caller comes in as QB1 of our initial rankings, and he isn’t new to our articles as he earned a spot in one of the Top Performers articles towards the end of the season. The varsity starter has a lot to be excited about. As a freshman, Lindahl led Lourdes Academy to a 9-2 record, while completing 70% of his passes for 1,792 yards, and 22 TDs. The Conference Player of the Year has a naturally strong arm for his age. The ball jumps out of his hand allowing him to attack the short, intermediate, and deep levels with the velocity needed to hit closing windows. Wade is also gifted with the ability to maintain his accuracy that he has in the pocket while on the run outside the pocket. Lindahl’s touch stands out on the tape as well. He understands when he needs to drop the ball into a spot instead of throwing it with velocity every time. Wade’s ability to go through progressions is special too. Multiple times on his highlights you will see him work his eyes across the field before he finds a target. Big things coming for the young QB. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14681937/61774d4c4dec600e7c343919">Wade’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="245983" first="Kameron" last="Williams"], RB- Milwaukee Academy of Science</strong> The 5’9" 170 lbs RB already has shown the skills to be a serious threat on third down with his receiving abilities. Not only can he be a threat as a check down, Kameron can also line up out wide and get open with his route running. He is a natural receiver who easily hauls in passes and then generates consistent yards after the catch. Williams plays even faster in the running game. Kam accelerates with lightning quickness when he finds the lane, and if he gets into the open field he proved to have the long speed that is difficult to chase down. His vision and playmaking ability are other major strengths to his game. His highlights have plenty of examples of him making the unusual play look easy as he weaves through defenses finding cutback lanes and setting up blocks. Kameron is an exciting playmaker who can be used in many different ways. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16344686/61d3d00e5b3e0f0b4060312b">Kameron’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262065" first="Grant" last="Dean"], ATH- Neenah</strong> The 6’ 165 lbs freshman spent his first high school season making plays on the JV and varsity fields. The playmaker proved to be a threat in all three facets of the game. He is a dangerous punt and kick returner who sees the field and his blocks very well, and he has the speed to capitalize on the openings he finds. On offense, Grant uses that vision to find running lanes and he has the hands that make him a reliable receiving option. Where I believe he excels most is on defense. Dean is a rangy safety who can quickly go from 15 yards deep to the line of scrimmage to deliver big hits. Grant also has the tape showing his ability to read the QB and what is happening in front of him quickly so that he can put himself in position to either force the QB to look elsewhere or make a bad decision by trying to test him. Check him out! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16066338/618aa808da52800900585109">Grant’s Freshman Year</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262066" first="Evan" last="Held"], OL- Nicolet</strong> The 6’1" 250 lbs freshman spent his freshman year holding down the center position for a talented Nicolet line. A line that put together the most impressive rushing performance I watched live this past fall. That same performance gave Nicolet their first playoff win in school history. Held was a key to that and the season long success. His ability to get to the second level, drive linemen off the ball with solo or double teams, and his solid technique have me excited for his future earning him the final spot in the Top 10 of the Class of 2025! As he continues to grow and fill out his skills should only become more impactful. Definitely a name to know.