Level Up 7on7 Tryouts: Linebacker Standouts

<strong>We bring you back to West Des Moines &amp; Iowa City to take a look at the linebacker group.</strong> <strong>More linebackers will be coming from the Level Up 7on7 tryouts, however these were the few that made our notepad and performed at a high level. From two freshmen (2025) linebackers with a good potential for the future, to a Division I prospect from small town Iowa that is well-deserving of more Division I offers, I give you four linebackers that I was a big fan of at the Level Up 7on7 tryout.</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104114" first="Nolan" last="DeLong"] | Durant | 2023</strong> Nolan showed off to be one of the most athletic machines I got to watch on Sunday in Iowa City. He showed off in the early drills just how athletic he really was showing an incredible amount of flexibility from head to toe. He showed out in 1on1s too showing so much torque as far as his speed goes and making crafty cuts from point A to point B on both ends of the football. I helped him out once, accidently setting a screen on a defender, but other than that this young man really showed a versatile base on both sides of the football and was one of very few prospects that was the first man up to shoot reps on both sides of the ball on 1on1s which is determination you want to see at the next level. Getting to watch Nolan on film, this young has a lot of electricity in his runs, and if you want to know why D1s have already made offers, just watch how much stamina range he has as he can break the bank by easily outrunning secondary when they do not get a shot at him. Nolan is a back that with his loose hips can turn nothing runs into something runs. He has a heck of an explosion level at linebacker that just clings into the backfield with all that speed. One Division I FCS program has already given Nolan an offer, and I think it’s time for the rest of the Missouri Valley to do the same as well. Disregard how small his hometown is, this kid has Division I written all over him. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GYpex">Jr Tape</a> <strong>Moses Bunn | Valley | 2025</strong> Moses was a young prospect setting up at linebacker, that became a huge fan of how fast this kid gets out of his stance to make a play for his age. He showed off good hands in coverage and was one of the top five 2025 prospects I watched on Saturday in West Des Moines. To no one’s surprise, he comes from Valley’s loaded Class of 2025 I mentioned yesterday. I got the chance like always to roll Mose’s tape to see what more we could find. I found that he shows off a solid shed ability and when he’s running downhill with that speed we mentioned, he can power thru contact from the hands of a bigger offensive line. He is only 5’10 at the moment, but I believe his reach is already solid for his frame and I hope it can extend even more with 3 more years of high school football under his belt. Moses also has a great physicality level when he’s erupts the backfield making tackles. High energy player for sure, as he showed it person and on tape. Yet another member of the Valley Tigers Class of 2025 you will need to watch grow over the coming years. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Gfwnq">Fr Tape</a> <strong>Ter Kuany | Urbandale | 2025</strong> I could not be more of a fan of this young man’s catch radius as a linebacker in West Des Moines on Saturday. Not only does Ter have a ton of height already at around 6’2, he also shows good extension when he reaches for the football. Being also a hooper, I am sure Kuany will develop quite the vertical when he is all said and done for the J-Hawks over the next three football seasons. <strong>Griffin Olson | Prairie City-Monroe | 2024</strong> In 1on1s, Griffin showed his amount of potential with showing good footwork to react to the ball at a high level. Not only was he proficient with his reactiveness, Griffin also showed an instinctive feel in coverage and could open up his hips quickly to get into position to turn open space for the wide receiver into no space whatsoever. When you are able to roll into his tape, you will see early how quickly those hips can turn in the opposite direction very quickly. He shows a good feel on where the wide receiver is positioned in coverage and has a good vertical even while off balance. I also like the contact level Griffin plays with, as he shows to be quite physical in my eyes. I also noticed late in the season, you see an improvement in Griffin’s backpedal. A lot to look forward to watching this young man in the next two seasons, as he has the potential to be a next-level defensive back. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GQhkK">So Tape </a> &nbsp;