Jordan’s Notebook: 24′ WR Breakdowns
Over the next few months, we’re going to be diving into positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete on our radar to help get their name out there to the College Coaches that subscribe to our service. We’ve added…
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Continue ReadingOver the next few months, we’re going to be diving into positional breakdowns to highlight every single student athlete on our radar to help get their name out there to the College Coaches that subscribe to our service. We’ve added over 200+ prospects to our class of 24′ rankings. If you feel like you should be ranked fill out our FREE Prospect Player Index which not only gets you on our radar but also college coaches’ radar’s as they can contact you straight off your account. Enough said, we’re diving into our positional rankings breakdowns with the wide receivers. Let’s dive into it.
Julian Turner Julian Turner 5'7" | 160 lbs | WR Maine South | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Turner is a name that was on my radar heading into this fall season and one that took his snaps on Varsity this past fall season. He works out of the slot utilizing his explosiveness, foot quicks, and burst to explode off the ball. This young man can accelerate to full speed quickly using his speed to gain separation on deep routes and can outrun pursuit angles when running after the catch. This results in him breaking long runs and scoring long TDs in the process as well. There are glimpses of him running crisp routes where he’s shown an ability to explode out of his cuts creating separation on the play after stacking the defender. Upon securing the catch, he uses his foot quicks and agility to change direction quickly making defenders miss in open space. This is seen in his highlights where he’ll secure the slot bubble screen and makes the first defender miss with a quick juke move before he makes the second defender miss with a spin move, he then finishes the play by keeping his feet driving to fight for extra yards. We get to see glimpses of his tracking ability to secure over the shoulder grabs on deep shots downfield and make back shoulder grabs on comeback routes along the sideline. His explosiveness and speed give him the ability to beat tight coverage as he can beat the press with his quick feet. Here, he can stack the defender upon doing so and he can work both an outside as well as an inside release when he’s being pressed in the slot. This is seen in his film where he stacks the defender after taking an outside release and cuts his seam route inside for a completion downfield. His elusiveness is seen when he’s working in the screen game where he’s capable of shaking defenders to get the first down. He has the speed and hands to be a consistent vertical threat out of the slot and is quick to get vertical after securing the catch. This young man can also use his lateral quickness to turn the corner when securing the bubble screen as well. Now, what’s impressive is the effort he showcased in the run game. There’s one play in particular that stands out in his highlights, in this play he comes from behind the play and sprints full speed to make a block 20+ yards downfield for his teammate. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Liam White Liam White 5'10" | 155 lbs | WR Wheaton Academy | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. White is a name that came onto my radar during this previous fall season where he took his Sophomore Season snaps on Varsity working out of the slot. He’s explosive, has foot quicks, and burst to explode off the ball which he uses to gain a step on the defender as he accelerates to full speed quickly. This young man uses his speed to gain separation on deep routes downfield and we get an insight into his route running as he showcased the ability to get in/out of his cuts quickly creating separation on the play. This all happens after he stacks the defender and breaks the defender off at the top of the route. He also possesses the foot quicks and agility to change direction quickly upon securing the catch to make defenders miss in open space. This young man also gave us a glimpse into his tracking ability to secure over the shoulder grabs on deep shots downfield. This is showcased in his film where he ends up breaking the defender off on a deep corner route and tracks the ball over his shoulder on the deep shot downfield. What’s impressive is his ability to beat tight coverage with his explosiveness and speed. He beats the press by using his quick feet to stack defenders and can set up his route well upon doing so. There’s a clip in his highlights where he does just that, upon doing so he gets to the defender’s toes quickly and fakes as if he’s breaking outward before breaking inside making the defender freeze. This play happened with his team in scoring position and upon freezing the defender this young man was WIDE open in the middle of the field where he secured the grab and got into the endzone for the TD. He’s capable of shaking defender to get the first down after securing the bubble screen and showcased his ability to take it the distance. This is seen with the first play of his highlights where he secures the bubble screen, gets vertical quickly, and is able to shake off the first tackle by simply keeping his feet driving breaking the weak arm tackle. Once this happened, he showcased his home run speed by outrunning pursuit angles and blowing by the 2nd level defenders. This young man has the speed and hands to be a consistent vertical threat out of the slot moving forward. His quick feet versus the press allows him to stack the defender and win over the top. Against “off” coverage, he’ll either run a bubble screen where he can use his lateral quickness to turn the corner or will close the cushion quickly on the defender before breaking the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. In the run game, we got an insight into his blocking ability as he can seal the outside linebacker and finishes his block 10+ yards downfield in the clip in his highlight tape. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Nathaniel Fundator Nathaniel Fundator 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Hinsdale South | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Fundator is a newer name to me that came onto my radar towards the end of the fall season and one that took his snaps on Varsity that can work both out of the slot and on the outside. He showcased solid hand/eye coordination to make tough grabs where he uses his long catch radius to secure grabs above the rim just over the defender for the touchdown. This is seen in his film and also gives an insight into his tracking ability to make solid over the shoulder catches on deep shots downfield. Speaking in terms of his route running, he did provide an insight into his ability to take a flat break on his route when running out routes. There’s a play in his film where he does just that but the defender was able to take a good angle to undercut the route. This resulted in the out route being contested but this young man didn’t settle as he used his strong hands to haul in the catch through the contact – this is a trait to keep an eye on moving forward. Upon securing the screen, he can get vertical gaining net positive yards on the play and when he runs jet sweeps he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner for the first down. This young man gave us an insight into what’s to come over the next two seasons, time will tell how he’s able to develop his skill set and the production that he’ll be able to produce. At this current moment, he showcased positive traits that provide a solid starting foundation to build upon during his off season – height ceiling young man in my opinion. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Michael Prokos Michael Prokos 6'0" | 170 lbs | WR Crystal Lake South | 2024 State IL Twitter
Mr. Prokos is a name that’s been on my radar for some time now and one that took his snaps at the Varsity level working out of the slot. He uses his quick feet and can accelerate to full speed quickly – this enables him to close the cushion on the defender and get to the defender’s toes before breaking at the top of the route which gives an insight into his ability to gain separation on deep routes downfield. This young man uses his good hand/eye coordination and body control to adjust to make tough catches. Upon securing the catch, he uses his foot quicks to help get him started up the field quickly and has the balance/strength to run through weak arm tackles to gain yards after contact. He showcased good hands as he’s able to reach out to secure the ball as he lays out for catches. We get a glimpse of his ability to track the ball as he’s able to come away with over the shoulder grabs on deep shots downfield. Here, he’s able to adjust and make tough catches. This is seen in his film where he’s able to gain the step advantage when running a deep corner route and he dives fully extending to bring in the sideline grab where he barely stays in bounds during the QB scramble drill – this play was made just before the defensive back over the top could get there to make a play on the ball. This young man is a vertical threat that stretches opposing defenses and can win both against the press as well as off coverage where he utilizes his ability to get in/out of his breaks quickly with a burst. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage and showcased the ability to stack the defender quickly and break the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. Upon securing the catch, he’s quick getting upfield where he explodes to full speed quickly and keeps his feet driving to play through contact breaking weak arm tackles in the process. When going against “off” coverage, he’s quick off the line of scrimmage and can get into his route quickly. When going against press coverage, he uses his quick feet to stack the defender and can win over the top. His skill set against both coverages are traits to keep an eye on moving forward. This young man can also find the soft spot in zone coverage where he understands spacing and will sit to become an outlet for his quarterback. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Eric Karner Eric Karner 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE IC Catholic Prep | 2024 State IL Twitter
Mr. Karner is a newer name to me this fall season and one that didn’t come onto my radar until I got a chance to scout his last game of the regular season. He took snaps on Varsity during his Sophomore Season and played as an outside receiver as well as mixed in lining up as a tight end at times. This young man has good enough built up speed with his long strides to threaten the opposing defense vertically. He showcased good natural hands and flashes the ability to make tough catches. He can reach out to catch slightly overthrown passes and can go up to win jump ball battles over the cornerback. This was seen in a clip in his highlights where he’s running a backside post working with one on one coverage and is able to extend over the defender to haul in the touchdown grab. He possesses the ability to become a good route runner as he has high potential in this trait. He’s also effective on underneath fades and backside posts where he uses his long catch radius and size to bring the ball in – big play ability with his size and catch radius as a downfield reciever. This young man is also able to make the catch in traffic. This is showcased in his film where he runs a three step slant with the defender all over him and is able to secure the catch for the touchdown using his strong hands to haul it in when in the redzone. In the run game, he showcased effort plays to block downfield for his teammates as well. This is a young man that has a high upside that has room to add to his frame without losing a step and has the versatility to play both as a receiver as well as a tight end. Upon further development, it’ll tell which position he ends up falling into as it’s too soon to tell. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Stephon Gist Stephon Gist 5'10" | 165 lbs | WR Lincoln Way East | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Gist is a name that’s been on my radar heading into this previous fall season and one that worked out of the slot as well as an outside receiver on the JV Level. We got glimpses of his vertical speed along with his ability to close the cushion on the cornerback playing “off” coverage. His body control and balance to redirect is one to keep an eye on, this was seen in his film where he was able to redirect quickly after the 50/50 ball got tipped. Upon doing so, he was able to secure the touchdown grab. This young man also gave us an insight into his ability to go up for 50/50 balls and attack the ball at the highest point to secure the contested catch. He can also find the soft spot in zone coverage where he’ll sit to become an outlet for his quarterback as he showcased the ability of understanding spacing. We also get a glimpse of this young man getting vertical upon securing the catch. This is seen in his film where he’ll take the bubble screen along the sideline for a big gain upon getting vertical after he secures the catch. When he runs jet sweeps and reverses we get glimpses of his lateral quickness which he uses to turn the corner. This gives us an insight into his next level gear as he showcased the ability to outrun pursuit angles and blow by 2nd level defenders when doing so on the JV level. When he’s going against “off” coverage, he can close the cushion on the defender quickly getting to the defender’s toes and can be a vertical threat when doing so – this is a trait to keep an eye on as he heads to Varsity this upcoming season. In the run game, he does have a few clips where he blocks the cornerback on the perimeter as well. Again, this analysis is based on his JV Highlights and we have yet to see how his skill set is going to transition against Varsity competition. With that being said, this young man was able to showcase glimpses and provide insight into the potential that he has. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Chris Doetch Chris Doetch WR North Boone | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Doetch is a name that came onto my radar heading into this past fall season where he took his snaps on Varsity and was able to showcase what he can do as an outside receiver as well as taking snaps at running back. This young man has solid build up speed with his long strides to threaten the defense vertically, he is however more of a smooth build up speed athlete over an explosive one. He can play above the rim utilizing his long catch radius to reach up and get passes that the defender has no chance of getting to as well as having the ability to find and adjust to the back shoulder throw in the endzone. This was seen in his highlights where he ran a fade in the redzone working one on one against the cornerback, the quarterback simply puts the ball high enough where only this young man can get it and he comes away with the touchdown as a result. He’s a big redzone threat that thrives in one on one situations when running a fade route to the corner pylon – in his film there are a few clips back to back to back where he comes away with the touchdown grab by playing above the rim. He can also go up for 50/50 balls, upon doing so he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch. When he’s lined up as a running back, he showcased a solid initial burst through the line of scrimmage where he uses this to gain a step advantage on the 2nd level defenders and can outrun the immediate pursuit angles. He can also catch out of the backfield on screen plays where he gets vertical upon securing the catch and can read blocks in front of him gaining extra yards on the play. When he’s going up against “off” coverage he’s able to close cushion on the cornerback utilizing his long strides and when he’s going up against the press he can get the outside release in the redzone as he runs fade routes to the corner pylon. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Matt Kuczaj Matt Kuczaj 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Wheaton North | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. Kuczaj is a name that was on my radar heading into this previous fall season and one that I got a chance to scout in person at the 7A IHSA State Championship Game and a few games earlier in the playoffs. He took his snaps on Varsity and works out of the slot. He has quick feet and accelerates to full speed quickly which enables him to close the cushion on the defender as he gets into his route. This young man also has the foot quicks to help him get started up the field after the catch, in his film he’s used in motions which gives him leverage and a step advantage over the defender. He’s a vertical threat that stretches opposing defenses and he can win both against the press as well as against off coverage. This all happens with his ability to get in and out of his breaks quickly with a burst. This is showcased in his film when he’s running a texas route as well as a comeback route where he sticks at the top of his route breaking the defender off to create separation on the play. Upon securing the catch, he gets vertical quickly and can reach top speed quickly as well. When he’s going up against “off” coverage, he’s quick off the line of scrimmage and can get into his route quickly as he closes the cushion on the defender. There’s a clip that seems to be on the JV level in his highlights where he goes up for the 50/50 ball on a deep shot downfield. Here, he attacks the ball at the highest point to secure the contested catch for the touchdown grab. In the run game, he can stalk block the cornerback on the perimeter as well. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
Charlie McArdle Charlie McArdle 6'1" | 190 lbs | WR St Charles East | 2024 IL Twitter
Mr. McArdle is a newer name to me and one that took his Sophomore Season Snaps on JV working out of the slot. This young man provides an insight into his ability to run a double move to win over the top on a deep shot downfield. When he does, he’s able to gain the step advantage along the sideline for a big completion downfield. At times, he seemed to round the top of his route while at others he showcased his ability to square cut on an out route. Both of which he has room to develop further and hone his craft, still a trait to keep an eye on moving forward. Another trait to keep an eye on is his ability to secure the bubble screen and get vertical as at times it seemed as if he could break a long run. When he’s making the catch in traffic, he can secure the ball and gets vertical upon doing so gaining extra yards on the play. This young man has a solid foundation to work with heading into his Junior Season Campaign. Again, this analysis is from his JV Highlights so we have yet to see how his skill set is going to transition to the Varsity Level. With that being said, I’m most interested to see where his route running ability is going to look like as he has a solid foundation here, it just needs some fine tuning to consistently create separation from the defender. Currently holds no offers. Highlights
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