Border Battle 7on7: Standouts Part One
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN– We started our 7on7 season of evaluations last Sunday, and kicked it into scrimmage mode at the University of Minnesota on late Thursday night. We were able to watch a Border Battle of three teams from Minnesota and Canada…
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Continue ReadingMINNEAPOLIS, MN– We started our 7on7 season of evaluations last Sunday, and kicked it into scrimmage mode at the University of Minnesota on late Thursday night. We were able to watch a Border Battle of three teams from Minnesota and Canada with the scrimmage put on by Potenza Sports. It was my first team as a Midwest scout being able to scout international football talent so to say I was stoked to add that to our resume at Prep Redzone, was an understatement to say the least.
We start off this Border Battle article series with the first six prospects that stood out to us at Prep Redzone on Thursday night in no particular order. This list has a variety of prospects: from prospects with Power 5 offers to prospects just getting their feet wet to unloading on their underclassmen potential. There was a lot of fantastic QB play so the QBs half dominated this list of six, but we will uncover wide receivers and defensive back standouts as well as we unleash Part I of this two to three part series on prospects from Winnipeg, Waconia, Florida and more!
Blake Penner | QB | Winnipeg (Manitoba) | Recruit Ready | 2024
Blake showed off some fantastic skillsets at the QB position on Thursday night for Recruit Ready. This young man has a very quick release that can get the ball out really quickly. His zip on the football is exceptional and he looked to be mechanically sound from the amount of reps I got to watch of this young man. Blake also showed dynamic arm strength that can really spring the football out on deep routes. I have a gut feel this kid is going to be a special Division I prospect in the upcoming years. Exciting future for this young man.
Mitchel Rieckho | WR | Waconia (MN) | Potenza Sports | 2024
I loved watching this young man’s athleticism on full display on Thursday night. Mitchel looked very instinctive with his route-running and make some great adjustments to get enough separation to get after that football. Mitchel at the moment, is certainly another Class of 2024 hidden gem out of Waconia. I am really looking forward to the growing connection between him and QB Austin Randall Austin Randall 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Waconia | 2024 State MN as we get into the fall season as I have seen both young men make excellent strides that really stood out this offseason. Can’t wait to get Mitchel’s 7on7 tape after the summer or sooner!
Dallas Sims | WR | Winnipeg (Manitoba)/CAI (FL) | Recruit Ready | 2024
Dallas played with a man amongst boys mentality from the reps I got to watch from him on Thursday night. This young man has an incredible balance around the sidelines and his awareness of where he stands on the football is excellent. He makes extremely agile cuts that really created a ton of separation between the secondary and himself. You got to talk about his vertical, as he elevated so well during the scrimmage that got up and over some of the smaller secondaries he went up against. Dallas already holds a herd of Division I offers and I am 100% sure his Power 5 offers will come in heavily this summer with how well Dallas will turn some heads at prospect camps.
Arthur Russell Jr. | DB/RB | Champlin Park (MN) | | Minnesota Elite Seven | 2024
I was very impressed with this kid’s quick trigger to unlock his hips and get to the football quickly especially on a key interception late in the early games. When I pulled up Arthur’s sophomore tape, he showed similar ability at the running back position being able to explode well once he hits the open field. I believe with some increased time in the weight room working on his durability and enhanced agility, this young man could develop into a solid player at the next level. I would also love to see more safety tape, being that this kid has great skillsets on both sides of the ball. A lot of potential as Arthur played varsity football for the Rebels as a sophomore with all that speed in the making.
Daylen Cummings Daylen Cummings 6'0" | 190 lbs | ATH Centennial | 2024 State MN | QB | Centennial (MN) | Potenza Sports | 2024
Daylen is a QB prospect I have watched for a few years now, and I keep seeing the improvement come along with this young man. On Thursday night, Daylen looked impressive with the touch on his football on intermediate and deeper routes, excelling the ball with great placement to give his wide receivers an edge to show out their athleticism on every play. Daylen also looked more poised than in years past especially with his pocket presence. Although Daylen locks in as more of a dual threat, I thought his reps from Thursday solidified his development when working from the pocket, even though in a 11 on 11 setting, this kid is quite quick out of his stance to speed up his progressions and sell either the run between the tackles or the quick bootleg with a precise throw to give his wide receivers a lead.
Tayvin Smith | QB | Osseo (MN) | Minnesota Elite Seven | 2025
Tayvin was a first look QB prospect I got to watch on Thursday night for the first time. This young man not only impressed with his size (6’1) for his age, but he showed one of the best arms amongst lefties of the three teams that attended the Border Battle. Tayvin shows off a lot of length that I cannot wait to see develop even stronger in the weight room over the coming years out of the Osseo QB. He shows good touch on his deep and intermediate routes with still lots of room for development in the coming years. He also shows good agility to create plays with his legs on tape between the tackles. I already love the character of this young man, which is not something I say too frequently about prospects at this level. I have a great feeling this kid will be a team motivator for the Orioles in the coming years with that A+ character he already brings to the table. He already has the ambition to head out to college prospect camps this summer which I love to hear out of younger QB prospects.
More content from the Border Battle coming this weekend!