#Back2Ballin at Iowa 7v7: 2023 Standouts, Part II
CEDAR FALLS- Last but certainly not least, we roll into the Class of 2023 standouts from #Back2Ballin at the UNI Dome last weekend. We close out our year two at Back 2 Ball 7v7 with a big bang thru some of…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingCEDAR FALLS- Last but certainly not least, we roll into the Class of 2023 standouts from #Back2Ballin at the UNI Dome last weekend. We close out our year two at Back 2 Ball 7v7 with a big bang thru some of the top seniors from all over the Midwest that played a high level all throughout the dome, all weekend long. From Power Five and Group of Five prospects, prospects that should turn some heads at prospect camps throughout the Midwest this summer, to prospects that haven’t been seen or exposed yet we look at the final 11 top standouts from Back2Ballin 7v7 put on by the awesome folks at Iowa 7v7.
Tanner Albeck | WR | Maple Grove (MN)-GameFace | 2023 | Twitter
Tanner did a excellent job last weekend capitalizing on inside and outside routes from start to finish at #Back2Ballin. The burst he shows getting out of the snap quickly sets a solid tone for the duration of his route-running, especially on the deeper routes I got to watch this weekend. His ability to visualize where the ball is being thrown before the secondary can find it is what made him such a strong asset at the UNI Dome. He shows very natural hands that make a catch from multiple angles and adjust to it if he needs to. Tanner’s versatile skillsets for the Crimson place him all over the field for Maple Grove. He shows a very agile cutting ability and ample patience to make the best out of his route running. For sure is a scholarship-level prospect in my eyes that fits the ideal position in the slot as far as the next level goes due to his outstanding hands and athleticism.
Game winning catch to go 3-0 in pool play. Bracket play tomorrow! @captureathletic @BoumanTodd @cocharris @GameFaceTr @iowa7v7football pic.twitter.com/tXE7WiOwv7
— Tanner Albeck (@AlbeckTanner) April 10, 2022
Malachi Coleman | WR/DB | Lincoln East (NE)-Nebraska Elite | 2023 | Twitter
Malachi likely has some of the best length I have seen out of any Midwest skill position prospect in the Class of 2023. His extremely long strides make it extremely hard for most members of the secondary to stick with him for the duration of his routes. Malachi is a two-way prospect that can do a lot with a little space, as when you peek his junior tape he runs like a deer with excellent footwork to shake off a handful of defenders in his way. Even when I watched Malachi not even full speed at the UNI Dome, he made an extreme amount of noise regardless of where he lined up on the field. This young man can do the dirty work too as a second-level blocker to seal very clean running lanes for his tailback. He also treads the nettle with his superb vertical, as Malachi can get extremely high to take the top off the cornerback with his 6’5 frame. If you let Malachi create separation early in his route, there is a great chance his agility and speed will be disastrous to your secondary and you will have to find him already in the end zone. Malachi holds offers from Georgia, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Colorado State, Liberty, Texas Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Kansas, Minnesota, Kansas State, Northern Iowa, North Alabama, Livingstone College, Long Island and I am sure plenty of others will come out in the SEC once Malachi hits the camp circuit this summer. #1 Prospect in the State of Nebraska.
Alex Mota | ATH | Marion (IA)-Fire Dragons | 2023 | Twitter
My favorite 1v1 matchup of the weekend? Alex Mota vs. Malachi Coleman. Alex is a prospect I scouted before and after the last #Back2Ballin and I just still love from top to bottom how versatile this future University of Iowa commit is all over the football field. Alex’s athletic ability is so agile, I have found numerous times across his sophomore and junior tape having to reposition my eyes to identify just where he is on the field, which is a darn good thing for those Hawkeye fans out there especially since he will be lining up in their receiving core in 2023. Alex’s physicality is what really struck a chord with me at #Back2Ballin, as he showed that competitive fire you want in a Power Five prospect from start to finish of the event. Alex’s playmaking ability goes from sideline to sideline as he numerous occasions on tape flipped the field and turned a nothing play into something. Iowa City is getting a kid that will fight for every yard possible with a lot of speed, you better believe it.
TK Barnett | DB/WR | Bellevue West (NE)-Nebraska Elite | 2023 | Twitter
TK showed a immense amount of physicality from the reps I got to watch in Cedar Falls last weekend. It didn’t matter the size of which wide receiver was, TK was extremely efficient of the line of making wide receivers uncomfortable from the start of their routes to the end. Got a glimpse of his sophomore tape at quarterback and saw the strong touch TK has on the football from intermediate to deep routes. His junior tape shows a catch n’ go type slot receiver that makes that transition smoothly once the ball comes into his hands. Also to mention, he shows that same efficient physicality I saw last weekend on his defensive tape. Certainly could see this kid as a scholarship-level defensive back in his football future with light D1 and D2 interest thus far.
Jacob Royse | QB | Lakeville South (MN)-GameFace | 2023 | Twitter
Jacob was a lively QB prospect to watch last weekend, especially once he got out of the pocket for GameFace last weekend at the UNI Dome. When he left the pocket, his quick-release came out strong and with some developed touch, he has some room built up to get even stronger this summer and hopefully at our upcoming Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase as well. Jacob also puts together some solid defensive tape from last season, as he’s a kid that plays a heck of a lot tougher than his measurables might show you, throwing a strong contact- level to throw a bigger defender to the turf on his way to sealing the outside rushing lanes. Jacob also has that gunner mentality as a three-level prospect to use his vision to create turnovers with a strong attack on the ball carrier from start to finish. He made a few interceptions last year for the Cougars that showed great positioning ahead of time to find the ball right in his hands to make the key INT. Expect a strong senior year out of this young man on all three levels of the field, and I also expect college programs to really like this kid’s character as well when he gets on more college campuses this summer.
Trey Gregoire | WR | Iowa City Liberty (IA)-Fire Dragons | 2023
When I say Trey caught everything in the championship game last Sunday, I mean it. He showed excellent body control from start to finish on Sunday night in Cedar Falls and was a go-getter at wide out on all three levels of his routes. I gave this young man my Game MVP in the last game of the #Back2Ballin 7v7 for a great reason. Not much tape available yet on this young man, but expect this off the radar WR prospect to excel in his senior season for Liberty from the strides he made from his 7v7 season with the Fire Dragons as an efficent pass-catcher with glue hands on his resume.
Few clips from this weekend Qb-@brayden_ruskey @iowa7v7football @hotfeetsports @HCLightningFB pic.twitter.com/963iR40RPm
— trey gregoire (@gregoire_trey) April 13, 2022
Jackson Powers | DB | Maple Grove (MN)-Potenza Sports | 2023 | Twitter
The only cornerback that did not get at all disrupted this weekend by Power 5 prospect Malachi Coleman? Jackson Powers of Potenza Sports. Jackson was a straight up menace with his ball-tracking ability in full force last weekend at the UNI Dome. What did Jackson do to seal off these key wide receivers last weekend? I love this young man’s footwork especially in man-coverage as he works his feet super efficiently in reverse. Jackson’s development in zone-coverage has been very quick this 7v7 season, as I have seen quite the jump from when I watched him even less than a month ago at a Potenza practice. The top ball-knocker in Minnesota last year, will be a significant stockriser by the time he lines up for his final season in a Crimson uniform and has already showed why he’s a D1 caliber prospect from my eyes.
Key Notes on More 2023s I liked at #Back2Ballin:
Liam Cummins | LB | Edina (MN)-Potenza Sports | 2023 | Twitter
Linebacker is the hardest position to evaluate in a 7v7 setting, but the development in Liam Cummins’s vision over the last month or so has been excellent to watch come to light now that we are deeper into 7v7 season. Liam brings a physical presence in the middle of the field that will always be key when there is a rush needed from a big body (6’2 225), and his developed ability to protect the middle of the field at a higher capacity.
Cordell Wilson | DB | Robbinsdale Armstrong (MN)-GameFace | 2023 | Twitter
Cordell is another prospect I have seen such excellent growth from one year ago to now. In a little over a year, Cordell has shown how big of a competitor he really is from starting with a raw skillset, and turning it into a natural feel at defensive back with really efficient instincts when the football comes his way. Another kid in a 7v7 setting that you need to kick out the measurables, and just let this young man go to work on any sizeable wide receiver, as he made a lot of superior plays with a high football IQ well in sink as an incoming senior for the Falcons. I named Cordell a First Team All-Camp Team at our last Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase, and if I were putting that together with a bulk of Midwest prospects at #Back2Balln last weekend, he would be a first-teamer in my eyes.
Deszmund White | WR | Kenosha Tremper (WI)-The Show | 2023 | Twitter
Deszmund showed off some considerable elusiveness in the reps I got to watch from him on The Show last weekend at #Back2Ballin. Took a peek at his 2021 tape and saw a prospect with that same agile footwork I caught at Back2Ballin, no matter where you lined up him up on offense. I love how Deszmund creates separation early in his routes as it sets a solid tone for the finishing of the play to take it the distance. His burst shows really well on the inside lanes, as he attacks quickly when he sees the lane he likes. I believe this young man will make some noise in the Midwest at upcoming summer prospect camps out of Kenosha Tremper.
L’Shawn Taylor | ATH | Greendale Martin Luther (WI)-The Show | 2023 | Twitter
L’Shawn showed some competitive hands last weekend at #Back2Ballin at the UNI Dome especially on Saturday. His best work on tape belongs at the free safety position, as L’Shawn shows a consistent knack of attack beyond the second level of the field into the first and can rotate himself from sideline to sideline. He shows a longer than expected length in his catch radius coming out of the slot. His contact level defensively is one of his best skillsets, as early in his junior tape he pummels the defender to turf with great authority. That elusiveness I saw last weekend also comes out for L’Shawn on shorter routes when he uses his twitch to elude tacklers from his wheelhouse.