GRIT- Part 2 Multi Tool Players

The sun is out and spring (maybe fake spring) is upon us here in Minnesota.  State coaches clinics are rolling, and recruiting is absolutely booming.  On top of all that spring ball is in full swing, if you are like me it just feels like football!  Hope you enjoy another article on Minnesota players who fill a variety of rolls for their teams and do so with GRIT.  Football is about physicality, it is what sets the sport apart and makes young men fall in love with it.  Where else can you drive an opponent into the ground, smile and do it again (OK wrestlers, much respect to you all!).  Here is another group of physical ball players from the land of 10,000 lakes, Enjoy!   [player_tooltip player_id="112057" first="Braden" last="Mohr"]- (Farmington High School) 6’3 240 Lbs.  C/o 2023. @MohrBraden There are a number of things I enjoy about watching Braden play, the grittiest part of his game is that he played much of his time with a torn labrum and for a guy who plays in the trenches wearing a sully brace and continuing to be effective is no small task.  You can tell he is well coached and has an understanding of how to read blocking schemes and trigger.  He spends most of his time in a 5 or 7 technique and does a decent job with his hands although I expect that to get better as his shoulder gets stronger.  Besides the fact that he also long snaps (A great skill to develop for all players and especially for big guys with his skill set) his biggest on-field asset is his motor, he has many plays where he pursues all the way to the sideline and effort can never be overlooked!   [player_tooltip player_id="245761" first="Ty" last="Neils"]- (Mankato West High School) 6’3 205 Lbs. C/o 2023. @24tneils15 Length, college coaches can’t get enough of it and Ty has it.  You can see on film that he is a big framed young man who can cover a lot of ground with just a few steps.  What is truly beneficial though is that he also displays a good amount of quickness to go with that length and when he makes a diagnosis on what he is seeing he triggers.  “Triggering” is the act of accelerating through a ball carrier or blocker once a play defines itself and guys who can trigger show an understanding of the game and make a lot more plays than guys who have to see the ball before they go.  Ty Triggers and also shows a nice little skill set for avoiding and snaking his way through blockers.  The kick-off coverage reps are also a good bonus for those out there looking to recruit!   [player_tooltip player_id="295824" first="Caleb" last="Sandstrom"]- (Elk River High School) 6’3 225 Lbs. C/o 2023. @SandstromCaleb First of all, it’s Elk River, so the entire offense just looks like GRIT to me!  Love watching teams that want to bloody your nose and then pick on your adjustments because they have seen them all.  Caleb does a very nice job offensively playing with good pad level and staying connected to blocks.  He is also adept at climbing to the second level and having enough athletic ability to block in space.  In the pass game they aren’t too complicated but he does a nice job securing the ball and taking what the defense gives him.  Where he shows his most versatility is on defense as a long, quick outside linebacker who is just as good tracking down a ball carrier as he is rushing the quarterback.  He also does an outstanding job of matching the quarterback’s hand and making the chalkboard RPO much more difficult in reality, when a 6’3 LB is bearing down on you it isn’t quite as simple as it looked in the classroom.   [player_tooltip player_id="313093" first="Zach" last="Steinhagen"]- (Lakeville South High School) 6’3 235 Lbs. C/o 2023. @ZachSteinhagen Ok, so back-to-back teams that put the boys in the box and get after you.  Zach spent a lot of this year playing tackle because of Lakeville’s abundance of riches at the tight end position (Two D1 TE’s in the class of ’22).  Look for him to move outside this year and catch a couple of passes to go along with all that physical down blocking he does play in and play out.  The best part of his game has to be when they pull him, watching that big frame come around on the perimeter has to make DB’s shake a little.  Also, I enjoy the few DL clips we see, he understands how to use his hands and shed blocks and then shows quickness to the ball from there.  It will be a lot of fun to see how his role expands this fall because the skillset is all there.   [player_tooltip player_id="313173" first="Nash" last="Tichy"]- (Orono High School)  6’0 205 Lbs. C/o 2023. @NashTichy He has a good number of offensive highlights but you can tell where his heart is at by how the highlight is put together (Defense first).  Football is about being physical and Nash is just that.  The best thing about his film is his versatility, cover the slot-Sure, blitz the quarterback- Sure, Block back on zone- Sure, catch the ball on play action-Sure!  Whatever you need done Nash seems like he can do it.  He has a smaller frame than the guys above, but Nash is as much a football player as any I have watched.  When evaluating film I am always trying to see passion, often it is hard to see and you have to go through the recruiting process to see if a kid really loves the game but every once in a while you can see all you need on film and Nash shows you that throughout.