This Week in Football: April 25

Another week, another weekly news update. These past few weeks have seen some significant offseason developments, and I’m here to break down some of the biggest stories from across the state. <strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Prep Redzone Prospect Tour was a success! </span></strong> April 16th was the Prospect Showcase, and we hosted over 90 athletes to outstanding success. Everyone competed, worked hard, and it seems like most had fun. The event began with sign-in and headshots, which allowed us to compile the testing numbers in an organized manner and make sure we had a photo of everybody at the event to use in future articles, shoutouts, etc. Next, players gathered on the field where we all met, had a dynamic warm-up, and got to work! The testing portion was split based on number (tied to position), and testing included the 40, Shuttle, Broad Jump, and L Drill. Overall, we had some real standouts for each position, and there were times when you could tell who’s been working on these specific tests. Next, in the position-specific drills, athletes began showing a bit of what they’re made of and how coachable they are. In this section, I saw a preview of what I’d see in the 1 on 1’s and how certain players responded to coaching. Now for the 1 on 1’s. Let’s be honest; it was what everyone was looking forward to. QBs, WRs, and RBs went up against DBs and LBs while the linemen squared off against one another. In this portion, it was fascinating to see which players won, which lost, and how each one responded to winning or losing. For instance, a few athletes looked visibly uncomfortable and had their heads low after a loss, while some became more driven and motivated to be better after said loss. All in all, It was a fantastic event where everyone, including me, got better. It was an amazing opportunity for growth that I am very thankful for. I truly hope everyone who competed had a fulfilling experience! Thank You to every athlete, parent, coach, guardian, etc. who took the time to shake my hand and say hello. I can’t tell you how much your words of appreciation have meant to me! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="80954" first="Brandon" last="Davis-Swain"] commits to Notre Dame</strong> Top 2024 DL Prospect [player_tooltip player_id="80954" first="Brandon" last="Davis-Swain"] has committed to Notre Dame! Flat out, Davis-Swain is the best defensive lineman in Michigan’s 2024 class, and he is extremely deserving of this opportunity. The Fighting Irish have secured commitments from many top Michigan athletes over the past few seasons, with a few notable names being [player_tooltip player_id="30131" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"] and [player_tooltip player_id="30137" first="Nolan" last="Ziegler"]. It seems that the Freeman era of Notre Dame Football has gotten off to a hot start, and it could get even hotter with a few other top recruits leaning Notre Dame’s way. https://twitter.com/Brandon50141405/status/1517992083491115008 <strong>Grand Blanc hires Kaleb Forr as Head Coach</strong> The Bobcats finally have their guy, and that guy is Kaleb Forr. I love this hire. Forr played his college football at Saginaw Valley State where he was a 4-year letter winner and 3-year starter for the Cardinals before taking up many coaching positions across the country, climbing the ranks quickly. I’ve never seen such a young hire with so much experience, and I have very high hopes for Forr as he begins leading a Division 1 Grand Blanc team that’s coming off a historically great season. <strong>OFFERS</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="190101" first="Zachary" last="Rogers"] offered by Central Michigan, Western Michigan Derek Pennington and Brock Townsend offered by Central Michigan [player_tooltip player_id="30349" first="Royce" last="Daugherty"] offered by Lawrence Tech 2026 recruit [player_tooltip player_id="284015" first="Khalief" last="Canty"] Jr offered by Kentucky [player_tooltip player_id="249498" first="Brady" last="Pretzlaff"] offered by Central Michigan [player_tooltip player_id="232201" first="Alex" last="McLean"] offered by Davenport