UW-River Falls Prospect Camp: Standouts, Part I
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RIVER FALLS, WI– College camp season is now in session for us at Prep Redzone as we took in our first prospect camp of the 2022 camp season at UW-River Falls back on May 1st. It may have been a bit…
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Continue ReadingRIVER FALLS, WI– College camp season is now in session for us at Prep Redzone as we took in our first prospect camp of the 2022 camp season at UW-River Falls back on May 1st. It may have been a bit ago by now, but it had been a minute since I was in River Falls since my wife was a graduate from there and a lot has changed. Incredible new facilities inside and out and you can certainly tell there is some awesome things brewing for the Falcons coming off a top 20 finish in Division III in 2021 with a squad that will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after getting snubbed by the D3 Playoffs, but controlled their own destiny in the first-ever Culvers Isthmus Bowl to finish the season with a bowl win over Washington (MO).
With the strong adrenaline rush coming in from last season, the Falcons brought in over 200+ kids to their first prospect camp in a while, and brought in some high-quality prospects that were very intriguing in this PRZ scout’s eyes. We start off with Part I in this multi-part series to take a look at who stood out in the rain at David Smith Stadium Ramer Field. You will want to grab a look PRZ subscribers! Go Falcons!
Jonah Mallberg Jonah Mallberg 5'8" | 150 lbs | WR Big Lake | 2023 MN | DB | Big Lake (MN) | 2023
Jonah was one of the first standouts I had a few weeks back at the UW-River Falls Camp, as he stood out in the early testing session by clocking a 4.63 40 yard dash. I have watched Jonah’s tape in the past being an intriguing next-level DB prospect from my home city of Big Lake, as I really like his reactive instincts as a free safety. As a usually deep safety, Jonah shows sound finesse with his football IQ by making the right plays on the ball and shows a motor that is capable of slowing the momentum down on the opposing team’s fastest receivers. I expect a big senior season coming out of Jonah for the Hornets and I hope he can impress more college programs during camp season this summer.
Ethan Mathe Ethan Mathe 5'7" | 185 lbs | RB Winneconne | 2024 State WI | RB | Winneconne (WI) | 2024
Another one of my early standouts in testing was RB Ethan Mathe Ethan Mathe 5'7" | 185 lbs | RB Winneconne | 2024 State WI of Winneconne. This young man showed some excellent twist in his hips especially in the L-Drills at the fantastic new fieldhouse inside at UW-River Falls. Ethan shows sound vision and reads the D and C gaps at a significantly high level with his solid patience. Ethan can be defined as a burner tailback however showed off the complete speed to finish his runs with some excellent finesse. That twitch I mentioned can also fares really well in the Wolves receiving core, as Ethan sells his feet well and can change directions easily especially to his right. A first-team all-conference prospect in 2021 with over 1200 total yards and 11 touchdowns as just a sophomore for the Wolves. You can expect an even bigger junior season out of this young man.
Carson Kelsey Carson Kelsey 5'7" | 165 lbs | WR Sparta | 2023 State WI | WR/DB | Sparta (WI) | 2023
Carson was a prospect I remember writing in as a top performer as our Waukesha Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase last spring and he yet again made my notepad in early testing logging a 4.65 40 yard dash at UW-River Falls. Carson is a jack of all trades on both sides of the ball for Sparta. he shows some reactive instincts from side to side and can glide back into pass coverage with that range he can cover. Carson also shows athletic feet when it’s his turn to shine in motion with the jet-sweep as he can accumulate a big burst that is tough to stop while getting his start in motion. He shows a high-level of durability in his 5’7 165 pound frame and can cause a handful of damage in the return game. Spurred out 13 touchdowns last fall and I’m sure there is more he can show off in 2022.
Johnny Frank | WR/DB | Faribault (MN) | 2023
My eyes told me that Johnny had one of the best footwork from side to side that I watched from the 2023 class of defensive backs at the UW-River Falls camp a few weeks back. His film points out exactly what I saw in the rain in River Falls, as Johnny’s twitch off the ball on tape sticks out to a high degree. Johnny can catch a pressing corner off balance as he can start his rep off with sound instincts to then press the gas and catch them out of their shoes if not careful. Johnny does a solid job creating his own routes when his QB is buying time and I expect this young man to put together a strong camp season and a dynamic 2022 season.
Gage Monpas | WR/DB | Wausau West (WI) | 2023
I didn’t catch Gage’s times in the L-Drill but all I got to say, this young man was quite swift when turning those corners with keyed in physicality. You want some added physicality on multiple levels of the field? Take a glimpse of Gage’s tape as he shows off very feisty hands when he appears as the blocker upfront with his sturdy 6’1 190 pound frame that plays much bigger than that from my eyes. Gage is certainly a team-first player that really owns his technique when he’s out there throwing blocks and can latch onto his man with impressive finesse with those hands of his. I would expect to see more use of those sizeable hands in the receiving game for Wausau West in 2022 as he shows off his strength in his blocking ability from 2021.
Gavin Sell | TE/DT | Baldwin-Woodville (WI) | 2025
Gavin was the most raw and youngest prospect on this first list from UW-River Falls, but has a developing future in the coming years for Baldwin-Woodville. Gavin showed off some longer strides in River Falls in the early drills and for his size, showed some athletic turns in his lower body. No tape available yet on this young man, but I am sure 2022 will be a different story as he caught this scout’s eyes as one very few 2025 and 2026 prospects that caught my eyes.