UMD Prospect Camp: Standouts, Part I

<strong>DULUTH, MN-- </strong>We move our prospect camp circuit up to the North Shore, as we stepped on the turf of chilly yet comfortable Bulldogs Country, and spent last Monday evaluating at the Minnesota-Duluth Prospect Camp. Similar to our our prospect camps, this one will be a multi part series of prospects from all over the Midwest that were standouts in our eyes. We unleash our first six-pack of standouts from UMD from all the way to the Fox Valley to all the way far up in Northwestern Minnesota and everywhere in between to ball out on the North Shore. Find out who made <strong>Part I </strong>of our list of standouts. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Connor Schiessl | LB | Kimberly (WI) |2023</strong></span> One of the first prospects I got a look at on a cold summer day in Duluth was Kimberly’s Connor Schiessl. For his size, Connor showed some consistent fluidity in his hips in the early drills up at the Minnesota-Duluth prospect camp. In those early warmups, he showed a sound burst of speed even at a 80% level which was something to watch for once we got into 1v1s. I believe Connor can get more instinctive in his development with a quicker jump to the football when you roll the tape, but there is a lot to like about his vision. He shows a surefire ability to finish on nearly every tackle I watched on tape, throwing the defender backwards with his strong physicality as a outside linebacker for the Kimberly Papermakers in 2021. He also shows off sizeable range to make plays outside of the inside box. Look for this young man to get some offers this summer, as you cannot let his speed go overlooked, with his 6’2 frame. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GU0j8">Jr Tape</a> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="313013" first="Caleb" last="Schmiedeberg"] | DB | East Grand Forks (MN) | 2023</strong></span> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366536" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/caleb-rotated-crop-456x300-1655780740-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Caleb was another defensive prospect I was able to get my first eyes at the Minnesota-Duluth prospect camp and came away quite intrigued with this young man. He showed off a significant amount of range that he could cover once we got rolling into 1v1s with the Bulldogs. I also enjoyed watching his instinctive footwork come into play on nearly every rep I got to watch on the North Shore. He showed a very fierce nature when it came to his pass coverage, as I found him on a consistent basis challenging the living heck out of the wide receivers at camp with his high level of physicality around the ball. No pun intended when you watch his tape, but this kid can be described as a bulldog when you get the chance to watch his tape as he plays bigger than his 5’9 180 pound frame on both sides of the ball. He also shows a reactive ball tracking ability with solid vision. I said in Duluth, I think this kid is under the radar and deserving of a next-level opportunity. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GsRch">Jr Tape</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="19018" first="Zach" last="Dahl"] | LB | Farmington (MN) | 2023</span></strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366538" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/zach-dahl-crop-456x300-1655780774-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> The motor on Zach was a blast to watch go to work at the Bulldogs prospect camp. He showed a lot of natural ability and feel for the linebacker position. I thought he was one of the most next-level ready linebackers in the LB group from what I watched from my eyes and at 6’3 220 pounds, looked the part as well. Zach has a smash mouth tackler ability when you get to watch his tape, as his positioning and contact level when he meets the ball carrier is spot on from what I was able to watch tonight. I am actually really surprised Zach doesn’t have an offer yet, as his effectiveness closing the hole and his ignition on contact is next-level in my book. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GRnB9">Jr Tape </a> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Ethan Larson | LB | Barnesville (MN) | 2024</strong></span> Did we love the linebacker core a bunch in Duluth last Monday? Yes, we certainly did and that certainly included Barnesville’s Ethan Larson in the 2024 class. Ethan showed good versatility with what we got to watch in Indy and 1v1s as his vast variety of skillsets caught our eyes here at Prep Redzone Minnesota. He shows a quick trigger off the snap to get to the ball quickly and has feisty hands to get off blocks with physicality and speed. He shows inherent vision and a strong athleticism whenever he’s within arms reach of the ball carrier in his 6’1 195 pound frame. My gut shows me that this kid is a play to the whistle type of prospect that already is planning his next move right when the play wraps up. Another LB prospect with smash mouth physicality and a high football IQ already as just an incoming junior. Also, a high academic prospect with a 3.98 GPA. One I will certainly be tracking out of NW Minnesota. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13163122/61ac2634d21b7f04f8449102">Jr Tape</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="104483" first="Jahquan" last="Redding"] | WR | Greenfield (WI) | 2023</span></strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366540" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/jahquan-rotated-crop-456x300-1655780808-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> I thought Jahquan was by far WR1 in the entirety of the Minnesota-Duluth prospect camp. He showed a significant twitch in his turn of direction, and that really got him plenty of separation throughout the day to make consistent play after play on the North Shore. Jahquan is super effective with his route-running and can be a burner with almost any route you throw his way. I believe he can develop on growing his finishing speed on longer route that go the distance but his longer strides for his size will certainly help his game grow this summer going into the 2022 preseason. He makes solid work out of high-traffic areas with that excellent footwork. Another prospect on this list I am surprised doesn’t have an offer yet. Stay tuned! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2G8eMA">Jr Tape</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Aiden Jackson | RB | New Prague (MN) | 2023</span></strong> Another prospect new to my radar was New Prague running back Aiden Jackson. Aiden showed off some solid hands from my eyes and showed off some sound speed thru the drills I got to watch. One of the few prospects on this list, I wish I would have gotten to watch more reps of his, as I liked what I saw in few short reps I got to watch. What I saw in Duluth matches what you will see on tape, this young man has some elusiveness between the tackles in his arsenal. I would love to see that running ability take flight earlier in his tape, but the 40 second mark shows a lot of what I saw in person with his finesse. Also is an elite punt returner, that can make waves in space and with his straight line speed he brings to the table. A workhorse in the weight room, this three level prospect I’m sure will have a strong senior season as an under the radar RB prospect from south of the Metro. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2G7Df0">Jr Tape</a> &nbsp;