CMFA Defensive Camp: Standouts from Day One
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COLD SPRING, MN– After a short break from June into July of camp season, we finally are back on track and made a visit in year two to one of my favorite camps to cover here locally, the Central Minnesota Academy’s…
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Continue ReadingCOLD SPRING, MN– After a short break from June into July of camp season, we finally are back on track and made a visit in year two to one of my favorite camps to cover here locally, the Central Minnesota Academy’s Defensive Camp held at Rocori High School by head coach James Herberg. Why is this one of my favorite in the area? There are a few things I love. First would be the focus the camp puts on into perspective the area I live in here in Central Minnesota, as this part of the state I have found has a lot of hidden gems from Moorhead to Monticello and everywhere in between, that just do not get the exposure these kids rightfully deserve being outside of the Twin Cities Metro, which is where us at Prep Redzone Minnesota comes in to provide that. Two would be the excellent emphasis put in by all the high school and college coaches that work the camp, as I always catch myself learning just as much as the kids are with learning new techniques, mechanics, etc. to elevate my game as far as scouting content from camp to camp.
Now we will move into the prospects that stood out from day one. Day one was mostly the testing session however, we certainly never just look at 40-yard dash times, etc. to make our evaluations come to light. There were a lot of solid prospects that we drove into evaluation-wise from day one that were worthy of being noted and I know college coaches will find prospects from this list that probably are a lot of new names they haven’t scouted yet. Without further a do, we take a look at the handful of the standouts from day one at Rocori!
Gabe Johnson Gabe Johnson 165 lbs | WR Rocori | 2023 MN | DB/WR | Rocori | 2023
Gabe showed some excellent speed that I got to see firsthand in the pro agility, in which he showed an excellent change of direction in running in the 4.2 range from what my ears could hear. He shows some blitzing speed out of his stance from the start of his route offensively and showed significant smoothness with his change of direction. Watching him get separation on intermediate routes shows a lot of finesse from start to finish with his route running ability. He also shows solid hands and does not back down from making high-traffic catches to consistently move the sticks for the Spartans.
Jacob Lopau Jacob Lopau 6'7" | 280 lbs | OL Rocori | 2023 State MN | OL/DL | Rocori | 2023
This is year two of me getting the opportunity to come out to Cold Spring and watch Jacob, and the strides this North Dakota commit has made from year one to year two are outstanding. I have gotten the chance to scout plenty of 6’8 linemen from all over the Midwest, and not many like Jacob have those deer-like instincts when it comes to his footwork. Jacob’s stance shows off the significant bend and a sheer amount of comfortability in his athleticism. Jacob’s ability to attack the hip out of his stance is some of the best tape I have seen across the state of Minnesota. His competitive hand placement provides excellent pass protection and you will not need to worry about the defensive linemen getting a step on Jacob because he plays one step ahead and his stature puts the defender in their place nicely. From an OL prospect not having any tape when I was at camp last season to becoming a Division I prospect, the Fighting Hawks have to be really excited to get this kid on campus in the summer of 2022.
Grant Tylutki | DB/WR | Rocori | 2025
A flashback to last year, Grant was one of those prospects that had you wondering “who the heck is this kid?” when he showed off his athletic steps from the linebacker group. Grant moved into the defensive back group this time around in year two of the Central Minnesota Academy camp but golly, that athleticism showed mightily in the early testing sessions at Blattner Stadium. Grant’s vertical showed up at 39.5 inches which were by far the best at the CMFA defensive camp and I am not sure if that record will ever be broken for a while unless Grant does it himself with the several years left he has with the Rocori program. Circling back to 7v7 a week back, that vertical was put on full display, as Grant brought in some prominent catches with little wiggle room. Grant’s tape shows a high level of physicality with his tackling radius as when this young man goes into the ball carrier he goes in hard at a consistent level. He’s already a swiss army knife for the Spartans on all three levels of the field, which is tough to do at his young age. Has some outstanding range on the defensive side of the ball that he can cover. Certainly a prospect with a high ceiling coming out of Rocori to watch for in the Outstate.
Anthony Rodriguez | LB | Rocori | 2025
Another explosive body out of the Spartan’s 2025 class is nickel linebacker, Anthony Rodriguez. As a first look at this young man yesterday, there was a lot to like about this linebacker that has a great length in his lower body. Not just the length, but the use of it, as Anthony showed a lot of solidity in his finished runs in the testing sessions that went far beyond the 40-yard dash marker where I caught him at. Looking forward to seeing more reps from this young man in the coming days with the divided attention we will have on him in drills. No tape yet, but we will learn more about this kid’s athleticism and skillsets this week!
Parker Peterson | LB | Hutchinson | 2025
To say the 2025 class from the CMFA Defensive Camp did some damage on day 1 at Rocori is a blatant understatement as we identified Hutchinson linebacker, Parker Peterson on Monday. This kid made an excessive explosion on day 1 becoming the top dog in the broad jump, where he jumped a 9’6 which was the best in the camp. Another prospect that does not have film as of yet, but being out at Rocori in day 2 today, let me just say briefly that this young man made a splash with his attention to detail, footwork, etc. as we got into position group in day 2. More to come from Parker.
Jaden Lopau Jaden Lopau 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Rocori | 2023 MN | DB | Rocori | 2023
If you are thinking this last name looks familiar, you would be right as these Lopau brothers made some excessive noise on day one of the CMFA Defensive Camp. What stood out about Jaden? His instincts certainly are what caught my eyes on day one as he showed a tender ability not just with the speed he brought to the table, but the agility skillset that he showed which can be easily seen thru the lenses when you roll into his tape. Jaden has this smash-mouth physicality in his contact level that regardless if he’s covering the run inside or popping out in pass coverage, he wears his instinct on his shoulders as a prospect with a competitive motor on both fronts. Jaden is VERY under the radar as far as a next-level prospect and I believe based on what he shows off in the early minute of his tape he has that next-level ability to play on Saturdays.