NDSU Prospect Camp: Standouts, Part I

<strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">FARGO-- </span></strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We change our location after four lists of standouts from the Gopher Camp as we hopped on I-94 to the beautiful city of Fargo, North Dakota to take in the biggest camp we have ever attended on our prospect camp scouting resume. Over 500+ prospects made the trip to the 701 area code for a long weekend camp at North Dakota State University, where there was plenty of talent to see across the enormous amount of fields in Bison Country to watch. We zoom into Part I from Fargo and give a look at the handful of standouts that made noise in Fargo in our overnight viewing. From highly-graded 2025s from well-known programs, plenty of prospects just scratching the surface when it comes to their upside, and off-the-grid Minnesota under-the-radar prospects that would be ideal fits at the small-school level in the Midwest, we unlock the notepad at the NDSU Prospect. Big thanks to the Bison for having us up!</span> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="234759" first="Hank" last="Artz"] | LB/TE/Edge | Fairmont (MN) | 2025</span></strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-378578" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/07/Hank-Artz-crop-480x316-1657157993-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Hank by far was the most advanced prospect I got to watch from the youngsters at the NDSU Prospect Camp in Fargo. He showed a hefty knack for making contact when I watched him thru Indy Drills and he also showed a high level of positioning with his sizeable pad level on his hits. There is so much natural ability in this kid at his age, that I would be remiss that it is hard to believe he has three more years of varsity football to chase under his belt. His tape shows a very hungry get-off on both sides of the football as his versatility speaks volumes of his upcoming game that will continue to grow. Coming off the edge, Hank shows good velocity and reach to provide assurance in the backfield that he will finish the play where it starts. His rather swift hands will only continue to develop as he gets bigger and stronger over the next several years along with that get-off I mentioned above. Although Hank makes me feel old, by scouting my second Artz brother with Prep Redzone Minnesota, I sure as heck cannot wait to see where his football path takes him over the next several years, as a Fairmont prospect I would offer right now as Division I programs should certainly buy stock early in this young man. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15096892/61968fd00661820b7866b6cd" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Charlie Zok | LB/FB | Detroit Lakes (MN) | 2024</span></strong> We’ve talked a lot about the defensive unit from the Detroit Lakes Lakers over the last several months, but there is more to their linebacking core that we witnessed in Fargo in 2024 linebacker prospect Charlie Zok. Charlie has a smoothness to his game that just drew to keep watching in Fargo, as he showed significant athletic ability in the multiple coverages we got to watch him from in the linebacker spot. He showed a comfortable look in pass protection, despite his regular season doesn’t go up against many heavy passing teams in the NW part of the state. Charlie’s tape shows a sizeable motor from the middle linebacker spot and one that shows significant power to get to the ball carrier quickly. He shows significant leverage on his tackles in short-yardage situations and is another assurance provider, showing very solid contact when he gets his hands on the ball carrier for a finished tackle. He also shows consistent angles to make a handful of plays outside of the inside box as he has active hands and a good reach for his 5’11 190-pound frame. I like the odds for sure of this young man playing college football in the near future. The leading tackler for the Lakers in the 2021 season. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GKr1A">So Tape</a> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Arthur Russell | RB/DB | Champlin Park (MN) | 2024</strong></span> Arthur is an athlete from Champlin Park that has continued to make waves from his successful 7v7 season into the summer camp circuit and showed some versatility up in Fargo a couple of weeks back. His footwork is where he has shown the biggest rise in my eyes, as in the running back group, he showed some of the faster footwork between the edges from the 2024s I got to watch at NDSU. He’s also developed his coachability this offseason, as Arthur showed where he can develop and took solid coaching from the coaching staffs involved at the NDSU prospect camp. I believe he can work on his arm positioning when the ball is in his hands to provide assurance in the backfield as a capable ball carrier that likely will not turn the ball over. Arthurs’ sophomore tape, shows upside for his future, as he’s fluid outside back always looking for more, and has the cutting ability to show even more flash in the near future. With the improved vision and balance in his near future as we look into the 2022 season, along with adding some frame which he has done, look for all these developments and athletic skillsets Arthur has shown over the last few months to blossom nicely for the Champlin Park Rebels next fall. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16215175/617ced760c539c0a00eb1457" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jeffery Marsh | RB/DB | Marshfield (WI) | 2023</span></strong> Jeffery was a Wisconsin prospect that I didn’t have on my radar until getting a chance to watch this young man in some Indy drills. He showed to be a long-striding 6’1 190-pound tailback that I could tell with my instincts, caught some eyes of the massive coaching of college coaches in attendance from all over the Midwest. He showed off a quick trigger with his change of direction and good fluidity in his feet throughout the multiple drills I got to watch from Mr. Marsh. Took a dive into Jeffery’s tape and on both sides of the ball for the Tigers that upside can be seen, especially from the running back spot. He’ll need to develop the cut of his tape, as the higher-graded plays took 3-4 clips to get into what I could really see as far as upside at NDSU. That fluidity comes out with his twitch but developing patience, broader vision, and balance is where he can grow into his senior season. Jeffery shows good pad-level as a bigger back that can make some hits in the option offense the Marshfield Tigers run and is consistent across the depth of early tape on that skill set he brings. A very under-the-radar RB prospect from Central Wisconsin I will be keeping tabs on in 2022. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13073510/6260a85219b030104c84edc1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="368528" first="Justin" last="Jacobson"] | OL/DL | Pelican Rapids (MN) | 2024</strong></span> Justin was another first-look prospect from the NDSU prospect camp that showed some potential from the reps we got to watch in Fargo. I will always say it as a scout, consistency is key, and the consistent leverage this young man was able to get rep after rep is why he made our first standout list from NDSU. In other opportunities I got to watch Justin, he also showed valuable pad-level with the positioning in his reps, and I still believe there is more juice left in the tank for this young man with where he makes the best contact on his defender. Justin has a significant striking ability with his 6’2 235 pound frame that shows versatility in pull-blocking and advancing into the second level. His ability to target defenders that are not in a solid position from their stance is what makes Justin’s tape a lot of fun to watch. From the defensive tackle spot, he shows similar finished traits and will not be a prospect you will see taking a break at all, as I like his competitive motor being able to chase a ball carrier up the sidelines on the outside of the field. With more development with his foot speed out of his stance in pull-blocking, I think this young man could be a solid small-school prospect in his upcoming future. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16566805/624dc7ac235249050c702fda" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Isaac Folland | OL | Kittson Central (MN) | 2023</span></strong> One of the more off-the-radar offensive line prospects I found from Fargo at the NDSU prospect camp was Kittson Central’s Isaac Folland that showed some promising traits from the reps I got to watch from the hog mollies on a couple of Saturdays back. This kid had a well-developed size at 6’3 330 pounds and was an All-District Team player last season for the Bearcats. His hand placement was the first skill set that struck a chord, as he showed ample distance between his hands to get the best leverage possible from what I witnessed. He showed one of the higher levels of leveraging I caught from his group and had a finishing demeanor I love to watch out of watching the ole offensive line. Also, was persistent with his pad level which showed off those hands I mentioned well, hitting his defender right in a solid spot. I cannot lie, I was disappointed that I could not find any tape on this kid, as I thought his upside for the future looked promising at the small-school level. Maybe a trip next season to the NW tip of Minnesota is in order to watch some in-game reps from Isaac, as I think this kid certainly has some efficient skills for the offensive line position that is untapped from this region of the state mentioned. &nbsp;