South Dakota State Prospect Camp: Session 1 Standouts

Brookings, SD-- We continue our deep quest into prospect camp season throughout the Midwest as we found ourselves back at South Dakota State University in our second year in attendance at the home of the Jackrabbits. Just what did we get to see at SDSU? The obvious answer is lots of talented prospects, from ones just scratching the surface on their hopeful future college football journey to rising seniors that still are looking for their college football home. We crack into session 1 of our in-person evaluations and found plenty of prospects from Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota that opened up our eyes in Brookings.   Donovan Rose, RB, Sioux Valley (SD) 2025   Donovan was one of the first young running backs to pass my eye test in Brookings. He impressed me with his burst in the 40-yard dash and his swift ability to change directions for his young age in the pro agility. His footwork shows an instinctive ability to find the outside hash and get early separation when crossing into the next level of the field. His twitch from side to side shows good solidity in his open hips. Defensively, Donovan relies on his vision and instincts to crash into the backfield with his speed and shows sound technique in his tackling ability with ample physicality in his 5’9, 165-pound frame. A 2025 two-way prospect to watch out of Volga, SD. Tape: <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GL9vC">http://www.hudl.com/v/2GL9vC</a>     [player_tooltip player_id="104114" first="Nolan" last="DeLong"], RB/LB, Durant (IA) 2023   Nolan is certainly not a new prospect on our radar in the state of Iowa, but his precision certainly stood out in Brookings. He has added even more physical traits since he was last evaluated last winter within his lower body, and it certainly shows with his explosiveness in his hips. His twitch when he changes his direction sticks out like a sore thumb, and it is easy to see why Division I FCS schools have noticed as he progresses in his future college football journey. I always love a running back prospect like Nolan, that favors the outside yet runs thru contact efficiently to get there and finishes his long runs with significant strides and a finished product of separation between the opposing defenders. Don’t you dare leave the inside gap open for this young man either at middle linebacker, as Nolan shows the very noticeable speed to rally thru usually untouched, to unleash his heavy motor of physicality on the ball carrier. If I am an FCS school in our Prep Redzone subscribers, Nolan would undoubtedly check my boxes. Tape: <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GYpex">http://www.hudl.com/v/2GYpex</a>   [player_tooltip player_id="220467" first="Caleb" last="Chebuhar"], LB, Southeast Polk (IA) 2024   The state of Iowa indeed dominated the field in Brookings in our session 1 of in-person evaluations, including 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="220467" first="Caleb" last="Chebuhar"] from powerhouse Southeast Polk. Caleb’s ability to puncture his motor all over that inside zone will only keep growing with more and more reps for this junior-to-be. Caleb shows finesse traits shedding off his blocks and taking a low angle to tie up the footwork in the early part of the rush before the tailback gets his momentum barely into the first level. When I watch Caleb’s tape, I think he has more juice left in the tank to grow on his speed when he’s alone in the outside zone with part of the summer left to go and two more seasons to develop. No doubt this young man has the physicality down to a science in his 6’1 205 pound frame. I think the floodgates will open up early for this young man on his recruiting trail come September 1st, as he has some next-level skillsets that would look great on Saturdays with Caleb. Tape: http://www.hudl.com/v/2GZdP6   [player_tooltip player_id="304405" first="Jonah" last="Larson"], DL/OL, Bangor (WI) 2023   Jonah was one of the defensive linemen who passed my eye test in Brookings a few weeks back. Not just does he have a physical stature in his 6’3 285 pound frame, but watching him show off smoothness in his hand placements in 1v1s struck a chord in my in-person evaluation of him. The hands I saw in Jackrabbits Country matched what I caught on his junior tape. When Jonah can use his highly soft touch on usually smaller offensive linemen, you better believe he will end up in the opponent’s backfield quickly before they realize it. He shows some impressive swim moves that these eyes would love to see used more frequently, as he shows a bulk of athletic ability when he gets off his blocker with that skillset alone. From the development side, when Jonah takes a bit longer to get off his blocks, I would love to see him improve on his hand positions as, at times, you will see him strike higher and not get the leverage he wants to get to the ball faster. This is a very seldom thing I see on the tape, however. Offensively what do you get with Jonah? You get a bull that has a quick first step, especially when pulling to the other side of the line as the lead blocker bulldozes into the second level of attack for his ball carrier. He will never be an OL prospect; you will not tell him to keep engaging his blocker, as this young man has the finish till that whistle blows mentality on nearly every rep I watched. I am pretty surprised the D2 level has not chipped into recruiting this kid, as based on his recruiting looks, would be a steal for the WIAC school that lands him. Tape: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/10082597/61809d583deb0e0b984de545   [player_tooltip player_id="89289" first="Elliott" last="Renville"], OL, Sioux Falls Lincoln (SD) 2023   My Dakotas subscribers should know this name pretty strongly by now. Yet, somehow, I still think [player_tooltip player_id="89289" first="Elliott" last="Renville"] of Sioux Falls Lincoln is still farther under the radar than I thought he would be from when I first evaluated him for the first time, which feels like a while ago. First, this young man will check EVERY box a college football program is looking for when it comes to his character, as I have watched Elliott’s growth in his off-the-field a ton from just a young sophomore into the player he is now with much more confidence. We have talked about how physical Elliott has become year after year, but the faster and faster first step I have watched this kid initiate is why he is a top 10 prospect in my eyes in the Dakotas. His striking ability is vicious, of course. Still, his ability to do the dirty work in the trenches and WELL beyond the first and second levels makes Elliott a nightmare for defensive linemen in 11AAA. His bend at the line is athletic, which sets the tone for his reps upfront to use his fast footwork to his advantage. Not to mention his pad level is exceptionally consistent in every rep you get to watch from him on film. He shows off versatility in his mean punch and can smash from the linemen’s hip sides or the straight in the middle. Elliott’s wrestling physique in his 6’3 285 pound frame has grown substantially on the football field over the past few years. Spoke with one college coach that is also like me very surprised this young man hasn’t gotten an FCS offer yet. We hope to see it real soon here at Prep Redzone Dakotas. Tape: http://www.hudl.com/v/2Fmtmg

Brookings, SD-- We continue our deep quest into prospect camp season throughout the Midwest as we found ourselves back at South Dakota State University in our second year in attendance at the home of the Jackrabbits. Just what did we get to see at SDSU? The obvious answer is lots of talented prospects, from ones just scratching the surface on their hopeful future college football journey to rising seniors that still are looking for their college football home. We crack into session 1 of our in-person evaluations and found plenty of prospects from Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota that opened up our eyes in Brookings.