University of Minnesota Prospect Camp: Standouts, Part IV

<strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DINKYTOWN--</span></strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> We close the book on our first in-person evaluations in Dinkytown by continuing heavily on the defensive time of the ball, because why? They always say defense wins championships and we stand with that theory 100% at Prep Redzone. Of course, we also mixed in some <strong>under-the-radar </strong>WRs from Southern Minnesota, that will make even bigger splashes into their senior season and a handful of Canadian prospects that just continued to blossom in our second viewing of their game in motion, showing that Manitoba has plenty of college-level prospects too coming from the North. Find out who made their mark on our final notepad from the University of Minnesota Camp!</span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Antwan Smith | DB/QB | Fridley (MN) | 2024</strong></span> Antwan was a first-look defensive back for me out of Fridley at the Gopher Camp and was a prospect that showed a lot of athleticism from start to finish. He showed a terrific burst out of his stance and showed good vision and instincts to get to the football quickly. He also had that finishing speed I like from evaluating the defensive back position as he showed a bigger throttle when the ball was in his wheelhouse. I couldn’t locate Antwan’s football tape, but from what I caught of his basketball tape from the summer, it’s easy to see why this young man has the quarterback position in his DNA too, as he shows off some crisp passing in transition which to me, translates to the football field more than it will get appreciated. He also glides well in high-traffic areas which shows off significant poise in my eyes. Certainly, a junior to watch coming out of Fridley. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Njita Sinkala | DB | St. Paul’s High School (Winnipeg, Canada) | 2024</strong></span> Nijita was another somewhat off-the-radar defensive back for me that balled out at the Gopher Camp in Dinkytown.  I got to watch Nijita a little bit in 7v7 back in Dinkytown a few months back and the ignition this kid has with his footwork is loaded, as he shows a very quick trigger with his speedy feet and enters the WR’s wheelhouse with tons of physicality. He also shows that same pleasure with his feet in the return game, as he can turn on a dime to make a defender miss with the built-up vision he has that plays yards ahead of the coverage he’s given. Love this kid’s football IQ as he’s super instinctive all over the field. Bright future for this young man. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16915748/618b1a53d45ecc0da010d701" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>John Long | WR | Waseca (MN) | 2023</strong></span> John was another prospect from the Gopher Camp that showed delight in the footwork category, showing a strong base to change directions effectively while coming off the line in 1v1s. Got to watch some of John’s tape from his junior season, and consistency is what you see with what I saw in Dinkytown. His ability to get separation is quite solid, as he’s got a great explosion level off the snap to create space between the secondary and himself. John is certainly a viable threat on those short and intermediate routes that I believe has more upside than his tape will give him credit for as going into his senior season, I would love to see more work with his lower body and balance so he turns those 10-yard gains into big ones. A WR prospect that I believe will go on a tear in his senior season, as that upside this kid shows off shows me there is more in the tank for this Blue Jays senior. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17615685/626b32afe97a28047028a1a1" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31388" first="Drew" last="Wilson"] | LB | Mequon Homestead (WI) | 2023</strong></span> The fluidity with Drew’s feet showed off thru the cone drill certainly caught my eyes at the tail end of the Gophers Camp in Dinkytown. Drew’s tape shows off some menace ability especially when he enters into the backfield, as that fluidity we mentioned above has that fluidity he has defines what I look for in a sideline-to-sideline linebacker like Drew is. This kid shows a solid mix in his game when it comes to run and pass coverage as a middle linebacker, he defends the middle of the field with strong awareness. His physicality meter speaks volumes of his game too, as my colleague Mark Johnson stated a few weeks back he racked up nearly 140 tackles as a junior for Mequon Homestead and that physicality comes out heavily when you watch the tape on Drew. Drew has a handful of  NSIC offers and picked up a deserving PWO from Minnesota at the Gopher camp a few weeks back. More attention coming for this kid too I’m sure at the NSIC and FCS levels. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15027039/618b1e86478cb7055c689851" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Dillano Glaud | DB | Clearwater Academy International (FL/Winnepeg, Canada) | 2024</strong></span> I haven’t scouted Canadian prospects all that much until 2022, but holy cow does the Winnepeg Area have a huge crop of talent in 2023 thru 2025, and that includes defensive back Dillano Glaud who was another impressive prospect at the Gopher Camp. When I was watching Dillano in-depth in Indy drills, he showed sound form and took in coaching really well, and adjusted his elbow placement in an athletic form to get the best possible stance when going into 1v1s drills, where he excelled from the few reps I got to watch. Dillano’s sophomore tape as a 6’3 200-pound defensive back shows whirlwinds of athleticism, especially on deeper routes where he causes ample explosion when turning his head around to make a play on the ball, with pure physicality that gets seen early. The instinctive this kid has when the ball is approaching is an excellent match and that added cushion with his size shows so much upside. Really in shock, this young man doesn’t have his first D1 offer yet, as this was the second time we have evaluated Dillano on the Minnesota campus, and he just continues to impress and that size for the defensive back position is hard to come by especially with just being an incoming junior. <iframe src="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15277370/612285304dec810bbc5954e9" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp;