12 Midwest 2024s Blowing Up on the Recruiting Trail this Season
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What a high school football season so far. With September nearing its conclusion and the smell of fall firmly planted in the air of the Midwest, the weather is cooling down but the recruiting trail is heating up. Last year,…
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Continue ReadingWhat a high school football season so far. With September nearing its conclusion and the smell of fall firmly planted in the air of the Midwest, the weather is cooling down but the recruiting trail is heating up. Last year, recruiting storylines from my favorite region in the United States were highlighted by the late blowup of now-Michigan Wolverines LB and Chicago Marist 2022 grad Jimmy Rolder, who quickly went from an Illinois baseball commit to one of the best and most sought-after linebackers in the nation, all during his senior season of football. In fact, he didn’t even have a football offer to his name until October, and with that in mind, I wanted to take a look at 13 Midwest Prospects who are Blowing Up on the Recruiting Trail this Season. However, we’ll be focusing on this crop of junior 2024s for this special PrepRedzone Midwest feature, and boy are there some monsters included below. All 12 of these studs came into their junior season this fall without an offer or just one by itself, and the dozen of ’em are all P5 prospects now that September and this 2022 season are well underway. Let’s get to know this batch of talented 2024s, their game, and their recruitment. Thanks for reading.
Grant Brix (Logan-Magnolia, Iowa) OL. 6’6, 265 lbs. @grant_brix
Brix has all the makings of another Iowa born & bred offensive lineman with NFL potential and talent and already possesses hulking size at 6’6, 265 pounds and a three-sport background that includes wrestling and track & field. He ended the camp circuit going into his junior year strongly with a Kansas State offer after camping in Manhattan near the end of July, but has reignited his name into the P5 recruiting stratosphere with Iowa State offering on September 18th. Since then, he’s really seen things blow up, as Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin all joining the fray since then.
On tape, his junior year first three game highlights show off a very mobile lineman who can bend and explode out of his stance, especially in the run game. He’s also crushing at the point of attack, where he freezes opponents at first contact and crumples them on the spot or in a few short steps upfield thanks to his strong leg drive. I also like his motor, and watching him run down defenders in the open field is impressive to say the least. He can change direction and successfully find work at the second level when called upon. All in all he’s a good looking athlete at his size that you do not find very often. More offers are coming!
Rob Booker II (Waunakee, Wisconsin) TE. 6’6, 215 lbs. @robertbookerr
Waunakee High School, located right outside of Madison, is fresh off producing another P5 level TE prospect in 2022 grad Andrew Keller, and it looks like they have another beast at the position for the foreseeable future. Coming into his junior season the stud hooper was without an offer, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t highly ranked. PRzWI Lead Scout Mark Johnson tabbed Booker II as the 9th ranked prospect in the state this past January, and he’s making Mark look like a smart man as the 6’6, 215 pounder earned his first offer on September 17th from Iowa State and followed it up with a Minnesota offer two days ago.
Booker II hasn’t officially published any midpoint or compiled highlights from the ’22 season, but in the bits and pieces I can find the first thing that pops off the tape is his length. He’s got a big wingspan and some long legs that help cover a ton of ground with each step, helpful when he’s running downfield and burning DBs deep. He also uses that length to slip through tackle attempts on his lower body, and has a great frame that will continue to add weight and muscle well. I can’t wait for his 2022 highlights.
Nathan Roy (Mukwonago, Wisconsin) OL/DL. 6’5, 270 lbs. @thenathanroy
The state of Wisconsin is stacked with offensive line talent for 2024 and saw a fast-rising prospect join the bunch once September 1st rolled around. Meet Mukwonago’s bruiser Nathan Roy, who sits at an XL 6’5, 270 pounds and has been one of the fast rising recruits in the Midwest this fall. Coming into the season he held an offer from Central Michigan after camping with the Chips in early June, but once the September 1st live period came to be Roy was immediately contacted and offered by the University of Minnesota, who were followed shortly after by Iowa State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois.
In his game film from this 2022 season, Roy is a thumper, and with his beautiful flow flying out of the back of his helmet while he drives opponents into the turf it’s hard not to see P5, smashmouth, old-school type of lineman written all over him. He’s new-age in his athleticism though, and shows good body control, balance, and bend while blocking all over the field. Roy is also consistent and thunderous in the location and physicality of his punch and his footwork looks clean and efficient. He’s already sent more than his fair share of opponents into the air and forcefully into the ground this season and is a fun one to watch from the OT spot.
Bodey McCaslin (St. Charles East, Illinois) OL/DL. 6’5, 270 lbs. @BoMac24
Already home to Indiana Hoosier OL commit Austin Barrett, Chicagoland’s St. Charles East has another good blocker on the docket in junior Bodey McCaslin. The 6’5, 270 lber. is one of the least surprising names on this list and came into the season with a handful of MAC offers as well as from North Dakota State, but entered the P5 recruiting fold with Kansas State and Kansas offers a little more than a week ago. Iowa, Virginia Tech, Duke, Cinci, and Tennessee all also reached out once September 1st hit, so don’t expect these to be the last of his offers. Iowa seems to be one of his favorites so far, as he’s already visited twice on an unofficial and game day experience.
McCaslin’s midseason tape shows a two-way lineman with great leg drive as a blocker and a strong will to finish. I also really like his vertical set in pass pro and how he can handle both speed and power rushes from different types of defensive lineman. His technique is strong and I also liked how he could drop his hips in space and breakdown to get hands on smaller defenders. St. Charles East has been a heckuva stop for college OL coaches in the 2020s.
Landon Gauthier (Bay Port, Wisconsin) LB. 6’3, 215 lbs. @landon_gauthier
Bay Port High School – located in Green Bay – is fresh off producing a Big10 LB in ’22 grad turned Iowa freshman Jayden Montgomery and have another need-to-know name in the 2024 class in Landon Gauthier, not to mention Montgomery’s younger brother Tevyn. Gauthier is a strong kid who put up a 295 lb. power clean in May and was contacted by Wisconsin, Purdue, and NDSU on September 1st and was offered by Wyoming and North Dakota State in the middle of this month. He has also taken gameday visits to Wisconsin, Purdue, and most recently Minnesota.
In Gauthier’s 2022 tape I really like how he plays in space and takes on blocks with good leverage, and as an effective blitzer he can do a ton of good things an OLB and edge defender in Bay Port’s defense. He’s also a very solid tackler, and is far from lacking in the strength and physicality departments. Gauthier’s been dynamic and productive in 2022 and should be entering the P5 recruiting ranks sooner rather than later.
Mo Saine (Eden Prairie, Minnesota) DT. 6’5, 270 lbs. @mo_saine99
Coming out of big school MN powerhouse Eden Prairie, Saine’s name still was pretty much under the radar coming into this season and burst onto the recruiting scene with an Iowa State game day invite on September 19th, which turned into a visit and offer from the Cyclones on the 24th. Since then, Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas State, and Wisconsin have reached out, but Iowa State once again did an excellent job of identifying talent from the Land of 10,000 Lakes early and not waiting to pull the trigger.
Saine’s game tape from 2022 shows a massive 6’5, 270 lb. DT who looks lean despite the weight and possesses a noticeable 6’10” wingspan. Saine can overpower blockers when he gets up and under their chest pads with those long arms and does a good job of finding the ball and shedding the block once he extends his arms out. He can also completely envelop ball carriers when he wraps them up, which is fun to see. I’m looking forward to devouring more film of the still-new 2024 to the P5 scene.
Brody Kosin (Clarkston, Michigan) TE. 6’6, 225 lbs. @brody_kosin
With great size coming out of a traditionally rich Michigan prep program such as Clarkston, it was only a matter of time for Brody Kosin. Coming into the fall of 2022 the 6’6, 225 pounder held three MAC offers but has just recently burst into the P5 realm with a Kentucky offer on the 20th and Pittsburg reaching out with an offer yesterday. Michigan and West Virginia have also received game day visits from the junior, and with the Wolverines also getting an unofficial visit back in the spring, I think it’s safe to say the home state program is firmly in the mix if they extend a scholarship.
In his midseason film, Kosin has mostly lined up as an XL “X” receiver on the outside as well as an inline TE and ran a variety of routes successfully, not to mention his comfortability and success in contested catch situations. As needed for the tight end position, Kosin also shows good strength, technique, and effort in the run blocking department. Whether you need a possession WR, deep threat, or run blocking enforcer, Kosin is your guy!
Jide Abasiri (Prior Lake, Minnesota) DL. 6’6, 270 lbs. @jide_abasiri
Prior Lake is home to two Minnesota Gopher commits in their 2023 class as well as a plethora of other college recruits, and their 2024 class was solidified in the P5 front when Iowa State offered the massive defensive lineman Jide Abasiri on September 17th. The 6’6, 270 pounder only had a couple of games of JV tape from his sophomore season but was definitely on the notice of scouts and recruiters thanks to that size and the athleticism he showed at our PrepRedzoneMN showcase, which helped him earn a ton of P5 camp invites for this past summer. Minnesota has been in contact, as has NDSU, and since the Cyclones offer Abasiri has received game day invites from Iowa and Kansas State.
In his 2022 film, Abasiri is a massive 5T or 3T who can easily push offensive lineman backwards with his initial punch and has the athleticism to run down QBs from the backside. He attacks and does a good job of defeating blocking attempts and also possesses the lateral agility to execute stunts across the LOS. I also don’t mind his first step, and it’s cool to watch him eat up ball carriers with those long arms once he gets ahold of them.
Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman (Coon Rapids, Minnesota) WR. 6′, 165 lbs. @khijohnn
A stud two-sport standout with a good basketball pedigree, Cummings-Coleman exploded onto the MN prep receiving charts and recruiting scene in 2022, the latter of which came in the form of an Iowa State Cyclones offer on September 17th. Since then, he’s received game day invites from Minnesota, North Dakota State, and Iowa, and is second in MN in receiving yards and 4th in TDs through the midway point of ’22.
Cummings-Coleman is a fluid wideout prospect on film who explodes downfield when running vertical routes or when he’s returning kicks. He’s shifty and elusive after the catch and has good balance when breaking out of tackles, and I also like how he can drop his hips a little bit to create separation in his routes. KCC is quite fast as well, and more than anything I like what he can do with the ball in his hands. The 6′ hooper is an explosive addition to Minnesota’s 2024 rankings.
David Dossett (Lee Summit, Missouri) WR. 6’3, 190 lbs. @DavidDossett8
Not to toot my own horn, but I was all over Dossett early and pegged him as a P5 guy all the way back in November of last year. He’s definitely backed up what I was seeing on his then-sophomore tape and I am pumped that college coaches and programs are agreeing now that the Lee Summit product is a junior. The 6’3 wideout did come into this season with an Arkansas State offer but was quite popular once September 1st rolled around, as Kansas State, NDSU, Southern Illinois, Iowa State, Mizzou, Memphis, Kentucky, and Minnesota all reached out. He then entered the P5 prospect sphere in the middle of this month as Kansas State, Mizzou, and Kansas have all offered scholarships, and given the fact the Show-Me State athletes are certified ballers, he’s far from done hearing from college programs.
On tape, Dossett’s 2022 tape shows off a contested catch monster who doesn’t mind snagging tough catches over the middle with DBs draped all over him. He possesses excellent balance and body control that show up especially when he’s breaking tackle attempts and can also line up at multiple WR spots. Overall he’s an athletic and fearless pass catcher with great size and a ton of juice.
Jawon Jarrett (Southfield A&T, Michigan) DB. 5’10, 160 lbs. @JawonJarrett
Jarrett came into the fall of 2022 with Bowling Green State, Eastern Kentucky, Alabama A&M, and CMU offers and also was offered by Toledo on September 10th, so although he hasn’t quite broken into the P5 ranks of recruits he has still solidified himself as a fast-rising, must-know prospect out of football-rich Michigan. Michigan State has sent him a game day invite and if I was a betting man I’d put money on more P5’s reaching out soon.
At the midseason point of 2022 Mr. Jarrett has posted an eye-popping 33 catches for 747 yards and 9 TDs and has looked good doing it. He’s been a bolt of lightning out of the slot position and has toasted CBs and safeties alike this fall for some splash plays and explosive TDs. He can accelerate from a dead stop and has good contact balance for his size as well. I came away very impressed with how Jarrett could break big tackle attempts over the middle on slants right when he catches the ball. He’s got a ton of juice off the LOS and with the ball in his hands, and you can’t teach juice!
Jace Gilbert (Arrowhead, Wisconsin) DL. 6’5, 270 lbs. @JaceGilbert23
The PrepRedzoneWI Showcase DL MVP from this past spring comes out of Division 1 Wisconsin prep powerhouse Arrowhead and has great size at 6’5, 270 pounds. He came into the season with a Central Michigan offer but quickly became a P5 recruit once September rolled around as Iowa State quickly reached out with a Big12 scholarship offer on September 3rd. Gilbert has also visited the home state Badgers twice on unofficial visits so far and I’m sure UW will be keeping close tabs on the defensive lineman for the remainder of his prep career. Expect more names to enter the fray as well.
On tape, Gilbert has been a beast from his DE spot, popping 1-on-1 blockers backwards and has a solid first step that helps him get upfield and into the backfield quickly. I like how noticeable the strength of his punch is when attacking OTs and he’s also got a solid motor that shows up in run and pass defense. Gilbert moves well for his size and has multiple reps on his midseason film of him working through multiple block attempts to get to the ball. Remember the name Jace Gilbert out of Hartland!