Nate’s Big Dogs of the Game: St. Michael-Albertville Knights
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ST-MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE– Although the Knights did not have much to look for offensively against highly powered Maple Grove, there certainly are plenty of solid next-level prospects on this St. Michael-Albertville Knights roster that are worthy of mentioning from their play on…
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Continue ReadingST-MICHAEL-ALBERTVILLE– Although the Knights did not have much to look for offensively against highly powered Maple Grove, there certainly are plenty of solid next-level prospects on this St. Michael-Albertville Knights roster that are worthy of mentioning from their play on Friday night against the Crimson of Maple Grove. In my eyes, the best prospects for the Knights were on the defensive side of the ball for STMA, as these prospects caught my eyes after some early Friday pre-scouting and getting some first looks at new prospects on Friday night at STMA.
Zach Purcell, LB, St. Michael-Albertville (2024)
- Zach fits with his skillsets as a linebacker that covers a massive amount of ground, as he showed against Maple Grove last Friday night. He certainly has sideline-to-sideline instincts and has the stamina to run down a ball carrier downfield with a steady base of speed.
- He shows significant engagement getting off blocks but still has the engagement level present with his blocker while working some great angles to multi-engage without leaving his defender out of the picture.
- I also love Zach’s vision in high-traffic areas, as he used his balanced perception multiple times last Friday night to find the ball carrier on the opposite end of the field where he started his rep. He shows a good physicality level as well for a 5’11 175-pound linebacker.
- I got a later eye on Zach’s older brother and Iowa Western signee Riley Purcell last year, and by the looks of watching Zach on Friday night, he should have college football in his future plans as well, as I am glad to have an earlier eye on Zach near the end of his junior season!
Caden Johnson Caden Johnson 6'0" | 190 lbs | DB St. Michael-Albertville | 2024 State MN , DB, St. Michael-Albertville (2024)
- I enjoy watching Caden’s read instincts come alive on the outside edges of the field as he shows a sizeable mix of skillsets in pass coverage and still is able to keep his view intact to see where the ball carrier is going, especially when they come his way, and he needs to pull off pass coverage.
- Caden showed on his midseason tape that he is a quick-swiper with his hands, as on multiple short-mid routes, he showed a quick release of the hands to get them right in time to knock the ball out of the wide receiver’s hands, especially in his game against Centennial earlier in the season.
- I love Caden’s quick trigger with his change of direction, as his football IQ shows a lot of volume with the many skillsets he can offer a college program at the next level
- I expect to see more attention come Caden’s way from the FCS and Division II level here in the near future, as he shows solid prowess to play at the next level for sure, based on my viewing from Friday night at STMA.
Cowin Underwood, LB, St. Michael-Albertville (2023)
- I take relatively light stats on Friday nights, but when I start to lose track of those quick numbers on a prospect, that is an excellent sign that they had a great game, which is the case with STMA 2023 linebacker Cowin Underwood on Friday night.
- Unfortunately, Cowin doesn’t have any tape posted from any of his games this year, so I will stick with my in-person evaluation to say the depth of Cowin’s speed to get to the football on Friday showed some elusive ability as he was a blow-up tackling machine in run coverage for the Knights.
- Do not be fooled by his size at all, as the physicality Cowin plays with outweighs his measurables (5’9 190) in my eyes, and his visual presence around the inside and the edges will stick out, I am sure even more for the Knights this season as they enter their final regular season game this season on Wednesday.
Josh Segler Josh Segler 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH Saint Michael-Albertville | 2023 MN , DB, St. Michael-Albertville (2023)
- Josh really stuck out from a physicality perspective to me on Friday night, as he showed that locked-in ability as a knockback tackler that shows a sizeable presence on the outside of the field.
- I also really was intrigued by Josh’s reach, as I believe he shatters his 5’11 175 pound frame with just how long he can stretch his arms out coming thru on a pass breakup I watched on Friday night against Maple Grove.
- Josh’s press coverage ability on tape is a blast to watch, and I would certainly be watching that a ton if I was a college coach at the next level, as Josh keeps a balanced tone to start on his route by running the wide receiver with enough physicality to catch him off balance but certainly not enough to draw a silly penalty as Josh is well-disciplined in his read steps and quick shove off abilities on the short-mid route to have his hands all up in the wide receivers cookie jar.
- I am pretty surprised that Josh does not have an offer yet this deep into his senior season, as I think he would be a tremendous defensive back prospect in the NSIC. Indeed a prospect to watch, NSIC coaches.
Another Notable Big Dog of the Game from the STMA Knights:
Logan Jans Logan Jans 6'3" | 170 lbs | ATH Saint Michael-Albertville | 2023 MN , DB, St. Michael Albertville (2023)