Regular Season Recap: 11 Midwest 2023 Stock-Riser Recruits
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I hope everyone enjoyed yesterday’s Friday Night Lights action and if your team is still trucking along this playoff szn, more power to ya, and go get that ring! If you’ve been following our 2022 Midwest in-season content, you already…
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Continue ReadingI hope everyone enjoyed yesterday’s Friday Night Lights action and if your team is still trucking along this playoff szn, more power to ya, and go get that ring! If you’ve been following our 2022 Midwest in-season content, you already know PrepRedzone has highlighted up-and-comers, emerging notables, standouts, and breakout recruits and performers from every high school graduating class available. It can sometimes be a tough balance, as it’s new and exhilarating seeing fresh names find attention and offers, but there’s something special about seeing a kid you’ve covered for 4 years see their recruitments take off in that critical last year of prep experience. Seniors always deserve the majority of the spotlight, and especially uncommitted seniors, and PrepRedzone’s special Midwest featured series is looking to stay steadfast to that ideal today as we check out 11 seniors seeing their recruitment stock rise during their last year of high school action. Earlier this season, when we highlighted some emerging 2023 P5 and FBS talent, you may remember me mentioning Jimmy Rolder, a spectacular example of a senior raising their stock as a senior who went from unoffered Marist High School (IL) senior LB to the hottest senior in America’s Heartland and possibly the nation before shutting things down and committing to Michigan. This fall, Evan Herrmann from Sussex Hamilton High School in Wisconsin is the class of 2023s best comparison to the aforementioned Rolder, but before the fat lady sings on this 2022 season and Herrmann takes the crown for 2023’s biggest stock-risers we have 11 more seniors worth mentioning. Get to know them and how they are raising their stock as recruits below!
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2023s
Oyintare Porbeni (Stillwater, MN) OT. 6’6, 245 lbs.
Just wrote about Porbeni for PRzMN and can comfortably say the Stillwater OT is Minnesota’s biggest 2023 breakout recruit. In only his second year of playing football and with zero film coming into the season, the RT has quickly proven that his offer-less resume is a fluke and is a long, lean, athletic, and high-ceiling prospect with his best football in front of him. Also catching the eye of PrepRedzone’s General Manager and National Scouting Director Jake Lemming, Porbeni opens his tape in unconventional but impressive fashion with a pass pro set that turns into him chasing down and putting a thump on a DB that picked off his QBs pass, to no fault of his own. I also see solid footwork, strength in his initial punch, lateral agility and the ability to adjust to quicker pass rushers, and the physicality to finish smaller opponents once he’s engaged. He’s a big, untapped athlete with a bright future on the gridiron and beyond. From unoffered and without film or momentum to Ivy League football commit in the span of a couple of months is a heckuva ride. Princeton got a good one!
Matt Kingsbury Matt Kingsbury 6'4" | 230 lbs | LB St. Rita | 2023 State IL (St. Rita, IL) LB. 6’3, 225 lbs. @MattKingsbury3
If you’re a D1 program in need of senior sleepers or just good football players in general go to the Chicago Catholic League. Of the many traditionally-rich heavyweights to play in the conference, the St. Rita Mustangs have produced more than their fair share of blue-chippers and P5 recruits, and I was excited to see a senior getting some late buzz during his last season of high school football in 6’3, 225 lb. LB Matt Kingsbury Matt Kingsbury 6'4" | 230 lbs | LB St. Rita | 2023 State IL . With prep LB size worth drooling over, Kingsbury came into the season with a ton of FCS and FBS offers, with the likes of Toledo, WMU, Akron, Ball State, Miami (OH), New Mexico State, South Dakota, EMU, CMU, Illinois State, Air Force, Navy, Army, Wyoming, Yale, Georgetown, Utah State, Fordham, Lafayette, Bowling Green State, Dartmouth, Colgate, and Rice all having offered up before the season started. However, despite the long list of scholarships, think took a B1G level up in the recruiting world when he received a P5 offer from Purdue on October 24th. It’s his first P5 offer, Kingsbury worked his butt off for this and undoubtedly deserved it. His senior year regular season tape displays a ‘backer with great speed for his size who gets out of his stance well and can pursue sideline-to-sideline with pace. Change of direction, hips and burst are all present when he drops in coverage, comes downhill, times out blitzes, and pursues laterally across the LOS. Kingsbury is also a force when taking on blocks and powerful at the contact point as a tackler. With this skillset combined with the big-school Chicago experience and size, he looks like a P5 linebacker. Love the tape, Matt!
Louis Traglia Louis Traglia 6'4" | 215 lbs | LB Kapaun Mt. Carmel | 2023 State KS (Kapaun Mt. Carmel, KS) OLB. 6’5, 215 lbs. @louis_traglia
If you haven’t heard, the Air Force Academy has a dang good football team and the state of Kansas has some dang good football prospects, both of which come into play in this recruitment. The Falcons have seen their recruiting work so well that P5 squads come in and poach their commits, and the LB position has been a spot other programs have made sure to check out when looking at Air Force commits. Coming into the fall of 2022, Kapaun Mt. Carmel enticingly-built EDGE Louis Traglia Louis Traglia 6'4" | 215 lbs | LB Kapaun Mt. Carmel | 2023 State KS only held two NAIA offers but quickly changed his recruiting status thanks to some standout film and grabbed his first DII offer on October 10th from Missouri S&T and quickly leveled up to a prestigious military academy FBS opportunity from Air Force on the 16th. Also a wrestler with a 3.96 GPA and 27 ACT, Traglia brings a lot to the table as a prospective student-athlete and combined with his on-field heroics makes for a very balanced package of a prospect. On tape, Traglia is quick enough to beat OTs to their inside shoulder and strong enough to work off blocks from OGs to consistently stay productive around the iOL. He uses his hands well, has a solid get-off, and is a strong tackler who can play with his hand in the dirt or from a two-point stance. Also a strong tackler and moves well at 6’5, 215. Great call by the Air Force recruiting staff.
Miles Thompson Miles Thompson 6'0" | 165 lbs | DB Cedar Rapids Washington | 2023 IA (Cedar Rapids-Washington, IA) DB. 6′, 165 lbs. @milesthompson01
The speedy Iowa product who placed 2nd in the state in the 100M with a blazing 10.53 in the finals, Thompson came into the season as an FBS MAC commit verbally inked with Northern Illinois, but after receiving a P5 offer from the Texas Tech Red Raiders on September 10th backed off the commitment to the Huskies. The Cedar Rapids-Washington senior is currently uncommitted, but a lot of signs are pointing to Lubbock, and in his senior film you can see why a P5 school got involved, as the verified track speed is evident in how easily the CB stays with wideouts on a variety of routes. Thompson is also a strong tackler and instinctive in the turnover department, proven by a beautiful strip, recovery, and TD run off a forced fumble he ripped out of the RBs arms. Thompson still has a little bit of mechanics to clean up with his hand usage at the LOS, but the speed and athleticism are present and allow him to go man-to-man with any wideout in the state. Watching him easily stay with WRs downfield as they sprint as hard as possible doesn’t get old and he has the hips to adjust to WRs breaks and cuts as well. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Thompson, his nearly elite speed, and his ongoing recruitment.
Christopher Terek (Glenbard West, IL) OL. 6’6, 295 lbs. @cterek77
This one is a bit different of a stock riser, as the OT out of the football-rich Glenbard area was a certified P5 prospect out of the Land of Lincoln who held 12 Big10, Big12, SEC, and ACC offers before shutting things down and committing to Wisconsin in June. However, the Badgers are going through a coaching change, which has other distinguished programs sniffing around and aided Terek in seeing his stock rise to a blue-chip, helmet-school prospect when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish offered on October 19th. The Irish are a long-time recruiter and appreciator of Illinois talent, and real interest from ND, much less an offer, is a big deal for Chicago-area prospects. This scholarship offer from Notre Dame should not be ignored, and it’s no wonder blue-bloods are sniffing around, as the senior tape from Terek shows off bruising, overwhelming strength from the RT position with a heavy punch that stuns opponents and allows him to drive his legs and get the DL off balance to finish them into the turf in only a few steps. I also like his base, pad level, and hand placement, but the #1 best quality I see is Terek’s strength. There’s strength and power in all phases of his blocks – especially run blocking – and given his experience, coaching, and competition playing Illinois big-school opponents, this strength is the real deal and will translate to high levels of college football. Keep an eye on this recruitment, especially if you’re in Chicagoland!
Alex Bray Alex Bray 6'4" | 240 lbs | DL Marquette | 2023 State MO (Marquette, MO) DE. 6’5, 245 lbs. @A_TrainBray
The longer I scout the Midwest for PrepRedzone the more smitten and appreciative I become of the talent in the state of Missouri. Additionally, the more I watch Big10 West football the more impressed I get with Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema and his recruiting efforts. The Illini, who is one of the best teams in the Big10 and a frontrunner in the West during 2022, make their money by trusting their evaluations and locking down the geographic area close to their program. All of these factors came into play for Marquette, Missouri well-built and distinguished DE Alex Bray Alex Bray 6'4" | 240 lbs | DL Marquette | 2023 State MO . A Preseason All-Metro and All-Conference/All-District pick with a prolific prep wrestling career, Bray came into the fall of 2022 with a boatload of FCS and FBS but was evaluated and offered by Illinois – first P5 offer – whom he committed to on October 24th. He had been on some other P5 visits this fall, but Bielema & Co. loved what they saw, trusted their eyes and their eval, and scooped up the senior DE during his final season of high school football. If history and the present are any indications, the Illini’s coaching staff are going to coach this kid up and turn him into a Big10 contributor, and it must have been exciting but stressful for Bray to have it come down to almost the final hour. On film, Bray’s first step and closing speed are the first things to pop off the screen, and he’s strong enough to back down 1-on-1 blockers with ease as well as work through double teams without losing gap integrity or his balance. I also see a little bit of bend, and overall his speed in his get-off and in pursuit are exciting for 250ish pounds. Great frame and can beat blockers to either shoulder. Tons of ways to beat blocks and a ton to like in the Show-Me State stock riser.
Cole Joseph Lacrue (Broomfield, CO) QB. 6’2, 195 lbs. @lacruecole18
Yes, I know, Colorado isn’t the Midwest. But…it’s closer to the Midwest than most, and with the exciting rising stock of one of CO’s senior QBs I wanted to throw in the ’23 gunslinger and think you guys will enjoy the mention from the Centennial State. Coming into the season, Lacrue held D1 offers from Central Michigan, South Dakota, and Northern Colorado, but since his senior film has began to circulate he’s bumped his stock up the P5 ranks and since October 27th has earned offers from Colorado, Tulane, and Wisconsin, which now make up his Top-3 finalists for his future college home. The Broomfield High School product and future graduate is nearing 4k passing yards for his career and a 65% completion percentage and in his senior tape he displays a mobile QB that can throw off platform while on the move and also showing velocity and accuracy on his throws to the first and second levels of the field and a big arm that can stretch the ball vertically to hit receivers in stride and well over the safeties head. With snappy arm talent and juice with his legs when he tucks and runs, Lacrue is athletic, can extend plays, and has a ton of tools going for him as potentially enters the Big10 or Pac12 ranks. Best of luck with the decision, Cole!
Jordan Allen Jordan Allen 6'4" | 240 lbs | DL Olathe South | 2023 State KS (Olathe South, KS) TE/DE. 6’4, 240 lbs. @Jordanallen2005
Similar to the aforementioned Chris Terek Chris Terek 6'6" | 295 lbs | OL Glenbard West | 2023 State IL from Illinois, Kansas native Jordan Allen Jordan Allen 6'4" | 240 lbs | DL Olathe South | 2023 State KS was already a surefire certified P5 recruit but has still seen his stock rise in the fall of 2022 even after committing to an instate power. The 6’4, 240 lb. Olathe South two-way standout named a Top-4 of Mizzou, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Iowa on July 4th after an extensive recruiting process that included USC and Illinois offers, and committed to the Kansas State Wildcats on September 5th. However, things aren’t over, and the big names of Tennessee and Oklahoma have reached out and offered scholarships despite his commitment status. Those programs carry some weight behind their logo, and although Allen seems firm in his commitment to the Wildcats it was still worth mentioning the senior DE’s stock bump in the eyes of national college football teams. His Week 1-3 tape from the beginning of 2022 show off a DE with a powerful initial punch that sends opponents off-balance and reeling backwards and helps him work through double team attempts as well. I also like watching the 240 lber. run down plays from the backside of the LOS, and he’s an explosive tackler who gets the most out of his tackles when lining up QBs and RBs. Strong kid with great hands and good balance at a massive 6’4, 240! KState is getting a stud.
Kenyata Forbes Kenyata Forbes 6'2" | 280 lbs | DL Kenwood Academy | 2023 IL Jr. (Kenwood Academy, IL) DT. 6’1, 275 lbs. @Ken50Jr
In need of senior, under-the-radar talent? Head to Chicago. The Kenwood Academy Broncos have a star-studded roster in 2022 and are geared up with more talent and prospects for the next few years, but right now it’s critical we focus on a late senior stock-riser in DT Kenyata Forbes Kenyata Forbes 6'2" | 280 lbs | DL Kenwood Academy | 2023 IL Jr. Coming into the fall the defensive tackle held Western Illinois and UConn offers, but after a standout senior campaign so far he’s solidified his stock in the FBS ranks as New Mexico State and Navy have offered in October. New Hampshire also joined the fray earlier that month. True DTs are always highly sought after on the recruiting trail, and Forbes Jr. is a good example as his hard hitting style of play and body control at 6’1, 275 lbs. jump off the screen and look more like a LB than a DT. An excellent get-off, lateral agility, and a ton of power and mobility make up some of the strengths of his skill set. He’s also laid some devastating hits this fall and looks and moves like a prospect 50 pounds lighter. Someone is going to get a stud!
Kade Pieper Kade Pieper 6'3" | 240 lbs | DL Norfolk Catholic | 2023 State NE (Norfolk Catholic, NE) DE/OL. 6’4, 240 lbs. @PieperKade
I already mentioned the Air Force Falcons having to deal with P5 suitors coming in and trying to flip their commits, and the NDSU Bison have the very same issue, which can also be taken as a positive testament to their recruiting process, team culture, and coaching talent. However, from an NDSU perspective, it must be really frustrating to see a P5 program swoop in last second to pluck away at your recruiting class year after year. The Bison have already suffered in that regard in the fall of 2022, as Norfolk Catholic senior Kade Pieper Kade Pieper 6'3" | 240 lbs | DL Norfolk Catholic | 2023 State NE recently decommitted from the FCS powerhouse and jumped on a Big10 scholarship offer from the Iowa Hawkeyes, committing two days ago on the 4th. Even though NDSU recruits, develops, wins, and sends players into the NFL at a more-than-healthy clip, this is still a recruiting stock bump, as Iowa is tremendous at sending Front-7 defenders to the pros, and Pieper’s play has also helped Norfolk Catholic to an unbeaten 2022 run and a chance to play in the Class C-2 state semifinals this upcoming Friday. His midseason tape shows off a thick, strong DE with start/stop ability and some smooth long-strides that show off great speed and comfortability in the open field for a 6’4, 240 lber. He’s also balanced, physical, and uses his hands well, but more than anything I can’t stop being impressed by watching Pieper run down plays and show off his speed and mobility in open space. QB nightmare in 2022 and a great eval and pickup by both NDSU and Iowa.
RJ Dent RJ Dent 6'4" | 180 lbs | WR Stevenson | 2023 IL (Stevenson, IL) WR. 6’4, 185 lbs. @RJDent4
With excellent size for the WR position, Dent came into the season without offers and with no reported recruiting interest, but on November 1st his stock blew up and he’s now a FBS-level recruit as Miami (OH) offered a scholarship to kick off his month. Sadly, he doesn’t have much film updated, but Stevenson is a legit program in Chicagoland and Dent has size and athleticism to back up that new FBS offer. Stay tuned with PRzIL for more news on the senior pass catcher and his recruitment process!
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