Level Up 7v7 Tryouts: High School Standouts, Part I
WEST DES MOINES, IA– We unleasehed the bulk of our standouts from the middle-school ranks yesterday from the Level Up 7v7 tryout but today it is time for the high school prospects at the RecPlex in West Des Moines. As…
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Continue ReadingWEST DES MOINES, IA– We unleasehed the bulk of our standouts from the middle-school ranks yesterday from the Level Up 7v7 tryout but today it is time for the high school prospects at the RecPlex in West Des Moines. As you can tell, because of the excellent turnout of 100+ Iowa prospects this will be a multi part series that should publish daily for the next few days here on PrepRedzone.com/Iowa as there were plenty of standouts to evaluate on Sunday afternoon. This group of six standouts makes Part I from the Level Up 7v7 tryout!
Kade Mullins Kade Mullins 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Martensdale-St.Mary's | 2024 IA , RB/LB, Martensdale-St. Mary’s (IA) 2024
In the early drills, I was quite intrigued by this young man’s dexterity he showed with his change of direction. I remember him from last year’s visit at the Level Up tryouts, and I thought he had shown strong development with his lower body and a more cut-up frame up top. Kade’s finished burst advances even stronger when he gets to the second level, and he has the elite vision to change his course when he sees a bigger opening with easier access to the open field. His agile cutting ability on the inside run is very swift, and I would have loved to log Kade in a shuttle drill from 2021 to 2022 to see how much he has taken off since then. It is easy to see at the 1A level how athletic Kade could be defensive as he is a multi-level athlete on both sides of the ball that plays with a lot of finesse when getting downhill. Certainly a small school sleeper, but should certainly have a scholarship-level future playing on Saturdays. Tape & Twitter
King Coleman, RB/ATH, Valley (IA) 2025
King was one of the MVPs in the Fastest Man competition from Sunday at the Level Up tryout and although just a sophomore, I have to say I am quite impressed with the speed this Valley offense is going to have over the next several years in West Des Moines. I like the vision this young man puts out on his sophomore tape, as watching him wait patiently to use his smooth-cutting ability to find his hole in beyond the second level to field the open hole to drive his efficient footwork right thru. I even believe there is more juice to that cutting ability that is yet to be seen from a potential standpoint up the road over the next couple of seasons. I don’t even believe King’s tape points at how fast his burst is, as his burst looked much more effective on Sunday at the Level Up tryout. From watching another tape he had available, you can tell this kid has an accelerator that can develop more balance when driving his legs thru contact. Bright future coming for this young man. Tape & Twitter
Lawson Langford, WR, Ankeny Centennial (IA) 2024
Watching Lawson one year later has for sure paid off some dividends for this young man. He’s developed a ton of more agile movement on with his route-running coming out of the slot, and that was put on fine display on Sunday afternoon in West Des Moines at the Level Up tryout. I could see this at the 2021 and 2022 tryouts that Lawson has an outstanding work ethic and will work his tail off to get the ball by unleashing solid creative measures to get out on intermediate routes. I love on tape how effective Lawson’s balance is, especially around the corners at the edge of the field, as that work ethic comes out on full display on his earliest clip on tape. He flies off the snap with a quick trigger and has the football IQ with his awareness by identifying where he can work in tight seams to get the extra yards after contact. He won’t wow you with his measurables; however, this young man’s instincts will pave a solid career for him at the next level playing on Saturdays. Excellent character prospect, too, that you will want on your roster. Tape & Twitter
Zay Robinson, WR, Valley (IA) 2025
I said it when I got to watch Zay at last year’s tryout, and I will say it again: this young man is likely the best wide receiver in Iowa in the 2025 class. Picking up a recent offer from the nearby Iowa State Cyclones, Zay showed that zoom with his burst in the early running of drills, racking up a 40-yard dash inside the 4.45 range from my clocking. He has also added significant height and strength, especially his ball skills from my last winter viewing. Zay has fantastic hands and has developed swiftly with his footwork and balance when he needs to make that high-traffic catch around the sidelines. His agility to put defensive backs on stilts with his feet to get separation is something I wouldn’t want to deal with if I was an HS defensive coordinator going up against him as he lines up just about anywhere in the Valley receiving core and is fluid over the middle and on intermediate and deep routes. He also has a dangerous ability with his long-striding athleticism as a return man on punts and kicks. I love watching Zay’s competitive nature come out at the tryout, as he was just as fluid taking defensive back reps as he was at wide receiver. This young man should have a plethora of Division I FBS offers by the time his career is done at Valley, and I am surprised he doesn’t have more offers at this point. Tape & Twitter
Sam Weaton, ATH, Fairfield (IA) 2024
I saw it at our Prep Redzone Iowa Showcase last Spring, and I saw it yet again in West Des Moines on Sunday; the width of Sam’s wide catch radius is nothing to mess with, even in a tight window. This young man certainly plays bigger than the 6’2 frame he showed off on Sunday, as I thought he played closer to 6’4-6’5. As a two-level player on both sides of the ball, Sam plays with a competitive instinct, especially around the edges, and has the enhanced physicality to punch the ball carrier in the mouth despite the play being nearly over; this kid has no give up in his game that is for sure. His hands are really swift and effective with getting off his sheds to zoom right into the play, as Sam is certainly a sideline-to-sideline linebacker that covers a lot of ground inside and outside. Reading thru a recent writeup I did on Sam from last Spring; this young man has skyrocketed in my eyes as far as his college football potential as I believe this young man could still grow even longer than he already is and has a Division I ceiling in my eyes. LOVE (I used all caps for a reason) Sam’s character and the locker room and coaching staff will love it too when he gets to play on Saturdays. Tape & Twitter
BJ Henry, DB/LB, Cedar Rapids Kennedy (IA) 2024
Last but certainly not least on my part I list was one of the Level Up MVPs from the 2022 tryout yesterday in Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s BJ Henry. When you make my notepad a few times in one day, that is a darn good sign you played your rear end off, and that is exactly what BJ did on Sunday in West Des Moines. BJ showed a ton of agile instincts with his change of direction in the early drills, and he brought the same outside to a cold and windy day in WDSM in 1v1s. I was a big fan of his close in ability with his ball-tracking skills. He plays linebacker at the high school level, but position-wise, at the next-level paints, a better picture at defensive back as his swift downhill motor has an elite vision when caving into the inside run in the backfield. He’s another prospect on this list that barely has to work to shed off when working against the offensive line and gets eastbound to the ball quickly around the circle. I am hoping to see BJ develop this Spring season within pass coverage based on what I saw Sunday, and you should certainly be seeing this young man on Saturdays. Somehow he sits well under the radar at this given time. Tape & Twitter
Stay tune Prep Redzone Iowa subscribers for Part II from the Level Up HS tryouts popping out on site in the late afternoon on Wednesday1