Prep Redzone WI Showcase: Best of the QBs
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The Prep Redzone WI Showcase brought in some of the best talent WI had to offer. It also gave us a great cross section of talent from across the state. We had athletes from every region ready to show off…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Redzone WI Showcase brought in some of the best talent WI had to offer. It also gave us a great cross section of talent from across the state. We had athletes from every region ready to show off their skills to coaches in attendance as well as put together great testing times for the schools signed up to receive results of the testing. To recap the talent and best performances of the Showcase I will be going through the seven position groups and identifying my Top Performers. First up are the QBs. It was a very strong group of gunslingers that next level coaches are going to want to have on their recruiting boards over the next few years. We start with the top senior of the position.
The 6’4″ 221 lbs senior QB was one of the more improved players at the position from his junior to senior season. He continued his upswing with a solid day at the PRZ WI Showcase. Right off the bat, Burns was one of the biggest QBs in attendance. He is definitely well put together, and his body control is one of the big traits that I have watched improve over the past year. That body control impacts his whole game. He still has work to do, but he took the coaching well and implemented what he was taught throughout the day. Ethan’s throwing motion is another area that has drastically improved, and it was great to see it in person a little over a year after my first time watching him. He has much more of that prototypical, over the top throwing motion and follows through consistently. That big frame also allowed him to be able to push the ball down the field to his receivers in the one on one battles.
The senior will need to continue to hone his skills at the next level, but the work he has put in over the past year is very noticeable. I have faith that he can continue to grow his game into a very exciting package as he goes through his college career. Ethan holds offers from UW-Eau Claire, St. Norbert’s College, and UW-River Falls.
Highlights
If Duke wasn’t the most technically sound QB in attendance then he was #2. Not many of the 20+ QBs were on his level when it game to mechanics and overall technique. The junior proved to be one of the top pure throwers of the football that WI will have to offer next Fall. The young man has an efficient throwing motion that got the ball out of his hands in an instant, which gave defenders little time to close on the catch point if they weren’t perfectly in stride with the receiver. The motion wasn’t just fast either. It was consistent. Sitting here writing this I can still picture the throwing motion because he was so repetitive. A major key to that was the junior’s footwork. He is light on his feet, and he always had his feet connected to his eyes.
The junior is coming off a great junior campaign that ended with him leading his team to Camp Randall for the State Championship. He is also his school’s leader in career passing yards with a year to go. Keep an eye on the West De Pere athlete.
Highlights
Finnley had a really strong performance from start to finish. He started the day off with the best overall testing performance among QBs. Check out his numbers at the bottom of the article for that performance. In the drill work, the junior impressed again. He was one of the more technically sound signal callers in the group, and in these sets the technically sound athletes rise to the top. A quick, efficient throwing motion, and his lower and upper body working in unison stuck out to me throughout the day. Finnley was also one of the QBs that caught my eye during one on one battles with his accuracy. It is not easy throwing to guys that you haven’t worked with in these high tense situations, but Doriot leaned on that technique, and was able to read his receivers’ routes well. From there he was able to use his accuracy to place the ball where he wanted it.
The Kaukauna passer is going to be another top QB to watch next season. He led the Galloping Ghosts on a deep playoff run, and will lead another talented team in 2023. Name to know at the position in WI.
Highlights
This is the second time we have had MJ in attendance at one of our PRZ WI Showcases. The development he has made has me very excited for his next two years of HS football. MJ brings an exciting dual threat ability to the table. During the testing portion of the Showcase Mitchell ran in the 4.7s and jumped 9’1″ and 9’2″. That illustrates his ground game very well. An athlete that can go the distance, but is most dangerous in the short area where he can use that explosiveness to make defenders miss.
That mobility was also on display in the drill work. MJ looked comfortable throwing on the run, and his foot speed shined through in his footwork too. One of the drills focused on getting your feet set and the ball out quick. MJ was very strong in that drill. He also took the coaching well during that portion, and instantly used it during his reps. You could see the improvement right in front of your eyes. Lastly, we will see a lot of development in his passing game as he gets the experience on Friday nights. However, the natural arm talent I saw in Oak Creek impressed me. MJ was able to create velocity that stood out from the crowd when he gripped and ripped it. Both to hit tight windows and to go deep downfield it was fun to watch MJ let it rip.
MJ is just scratching the surface, and it looks like it might be his time to step into the starting role at Catholic Memorial. Big things are ahead for the sophomore QB.
Highlights
Benjamin was an athlete that made a name for himself at the PRZ WI Showcase. He spent 2022 QBing the JV team as St. Thomas commit Tak Tateoka Tak Tateoka 6’3″ | 195 lbs | QB Waukesha South | 2023 State WI held the varsity position. The Showcase was a great introduction to his trotting abilities. The junior impressed the coaches in attendance and the day ended with Jimenez earning one of the final Best vs Best reps.
The young gunslinger has nice upside because he can do a lot of fine tuning and cleaning up of his footwork and mechanics, but the raw talent is what caught everyone’s eyes. Ben could get the ball out very quickly with a compact throwing motion, and he could get it out with surprising velocity. The ball naturally jumped out of his hands, and he used that to be able to force that ball into his man even if they were tightly covered. Even with his mechanics and footwork needing the fine tuning Benjamin was an accurate passer as well. He had good control over the ball all day long. I came away with Benjamin being an athlete to look out for next season. He could surprise people.
The Franklin HS underclassman was one of the athletes I was looking forward to watching in person. He made 6 starts this past fall, and proved to be an accurate passer competing just shy of 62% of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards. Kallay didn’t disappoint with his performance Saturday.
Similar to some of the older kids previously mentioned in this article, Kallay stood out by being one of the more technically sound passers of the day. It really stood out during drill work where we saw multiple QBs throwing at once. Joseph looked very efficient with his movements, and his upper body mechanics were very consistent from rep to rep. There was no wasted movements. It was a good day for the underclassman. I’m excited for his development over the next two seasons. The mechanics and control over the ball are already strengths. As the arm strength continues to develop so will Kallay’s threat to a defense. Stay aware of the Franklin HS product.
Highlights
A QB that could be due for a breakout year in 2023 is the sophomore out of Ashwaubenon. The 6’3″ 150 lbs QB needs to fill out his frame to ensure he can handle the rigors of a full season of varsity football, but his performance on Saturday had me making sure I keep track of his performance next Fall.
The sophomore has very long limbs that were able to whip the ball down the field. Malcolm has solid body control and looks comfortable and natural throwing the ball. He has a solid throwing motion that goes up and over. That will protect his passes from any risk of being batted down. MacGrath also demonstrated solid ball placement throughout the day. As he sharpens his footwork and hones the connection between his feet and upper body Malcolm will have the chance to develop into a name to know by his senior season. Look for him to get a shot at the varsity job this fall.
Highlights
Grayson McCain Grayson McCain 6’4″ | 200 lbs | QB Brown Deer | 2025 State WI had the top performance of the day for the position. The 6’4″ 190 lbs sophomore earned a spot in one of the Best vs Best reps to end the Showcase, and he left as our QB MVP for the event.
Check out my full, in-depth look at Grayson’s day HERE in the MVP article from the Prep Redzone WI Showcase coverage!
Highlights
Top Testing Performance of Position
Finnley Doriot Finnley Doriot 6'1" | 185 lbs | QB Kaukauna | 2024 State WI |
6’3/4″ 172 lbs |
4.69 sec. 40 Yard Dash |
4.47 sec. 5-10-5 Drill |
9’3″ Broad Jump |
6.62 sec. L Drill |