PRZ WI Prospect Tour GameChangers

This content series is sponsored by GameChanger – The Official Scorekeeping, Stats, Team Management & Technology Partner of Prep Redzone.

The Prep Redzone WI Prospect Tour is in the books! It was great to see such a strong group of athletes from across Wisconsin, as well as Illinois, come out and show off their skills to scouts and college coaches. Every position group was well represented, so to start off our post-event coverage I am going to dive into the best overall performance among every position group, and why they are GameChangers.

For the first time ever, we have a back to back PRZ WI Showcase MVP. Grayson attended the Showcase in December, and went home with MVP. So my hopes were high when I saw he had registered to return. The 6'4" 190 lbs sophomore QB didn't disappoint. His game is really coming together. It is clear that he has been putting in the work this offseason, and carrying it onto the field. He looks the part with that huge frame. His arm strength perfectly matches his size. The ball explodes out of his hand. He can get the ball 40 yards downfield on a frozen rope that leaves no chance for DBs to close on the ball. Where he made the biggest jump was in his footwork and his accuracy. No surprise that the two are correlated either. I was really impressed with how well he took to the coaching as well. He implemented what the coach was telling him, and it was producing instant positive results. Lock this dude on your QB boards for the next few years. Don't miss out on him.

Jacari made a name for himself on Saturday. I didn't have the freshman RB on my radar, but he made sure I knew his name by the end of the day. The freshman RB still has growing to do at 5'5" 140 lbs, but the plethora of athletic traits that he possesses are great building blocks for his future. The freshman flashed very quick feet and the body control and balance needed to be able to change direction on a dime. The young playmaker also proved to be a reliable receiver out of the backfield. Both in drills and the one on one battles I saw Tidwell pluck the ball out of the air with ease. In one on ones it all came together to cap off a great day. He was a big time mismatch against the LBs with his suddenness. I'm excited to watch his career unfold.

One of Wisconsin's top ATHs came out to the PRZ WI Showcase and wowed the coaches in attendance with his WR play. Chris started the day off with a strong testing performance. He broad jumped 9'8" and ran a 4.75 40 yard dash. It was great to see the numbers match what I have seen on tape from the sophomore. The one on ones is where Chris fully took over and proved to be the top performer of the day in a deep group of pass catchers. Kiel demonstrated a consistently effective release off the line that got quickly got him into his route and clear of the DB. He flew through his routes and had little wasted movements in his breaks. Chris also proved to have some of the most reliable hands in the group. If the ball was within reach he was going to find a way to come down with it. I'm very excited to see how his summer camps go, and then get ready for a big fall for him. MH/Barneveld is going to field an impressive team this fall and I expect Chris to be in the mix.

Coming into the Showcase, James was one of the prospects I was most looking forward to seeing in person. The 6'3" 290 lbs sophomore delivered with his performance. Right off the bat, Nellis looks the part of a next level OL. He has long frame, with plenty of weight and strength packed onto it filling it out. I was impressed with his testing performance to start the day. I don't have official numbers, yet. However, James was a smooth runner in the 40 and had a solid broad jump for an OL. The trench battles is where he locked in his spot for MVP, though. That was great to see because we don't have a lot of tape of him pass protecting. He answered any questions about it at the camp. James proved to have the anchor to swallow up and end any bull rush attempts with his powerful anchor. Nellis also proved to have the lateral agility needed to mirror defenders. James won reps all along the OL, but looked his best at OG. Right now, I'd predict that's where he plays at the next level. Don't miss out on one of the top 2025s in WI.

The top defensive line performance came from the most impressive 2024 in attendance. Catholic Memorial's Carl Pevey Jr Carl Pevey Jr 6'0" | 240 lbs | DL Catholic Memorial | 2024 State WI . had himself a day. The 6'1" 235 lbs DL has a well balanced attack when pass rushing, and we got an up close look on Saturday. The one on ones were his stage to shin eon, and he delivered. Carl won with quickness that started from his explosive first step and acceleration. He was able to run and bend the loop to the QB for wins. Pevey also proved he could win with agility and hand fighting. His ability to cut inside, or fake one way and go another had OL reaching all afternoon. His heavy hand usage also kept himself clean. Lastly, Pevey had the power to be able to get underneath the OL and walk him backwards. Look for a big year out of the soon to be senior. He will be a big part of the Catholic Memorial defense this fall.

The Bay Port freshman is becoming a PRZ WI Showcase veteran already. He attended the December camp, and has made a big jump since then. His performance on Saturday earned him MVP of his position group. There is a lot of potential in the freshman. The 6'2" 195 lbs athlete looks bigger than last December, and his weight room work has been impressive. On Saturday, Brock did a really good picking up the coaching. During one on ones, Brock was getting better from rep to rep. While improving he was also winning a lot of reps. Gauthier proved to have the athleticism to turn and run with RBs when they made their breaks. He also did a good job of timing his hands at the catch point to break up passes. Between his size, range, coverage abilities, and the bloodlines (older brother just committed to the Badgers) there is a lot to be excited about. Make sure to have him on your radars over the next few years.

Our top defensive back performance was put on by the Neenah underclassman. Grant is one of the top two-way athletes in the Class of 2025. Safety looks to be his best position for the next level, and Grant used the day to show that he can be a three level player. The type of player who has the speed to range all over the field. He looked so smooth in the drill work. His hips flipped quickly and his feet were light. His backpedal demonstrated the prototypical short choppy steps that got him depth and allowed him to attack downhill quickly. The on eon ones was were he put it all together. That is where he proved he can come down and play man to man. You don't have to just put him 15 yards deep. He can be a true chess piece for a DC. Dean's reactive athleticism was key as he was able to transition from his backpedal or turn and run with receivers. Grant is in for a big year between this summer camp circuit and the fall season.