2023 Preseason Prospect Primer, La Salle College HS
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Kelby Hampton HEIGHT 6'2" WEIGHT 180 POS DB CLASS 2025 View Profile Kelby Hampton Twitter State: New England School: Salisbury School We begin with the top-ranked senior prospect deployed in the secondary by the La Salle College Explorers, that being…
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Continue ReadingWe begin with the top-ranked senior prospect deployed in the secondary by the La Salle College Explorers, that being Kelby Hampton Kelby Hampton 6’2″ | 180 lbs | DB Salisbury School | 2025 NewE . A highly-touted prospect due in large part to the fanfare we send Hampton’s way. That being said, all collegiate opportunities are brought in thanks to his phenomenal tape and skill set.
You can make the case that Hampton led the 2022 secondary in terms of talent, he will likely do so again this Fall. 6’2, 180, a frame that coaches drool over, especially for DBs. 5 FCS offers under his belt as of April this year, with his lone FBS offer coming from Kent State.
Tape will show a DB that can align at the LOS to press and shoot his hands. His calling card is an obvious one, long limbs and physicality. Having him press wideouts is a no-brainer, the kid’s tape backs up this notion. Lower body strength and balance early in reps make him a tough DB to combat hand-to-hand at the LOS. Not going to say Hampton’s hips are going to rival the best corners on the East Coast, yet his feet can be counted on to limit false steps, ability to run and catch-up speed are certainly viable. Can play six-eight yards off the ball, yet I’m enamored with his ability to thwart WRs off track early. Solid ability to play the ball too. Contributor on special teams. I believe the Explorers have enough offensive weapons to not have Hampton play both sides of the ball. He’s a fit at safety too.
La Salle will station a top-25 offensive lineman in the trenches, one who has recently announced his commitment to Merrimack football. 20+ pounds of muscle added to the frame of Lukas Donahue Lukas Donahue 6’3″ | 300 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA , a phenomenal athlete that can be stationed in numerous alignments inside.
6’3, 310 pounds, an inch taller, and as well as significant weight put on, the young man looks bigger and stronger every time I see him. All-Catholic honors. Predicting Donahue’s role this coming Fall is a tough one considering two things. One, Michael Carroll Michael Carroll 6’6″ | 290 lbs | OL Central Bucks East | 2025 State PA and Cole Kozlowski aren’t in the building, you can make the case that Donahue is the lead voice of the offensive line unit. As it should be.
The All-Catholic tackle will likely be back to hold down the blindside of Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA , not sure there’s another prospect worthy of that role. Donahue’s tape shows a mixture of tenacious down blocking when working in run sets. You can see the IQ and brain churning, the young man locates his assignment on the move well. Plenty of momentum behind his punches, this leads to plenty of pancakes on tape. Thinking about the tape growth from years 2 to 3 has me excited about what we’ll see in year 4. Donahue’s confidence should be through the roof, a former camp stand-out, honors among his peers, D1 recruiting status. Seeing the growth from when we first identified Donahue has been a pleasure to watch behind the scenes. I’ve got a feeling we haven’t seen the best of Lukas Donahue Lukas Donahue 6’3″ | 300 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA .
Highlights
Back in October of last year, standout running back Stevie Davis Stevie Davis 5’7″ | 175 lbs | RB La Salle College | 2024 State PA announced his commitment to UPenn Lacrosse. We like Davis enough to call him a top 300 prospect in his class, yet his skills as a LAX prospect outclasses what he provides LaSalle on the football field. That’s a big compliment.
LaSalle’s leading rusher, 600+ yards on the ground, will likely be back serving as the starter in the backfield next to Sidwar. I’m always unsure about prospects who commit to play at the college level at a different sport, this in terms of their role. Many seniors continue to play other sports, some coaches prefer they hold off. To my knowledge, Stevie Davis Stevie Davis 5’7″ | 175 lbs | RB La Salle College | 2024 State PA will be back toting the rock. Three rushing touchdowns as well as a receiving score under his belt last Fall.
Much like Lukas Donahue Lukas Donahue 6’3″ | 300 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA , senior Keiran Campbell will likely be the loudest voice in the trenches opposite of the offense. Darold Dengohe, now at James Madison, and Samuel Ross, now at Millersville, Campbell will lead the way in what might be a young and inexperienced defensive line. We’ll see who’s deployed beside Campbell, one things for sure, this kid is out to prove doubters wrong.
We once liked Campbell as a top 100 prospect, yet recruiting never reflected how we felt, thus a drop in rankings. This should hardly be a motive for the young man, as he has plenty of time to win over coaches who undoubtedly have him on their board. I’ve been around the block a bit, so long as his grades are in order and he produces, he’ll get the next-level attention he’s working hard for. The focus is on Friday nights. Has the skillset and build to align as a DE/EDGE whether La Salle is deploying a three or four-man front. I like his abilities rushing the passer shading outside of tackles, yet the young man produces well when aligned tighter. He can handle his own when shading the B-gaps, he’s got plenty of run-stuffs on tape.
The spotlight is on Campbell this Fall. He’s capable of shining in that light.
Highlights
Senior Andrew Brennan Andrew Brennan 6’2″ | 270 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA will be another critical piece to the puzzle inside with Lukas Donahue Lukas Donahue 6’3″ | 300 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA .
I’ll be the first to admit, this young man’s ranking is WAY off. Although his tape doesn’t scream production and excellence, I find it hard to believe there are 123 better offensive linemen than Andrew Brennan Andrew Brennan 6’2″ | 270 lbs | OL La Salle College | 2024 State PA . I should probably sing his praises a bit more often, as his junior tape rivals some of the better tapes provided by great centers across the state. I might’ve not seen his junior tape release, a lame excuse. To college coaches reading, this kid’s tape is likely a top 300-400 tape if we rework his rank. Tape shows awesome hand placement off the snap. More impressive is his drive post-snap. This young man wins towards the tail-end of reps thanks to his phenomenal leg drive and strength. High motor kid who’s going to win against smaller NTs and DTs.
John McSorley John McSorley ATH State PA
John McSorley John McSorley ATH State PA
We were introduced to John McSorley John McSorley ATH State PA after he was inserted in relief of an injured Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA as well as Smith and Damon.
Huge props to this kid, he wasn’t dealt the best hand, yet he was called upon to step up and did just that. 28-46 as a passer, although favorable sets were called to match his skillset at the position. He blended running the offense the way it was designed with his own flare, running the football when necessary. The team’s second-leading rusher, McSorley accounted for nine scores last Fall despite his role being uncertain this time last year.
Very interested in seeing what role he will find himself in with Sidwar back in the fold. La Salle knows they have a viable option, although I’d bet the coaching staff would prefer Sidwar to be healthy from August to December.
Matt Wills Matt Wills LB PA
Matt Wills Matt Wills LB PA
Matt Wills Matt Wills LB PA was an oversight on our part, the young man was pretty productive as a junior inside the Explorer front-seven. Top five on the team in terms of total tackles, also registered a sack and some TFLs.
Matt Wills Matt Wills LB PA is another UPenn LAX commit, commitment dating back to before mid-season last Fall. I couldn’t find much tape on the turf which is totally understandable for a prospect who might be focusing on Lacrosse at the time of play. I’m unsure if he’ll be suiting up at OLB for La Salle, I’m they’d take his experience at the position.
Below are two seniors I’ll keep my eye on. Not much in terms of tape and production in the past, yet senior roles could have them propelled to a higher spot on the depth chart. Lange, a linebacker with tackles to his name, and Machi Holland Machi Holland 5’8″ | 160 lbs | WR LaSalle College | 2024 PA , a young man who could be called upon to run routes if need be.
Highlights
We move on to the juniors of the group. I recently wrote quick evals on both Julian McFadden Julian McFadden 5’11” | ATH La Salle College | 2025 State PA and James Dolan James Dolan 5’11” | 170 lbs | WR La Salle College Prep | 2025 State PA , so I’ll skip reiterating and repeating the same notion.
I’m more intrigued to see how the tandem will produce as the two starters at wideout. I think the two complement each other if stationed correctly, as Julian McFadden Julian McFadden 5’11” | ATH La Salle College | 2025 State PA can be used to run the majority of the route tree, acting as a viable three-level option for Sidwar. I imagine Dolan ends the Fall with the most receptions, working zone defenses underneath and eating in his role. Nole Henry and Ryan Sorge are long gone, these two will likely see the bulk of the receiving yards this year.
Julian McFadden Julian McFadden 5’11” | ATH La Salle College | 2025 State PA is headed into a Fall campaign off an offseason establishing real chemistry with his quarterback and teammate Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA . The two are staple weapons for Level 82’s 7v7 program. Guarantee the chemistry built in this setting will bear fruit in the Fall in some fashion. Expect James Dolan James Dolan 5’11” | 170 lbs | WR La Salle College Prep | 2025 State PA to catch more than 40 balls this Fall, along with McFadden surpassing 500+ receiving yards.
Highlights
Michael Fileppo has graduated, the Explorer who led the defense in total tackles by a wide margin. Chris Fileppo Chris Fileppo 6’2″ | 200 lbs | ATH LaSalle College | 2025 State PA is still in the building, likely providing the two-way production that we are used to. Fileppo toted the rock 50+ times last Fall, I don’t expect those occasional carries to go anywhere. Julian McFadden Julian McFadden 5’11” | ATH La Salle College | 2025 State PA might double as a WR/DB, but Fileppo put forth some solid reps at slot corner/OLB. He’s even got some boundary CB reps under his belt. This young man is the wild card on the team that opposing programs are going to have to account for all over the field. He’s a special team contributor too. Pound for pound one of the best football players on the field. More substantial tape could have college coaches calling. I expect him to fly up our boards after this Fall.
Highlights
Dylan Clair Dylan Clair 6’0″ | 215 lbs | LB La Salle College | 2025 State PA and Mick McKee II Mick McKee II 6’1″ | 150 lbs | WR La Salle College | 2025 PA are two names I have my eye on. Hardly any tape or production to speak of, yet I have them on Watchlist just in case they carve out roles for themselves this Fall.
Listening to outside noise, you’d think La Salle was in rebuild the way some people are writing them off. I get it, the 2023 class was special, yet not many are realizing how special the La Salle 2026 class could be.
We begin with Gavin Sidwar Gavin Sidwar 6’3″ | 185 lbs | QB LaSalle College | 2026 State PA , ranked as the second-best quarterback in his class. If you’ve ever been around the young man, you can get a gist of his smooth confidence. Nothing seems to phase him, on or off the field. The kid could care less about rankings or noise. We can all argue about placements and where the kid stacks among kids across the country, one things is for sure, La Salle has a special underclassman working behind center. So long as that’s the case, La Salle will be in contention to win the Red Division.
A three-level passer with depth perception to target kids deep. One of the best pre-throw packages held by a quarterback in the state regardless of class. I look back at his performances against Calvert Hall and North Penn and see why Virginia Tech and Maryland extended offers to the young passer. Sidwar has all the ability in the world to be mentioned in the same conversations as Samaj Jones Samaj Jones 6’0″ | 215 lbs | QB St. Joseph’s Prep | 2024 State PA and Stone Saunders Stone Saunders 6’2″ | 200 lbs | QB Bishop McDevitt | 2025 State PA . We just have to see it happen on the field.
A candidate to break-out of the Red Division, one that I’ve been pretty high on since seeing him work in person. I’m completely out of the loop in terms of where we might see JPO deployed, yet I have a feeling this sophomore will play a pivotal role on both sides of the field.
6’3, 200 pounds. John-Patrick Oates John-Patrick Oates 6’3″ | 200 lbs | WR LaSalle College | 2026 State PA has come into his own in terms of build, the kid looks beyond his years in shorts and a t-shirt. Before we tout his name, we want to see the promise blossom into production on tape. OLB/DE might be an option, same goes for WR/TE. The team is pretty young in the front-seven, so maybe working him into a LB role would benefit. That being said, a trio of McFadden, Dolan, and Oates could stack up well against PCL Red secondaries, especially if Sidwar is the one throwing the football. We ranked JPO as a top 50 sophomore prospect, high praise for a kid that’s yet to prove anything. I have an eye for these things, however. Make sure you get this kid’s name on radar sooner rather than later.
Ton of hype around sophomore Joey O’Brien Joey O’Brien 6’4″ | 180 lbs | ATH La Salle College | 2026 State PA , deserved hype I might add.
6’3, 170 pounds, projecting to play in the La Salle secondary. Sporting a 3.8 GPA, this kid is on a fast track to big things, both in recruiting and team role. Another key component to Level 82’s success this offseason, much like Julian McFadden Julian McFadden 5’11” | ATH La Salle College | 2025 State PA . The young man is already on the board of many prominent colleges along the east coast, we are all excited to see him cash in on an exciting year start to finish.
A top 50 ranking, O’Brien’s Hudl doesn’t provide a seasonal tape, much like John-Patrick Oates John-Patrick Oates 6’3″ | 200 lbs | WR LaSalle College | 2026 State PA . I’ve seen enough from the kid this offseason, as well as through clips on Hudl, to suggest that O’Brien could be one of the better defensive backs in the city of Philadelphia. I’m willing to throw his name in that mix. We’ll see if I’m right or not.
Highlights
Here are two additional 2026 prospects who I’ll have my eye on.
Jemel Williams Jemel Williams DL La Salle College | 2026 State PA has some promise to his name, as Williams will likely see an expanded role along a defensive line that has some shoes to fill. 6’1, 240, 3-tech with a 3.0 GPA.
Ryan Damon Ryan Damon 6’3″ | 175 lbs | ATH LaSalle College | 2026 PA could be added to the giant secondary that could include names like Joey O’Brien Joey O’Brien 6’4″ | 180 lbs | ATH La Salle College | 2026 State PA and Kelby Hampton Kelby Hampton 6’2″ | 180 lbs | DB Salisbury School | 2025 NewE . S/DB prospect standing at 6’3, 175, Damon could stand out. I like what I see via Twitter clips, hear he’s a ball player too. Excited to see what translates to the turf this Fall.