Hudl Discoveries #13 – CSAA Gold
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The Central Activities Association is home to 11 great small-town programs. The Gold in particular, houses a few great playoff teams with great talent. I was surprised by the number of great prospects I found in this league. Namely, I…
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Continue ReadingThe Central Activities Association is home to 11 great small-town programs. The Gold in particular, houses a few great playoff teams with great talent. I was surprised by the number of great prospects I found in this league. Namely, I noticed that this league is built off of grit and physicality, and several of the players I’ll talk about today have insanely good grit. Today I’ll be talking about nine of the most promising up and coming prospects in the CSAA Gold, from Big Rapids, Newaygo, Tri-County, Reed City, and Chippewa Hills.
RB | Jack Bollman Jack Bollman 5'11" | 210 lbs | RB Big Rapids | 2026 MI | Big Rapids | Hudl
Jack just had a phenomenal sophomore season at RB for Big Rapids. Jack is a good north-south runner with a very promising athletic foundation. He has room to improve with his speed and explosiveness, but his effort and good contact balance on some of his runs show phenomenal potential. He’s already looking like a running back who could get Division 3 attention down the road. With a couple of great offseasons, Jack has the potential to be a Division 2 prospect down the line.
ATH | Garret Foster Garret Foster 5'11" | 200 lbs | ATH Big Rapids | 2025 State MI | Big Rapids | Hudl
Garret is a dual-threat weapon in the run and passing game, while also posting some great defensive numbers.
Offensively, his athleticism jumps out at me. He lines up in the slot most of the time, where he’s utilized in the quick pass game as well as with motions, outside runs, etc. His highlight at 1:22 shows good acceleration, vision, and then willingness to initiate contact at the end of the play. The very next highlight shows a decent whip route- which is a route I rarely see in Division 4. A few other highlights showcase good patience, vision, and open-field RAC potential.
I also enjoy his defensive highlights, which begin at 7:24. He is quite versitile on defense. Mostly, he’s either an on-ball linebacker lining up as a 6-tech or lining up a bit more outside in the secondary, still as an OLB. I don’t think he’s as polished of a defender as he is on offense, but even without a ton of polish, he still forced several turnovers and proved he’s an all-around playmaker. His instincts are top-tier, as he plays the ball extremely well while defending the pass. He also sets a decent edge and is able to stop the run. I really like Garret’s current film, and if he’s able to work his tail off this offseason, he could be a solid Division 2 prospect in a year’s time.
TE/LB | Trenton Mossel Trenton Mossel 6'2" | 190 lbs | TE Big Rapids | 2026 State MI | Big Rapids | Hudl
Last season showed plenty of promise for Trenton, and I expect him take another step up during his Junior season. Trenton is mainly utilized as a blocking TE, which is an absolutely vital role. I love his physicality at the line of scrimmage and his willingness to finish his blocks. Some players just don’t like physicality, and Trenton is not one of those players. His effort and physicality in the blocking game make me optimistic for what he could do on defense. He only has a couple of defensive highlights as an on-ball OLB, and those highlights show a few decent tackles.
RB/WR | Wyatt Skiera Wyatt Skiera 5'10" | 175 lbs | ATH Big Rapids | 2026 MI | Big Rapids | Hudl
I just have to shout out Wyatt’s first highlight (watch below). Wyatt gets his helmet ripped off, throws a man off of him, then delivers a big hit before he’s tackled. The rest of his tape continues the trend of physicality and grit. I love to see his blocking highlights as a WR, as not many receivers are willing blockers let alone able to finish blocks like Wyatt does. The play at 0:49 shows incredibly impressive vision, athleticism, patience, and overall open-field ability. Other highlights further showcase his explosiveness, physicality, and willingness to be an enforcer. If Wyatt is able to do this as a Sophomore on Varsity, I’m extremely excited to see what he’s able to do as he continues to put time in training during the offseason.
OL | Micah Halstead Micah Halstead 6'4" | 250 lbs | OL Tri County | 2027 State MI | Tri-County | Hudl (2027)
Switching gears a tad bit, we’re looking at a run-blocking mauler from Tri-County. Micah is not just a willing run blocker, but he’s someone who finishes his blocks and hits hard at the point of contact. There is a bit to be desired fundamentally, but he has an absolutely incredible foundation for a freshman. With a few good offseasons, Micah can and will easily be one of the best offensive lineman in the CSAA.
WR/DB | Nathan Watson | Newaygo | Hudl
Nathan puts up some promising film as a sophomore on varsity. Defensively, he’s a willing run-stopper who takes good pursuit angles. Offensively I like his routes, release, and overall speed. He just needs to work on being more of a playmaker on both sides of the ball, which comes with a little extra effort at practice and general experience playing football. I’m looking forward to seeing how Nathan can improve come next season, and he’ll be on my radar.
WR/DB | Sebastian Belanger Sebastian Belanger 5'10" | 145 lbs | ATH Newaygo | 2026 State MI | Newaygo | Hudl
Sebastian put up some impressive stats as a Sophomore. Particularly, his 3 interceptions and 7 PBUs stand out. As a receiver, he shows promise in the open field and as a possession receiver. At 1:37 (and at a few other points in his tape) Sebastian shows some open field ability in the screen game. With just a bit more work in the gym and weight room, he could break those for touchdowns. He already has decent vision. As a DB, he shows some great instincts, and he’s able to go up and make plays on several occasions. There is some to be desired fundamentally, but the foundation is there.
S/WR | Jack Deitsch Jack Deitsch 5'11" | 155 lbs | DB Reed City | 2026 State MI | Reed City | Hudl
Jack is straight-up the best defender on this list. He’s an absolute enforcer as a safety. Turn on the tape- he has rare fearlessness and willingness to deliver big hits. Once the ball is handed off, Jack launches himself like a heat-seeking missile toward the ballcarrier. He has good pursuit angles, and lays the wood while tackling. He also shows some polish and impressive instincts while defending the pass- there’s a reason why he’s a safety and not a linebacker. There are also several good special teams highlights where he delivers some lethal blocks. I love the trajectory for Jack as a future great Safety prospect.
QB | Hunter McGuire | Chippewa Hills | Hudl
Hunter may be the best quarterback in the entire league, and he’s only a sophomore. The Southpaw throws a good spiral, is decently accurate, and does good work on the run / while improvising. His throw power/arm talent isn’t the best currently, but with time he’ll be able to naturally improve. He looks worlds more accurate than most small-school quarterbacks, as he throws accurately on the run, cross-body, to all points of the field. He’s especially good in the short-intermediate range near the sidelines. His mechanics could also use some work, namely his throwing motion, but his footwork is promising. I am confident that Hunter will be able to eventually develop into a College Quarterback.
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