9 Freaky Midwest Prospects Ready to Take Over College Football

The word "freak" is often overused and cliched in this day and age. This past NFL Draft Combine saw Xavier Worthy, a Texas Longhorns WR born in Fresno, CA, set the draft record in the 40 yard dash with a 4.21 40 while adding a 41" vert, 10'11" broad, and 1.49 10-yard split. That's a freaky performance, but last year, Florida Gators QB and Gainesville, FL product Anthony Richardson had the best showing of any QB in NFL combine history. At 6'4, 244 lbs., he went 4.43 in the 40 with a 1.53 10-yard split, a 10'9" broad, and a 40." vertical. Now that's freaky! After a fair bit of research, I wanted to take a stab at naming some high school football prospects who qualify as "freaks", but with a Midwest twist, as I'll find any and every reason to rep Middle America when I can. Still a lot of developing left in these young men too, a fact that should be as terrifying to future opponents as it is exciting to their future strength and conditioning coordinators. Get to know these 8 Midwest Freaks Ready to Take Over College Football below! Who knows, we may be seeing them tear up the NFL combine soon. Buy stock now!   --    It's a good crop of TEs in the Badger State's 2025 class, and with the amount of P4-worthy rising senior TE prospects, plus the tradition of TE prowess Wisconsin has set for itself, means we should have a freak or two in the mix.   At 6'5, 230 lbs., Brookfield East's Trent Oiler has produced an 11.03 100M, 22.09 200M, 48.69 400M, 6' high jump, 19'8 long jump, 41-0.75 triple jump, 6.69 55M, and 7.24 60M, and he's competed at both the New Balance Indoor Nationals as a sophomore and Nike Indoor Nationals in March. Oiler also popped off a 9'5" broad jump and 4.69 40 at the PRzWI Showcase and has clocked an 80 MPH pitch and 7.07 60 yard dash as a baseball prospect. That is some serious speed for a big fella, and Oiler's ability to compete so well in a wide variety of track and field events is as rare as it is impressive for a 6'5, 230 lber. That is functional athleticism folks, and schools like Central Michigan, South Dakota, Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Akron, Rutgers, Ohio, Appalachian State, Army, UAB, Marshall, and Missouri all noticed and reached out with offers, and Oiler has official visits set to Rutgers and Mizzou.   Positionally versatile as a TE, WR, and DE, Oiler also returns kicks and has to be one of the biggest kick returners in the Midwest, showing the speed to capitalize on seams in a coverage unit and pull away from pursuers. He even has a rep of him making a beautiful open-field tackle on kickoff coverage, cementing himself as a three-phase standout and contributor, always a good sign of a possible gridiron-based freak. Oiler can flex out or operate as a traditional inline TE, and he displays contested catch ability, quick and effective footwork at the LOS in his releases, and the speed to stack and pull away from cornerbacks when working vertically. The 6'5, 230 lber. is a fluid athlete who can break his routes off smoothly and create separation at the top of the route and is an effective blocker at the second level in space who can use his length and take advantage of body positioning to wash defenders out of the play. Plus, he dominates when blocking DBs and third level defenders out on the perimeter. Can't wait to see who lands this Wisconsin-born-and-bred freak of a TE!     Heading down to the Great State of Ohio for our next freaky Midwest prospect! As it's one of the most fertile recruiting hubs in the nation, the Buckeye State is quite familiar with top-tier athletes, and Lakota West's 2025 6'4, 220 LB fits the bill. Holding nearly 30 Division 1 offers, including 15 P4 offers, Beerman cranked out an 11.03 100M time this fall at around 220 pounds, and even though it was hand-timed, that's still some serious speed. Beerman also popped off a 51.9 400M during his sophomore outdoor track season, and has clocked a verified 4.39 shuttle, as well as a 10'2" broad jump, and 4.7 laser 40, with a reported 4.54 40 as well. The kid can move, and he's attended official visits with Michigan State, Purdue, and Cincinnati, and is planning on hitting West Virginia this weekend as well.   Beerman posted 79 tackles, 12 TFLs, 4 sacks, 2 FFs, and 2 PBUs last fall with the Firebirds, showing off a skillset of speed, physicality, and playmaking ability. An off-ball ILB with tons of length and room to fill in on an already towering 6'4 frame, Beerman is a thumper who processes, identifies, and triggers on the ball quickly. The play speed and hair-on-fire play style are impressive, as he plays the position with a noticeable amount of pace. He displays acceleration from a dead stop off his plant foot, as well as closing speed once he gets his eyes on the ball, and he blocked punts and produced some big-time sacks from his burst and explosiveness off the snap alone. Beerman also demonstrates sideline-to-sideline pursuit speed and takes good angles to the football, is slippery around blocks, and has the speed to carry WRs deep and stay in-phase on wheel routes and pass catchers going deep. Big hits, disruptive TFLs and sacks, PBUs, splash plays on special teams, he gets the crowd on their feet and shuts down offensive drives nearly single-handily. Just doing what a freak does!     A late-to-the-party freak who has seen his stock rise into the P4 ranks this spring, Gilbert High School's 6'3, 225 lber. Will Hawthorne track times this spring have played a big role in the 2025 LBs come-up and shown the Midwest and national recruiting scene just how athletic he is. Hawthorne is having a fantastic spring on the track, producing 100M times of 10.97 (second all-time in Gilbert's history), 11.08, and 11.33, and he added 47'3" in the shot put and participated in the school record 4x100 squad that participated at state, as well as the spring medley that finished 4th all-time in Gilbert's history and also participated at state. Plus, he added a 305x5 bench in May, as well as a 315 lb. clean. The first P4 offer came from Iowa State in late April, Kansas, Kansas State, and Nebraska have since followed. Talk about the freaky grades and freaky intelligence too, Hawthorne also holds a 4.0, and also has received offers from Western Michigan, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UNI, UPenn, Fordham, Lehigh, Missouri State, Ohio, Cornell, South Dakota, Air Force, Army, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois.   The 6'3,, 225 lber. posted 63 total tackles, 10 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, 3 FFs, and 131 carries for 774 yards and 7 TDs + 12 receptions for 320 yards and 4 TDs, and the track speed very much shows up on tape. The ILB opens his tape with a ferocious hit and follows it with an impressively twitchy rep of him beating a blocker for a nice open-field tackle on what would have been a splash play. He's a three-phase playmaker, will do the dirty work as a lead-blocking fullback, but has more than enough juice with the ball in his hands to put in work as a receiver and RB. A monstrous hitter and crushing blocker with sideline-to-sideline pursuit speed, Hawthorne is a do-it-all utility player with eye-catching start/stop and burst, as well as homerun speed with the ball in his hands. I love how he scrapes and flows to the football, doing so with impressive and eye-catching pace and lateral ability, and he has the speed to carry WRs 1v1 over the middle on crossing routes and digs, one of the hardest routes to cover 1on1. Also blocked a punt, is a slippery block defeater and displays contact balance, quick feet, coordinated hands, and burst with the ball in hand. People underestimate how athletic Iowa products are year after year, Hawthorne is yet another example of how wrong they are!     One of the top players in the nation in the 2026 class, Jackson Cantwell has been a familiar name to Midwest recruiting fanatics since he entered the high school ranks in 2022. First off, he's a massive human. Standing at 6'8 and 300 lbs., he looks like a create-a-player at the OT position, especially for a high schooler, and the genetics and bloodlines are about as good as it gets. Cantwell is the son of two former Olympic throwers. His dad won a silver medal in the shot put at the Beijing 2008 games and his mom competed at the 2000 Sydney games, and the genetic gifts were apparent when Cantwell was a freshman, when he broke the Missouri Class 5A record in the shot put (64-3.75) and won a state title. The record was previously held by a 2023 4th Round Draft Pick in the NFL Draft, and Cantwell also finished second in the discus that year. Now, as a rising junior, he's a back-to-back state champion in the shot put and has posted some eye-popping throws like his 74' 9.75" shot put - good for the #2 throw in the nation this outdoor season - and over 200 feet in the discus for a Top 10 throw in the discus as well. Cantwell also has posted a 365 lb. incline bench press, and is a First Team Maxpreps All-American two seasons in a row. allowed zero sacks in 2023, broke the Kansas Relays record in the boys shot put that stood since 1980, and also plays basketball. He's one of the freakiest OT prospects we've seen in a while. 28 P4 programs have entered the race for the 6'8 offensive tackle's talents so far, including the likes of Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Georgia, and both staffs at Alabama offered as well.   You don't need to do too much digging or overthinking into the tape, as the LT, who strikes a towering and imposing presence on the left side of the LOS for Nixa, is absurdly athletic on tape and displays movement skills and body control indicative of a prospect half a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter. Dominant at the contact point and able to send opponents flying once he locks out his arms, Cantwell is explosive out of his stance and when working out in space, bendy, and sticky once he gets his paws on an opponent and is very difficult to disengage from. A fluid athlete and mover, everything he does looks coordinated, intentional, and smooth, and he's especially impressive when showing off his balance, lateral agility, and footwork, both before and after he makes contact. He looks like a 5star power forward or center on the hardwood with his footwork, body control, and lower body ability. Cut-and-dry 5star talent, folks, that means a future NFL First Round Draft pick. This is what freaks do!     Back to Wisconsin and their incredibly talented 2025 TE class. These dudes are not only standouts on the gridiron, but all have decorated track backgrounds bordering and crossing into freaky territory when you combine it with their size. Prairie Du Chien's Blake Thiry, a recent Indiana Hoosier commit, plays RB, WR, TE, and LB at 6'4, 220 lbs., and he's also a nationally-rated long snapper to complete the three-phase trifecta. As I mentioned, the track times are quite impressive, especially given the events that Thiry competes in. He's PRed with a 14.89 110M hurdle, 40.08 300M hurdle, 22'4.25" long jump, and 45'10.25" triple jump, qualifying for state and medaling in all four of those events, including breaking his own school record in the triple jump with that aforementioned jump. Thiry earned 10 D1 offers for his efforts, and also owns a 470 lb. squat, 280 lb. bench, and 290 lb. clean. Indiana got a big-time steal here.   As mentioned, Thiry is a three-phase contributor whose speed, dynamic ability, and contested catch prowess are all very impressive for a 6'4, 220 lber., and backs up the great track times and P4 commitment status in only a couple reps of his junior film. The 2023 Conference Player of the Year, as well as an All-State selection as both a TE and OLB, Thiry caught 35 passes for 620 yards and 6 TDs (17.7 YPC average) as well as 1,184 rushing yards and 19 TDs on a 9.8 YPC average as a junior with PDCHS. He displays excellent 50/50 ball and high-pointing ability, using noticeable bounce, timing, concentration, ball skills, and body control to pluck the ball right out of the air over sometimes multiple helpless DBs. I also like his big catch radius and strong hands, and his speed and burst as a route runner flash freakiness against small-school Wisconsin competition. The top-end speed can help him win vertically and take the top off the defense. Thiry also bounces off tackle attempts like a pinball machine as a RB and demonstrates great contact balance and takes advantage of his long and powerful legs that help him slip through tackle attempts. Matchup nightmare for various reasons, I think Indiana got a major recruiting win and sleeper here.     I just watched Forest Lake High School's exemplary 2026 DE Howie Johnson earn his P4 offer from his home state Minnesota Gophers, an offer that he jumped on and committed to I may add, this past Monday on the Gophers campus, and I'm very excited to share Johnson's athleticism with our regional and national audience. We've been well aware of his top-tier and freaky athleticism in Minnesota since Johnson was a freshman, and we're very grateful that he's been to multiple PrepRedzoneMN Showcases, so with that evidence, and the multiple other exposure points I've gotten with Johnson, both padded and unpadded, I feel very comfortable saying that the Minnesota-born-and-bred rising junior is a freak.   At a verified 255 lbs, we've personally clocked Johnson at a 4.9 flat in the 40, and well as a shuttle in the 4.3s, a 9'9" broad, and a 7.28 L-drill. The rising junior did a great job of solidifying his freaky athletic ability, especially for his age, in track & field this past outdoor season, going All-Conference in both the shot put and the discus and highlighted by a 59'0.25" shot put throw this spring was good for 6th best in the entire nation for the 2026 class. He also went 154'11" in the discus and had another good shot put throw with a 58'11" this spring. Johnson also has video evidence of a 375 lb. front squat, 300 lb. bench press, 500 lb. back squat, and 225x3 on the incline bench, and 265x5 on the push press. With those numbers, it's no surprise that Johnson totaled 80 tackles, 28 TFLs, and 7 sacks as a sophomore, which was good for the most TFLs in the state in 2023 and also happened to come against big school, 6A, Twin Cities Metro competition. I've broken down Johnson, his skillset, and his tape numerous times, so check out his tagged articles on his profile for a more indepth eval, but I can summarize it quickly by noting that Johnson's get-off, pad level, twitch, ability to go speed to power, strength at the contact point, natural pass-rushing skillset and ceiling, and physicality are all top-notch and have helped him dominate any and all competition he's gone against, including 4star OTs and countless college football commits in his still-budding career. It's going to be a MONSTER year for the now-Minnesota Golden Gophers DL commit. We'll be hearing about him on Saturdays and potentially beyond in a couple of years.     Yes, there's another Wisconsin-born TE on this star-studded list of Midwest athletic freaks, and this one is heading to Notre Dame. The son of a former Notre Dame standout and NFL Third Round Draft Pick in 1994, as well as the grandson of a 1967 NFL Second Round Draft Pick out of Pitt, Flanigan has NFL ability in his blood, and it's already showing up nicely in his prep career. At 6'5, 230 pounds, Flanigan is fresh off a monster 2024 outdoor track season, posting PRs of an 11.44 in the 100M, 59'2.75" in the shot put, and 181'1" in the discus. He's also clocked a 6' high jump during the 2023 season and a 17'3" long jump as a freshman. Flanigan won a Wisconsin Division 2 state title in the discus as a 10th grader while also capturing a silver medal in the shot put, and this year, he won the Wisconsin D2 shot put championship and placed second in the discus. Additionally, he's also a heckuva hockey player, playing on the wing for a Notre Dame Academy hockey team that went 28-0 and won a WIAA D1 state title in March of 2023. In the recent 2023-24 season, he scored 28 points in the 2023-24 season, including 12 goals and 16 assists and was also named to the Team Wisconsin 16U AAA team in 2022-23. Talk about a multi-sport athlete!   On the gridiron, Flanigan is a two-way contributor as a TE and LB, and displays good burst and solid speed that was utilized well by the NDA staff, who aligned him as an inline TE where he could match up against slower LBs and safeties. The 6'5 pass catcher can make catches in traffic and through oncoming hits across the middle and is powerful after the catch, showing that he can bounce defenders off his pads, keeps his feet churning through contact, use that powerful lower body to eat weaker tackle attempts for lunch, and he use his size and length to his advantage. I found myself impressed by how Flanigan can breakdown and adjust in space to corral second and third level defenders as a blocker, which includes swiping back across the LOS and he's a physical and willing blocker who uses his length and technique effectively. Strong enough to handle DEs along the LOS and nimble and controlled to block quicker defenders out in space. This kid could play any sport and be the best in the state at it. Notre Dame is getting a stud.     One of the best wrestlers in the entire nation also happens to be a P4 football recruit, and of course, he hails from the Great State of Iowa. Fort Dodge's DreShaun Ross is one of the best multi-sporters in the nation, and the rising junior already holds offers from Iowa, Purdue, Iowa State, Minnesota, Mizzou, Nebraska, KState, Kansas, and Wisconsin, and although high-major college wrestling programs can't offer him until September 1st, he's already one of the most well-known names in the nation and is poised to be one of its most popular wrestling recruits as well. Ross, who comes from a decorated wrestling family himself, earned a pin to win the 3A, 215 lb. Iowa state finals in 2024, state champ at 3A195 in 2023. he also won the U17 freestyle 92kg bracket to make the U17 World Team and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament, and is a 2023 USA Wrestling Triple Crown Winner and 2022 Pan American champion in both freestyle and greco. After winning the state title this spring, Ross was named the Class 3A Dan Gable Mr. Wrestler of the Year in the state of Iowa, and in only two season, he ranks fourth on Fort Dodge's all-time win percentage list (90-2) with a .928 percentage. The Cadet Greco World Team member is the #4 ranked 215 lber. in the nation according to FloWrestling.   He's far from a slouch on the gridiron as well, as the wildcat QB, linebacker, and running back is an impressively and noticeably strong kid - which shows up in his North-South ball-carrying run style, how he attacks, defeats, and gets up and under to rip through blocks, and as a tackler, where he can throw out as mean of a double leg as he can on the wrestling mat. Ross is a thunderous and powerful ball carrier who can run through strong and weak tackle attempts alike, thanks to his raw power, contact balance, and effort, and he displays homerun speed and noticeable burst that can shift into that top gear once he sees daylight. I like how Ross can get skinny when shooting gaps and finding seams in an offensive line for TFLs and sacks, can power through dogpiles and rip away from multiple tackle attempts at once, and closes on ball carriers with pace. He's also instinctive in coverage and does a good job of stepping into passing lanes around the middle of the field. Not sure what sport he'll play in college, but whoever lands him, and in whatever sport, is going to get one of the best multi-sporters in America.     Freaky speed from the Ohio-bred 2025 defensive back, who owns one of the fastest 100M times I saw from any prospect in the Midwest this past outdoor track season. Galloway popped off an elite 10.48 100M in early April at the East Tigers Alumni Invitational, reinforcing his title as the #1 DB in Ohio and a Top 10 kid in one of the nation's most fertile recruiting grounds. As a sophomore, Galloway placed 2nd in Ohio's D2 state finals in both the 100 and 200M, running a 10.42 wind-aided 100M, as well as other times of 10.53 and 10.59, and 21.18, 21.26, and 21.32 in the 200M. This season, he once again placed second in the Ohio D2 finals in the 100M.   Posted 5 INTs and 3 TDs in 2023, including a pick-six, and holds 29 D1 offers and 20 P4 offers, with Kentucky, West Virginia, and Purdue getting OVs so far with a commitment date set for July 5th. The real-deal track speed shows up on tape in droves, and Galloway is also a three-phase contributor and playmaker with an impressive junior tape. Off the bat, I love his ability as a press corner. Physical, bully-like mentality who shows good technique and is itching to get his hands on a WR off the snap. Also able to play off-man, and shows loose hips, the has the speed to play aggressively in coverage and is rangy in pass defense, good ball skills, and is easily able to maintain phase with wideouts and gets out of his breaks with noticeable acceleration and ease. Plus, Galloway looks like he's shot out of a cannon when he gets the ball in hand, is elusive and lethal in the open field, and is an explosive returner who uses the entire field to his advantage as a ball carrier. Freaky track speed is also a recipe for success on the gridiron, and Galloway is rich in that department. Can't wait to see where he lands.    --

The word "freak" is often overused and cliched in this day and age. This past NFL Draft Combine saw Xavier Worthy, a Texas Longhorns WR born in Fresno, CA, set the draft record in the 40 yard dash with a 4.21 40 while adding a 41" vert, 10'11" broad, and 1.49 10-yard split. That's a freaky performance, but last year, Florida Gators QB and Gainesville, FL product Anthony Richardson had the best showing of any QB in NFL combine history. At 6'4, 244 lbs., he went 4.43 in the 40 with a 1.53 10-yard split, a 10'9" broad, and a 40." vertical. Now that's freaky! After a fair bit of research, I wanted to take a stab at naming some high school football prospects who qualify as "freaks", but with a Midwest twist, as I'll find any and every reason to rep Middle America when I can. Still a lot of developing left in these young men too, a fact that should be as terrifying to future opponents as it is exciting to their future strength and conditioning coordinators. Get to know these 8 Midwest Freaks Ready to Take Over College Football below! Who knows, we may be seeing them tear up the NFL combine soon. Buy stock now!