Uncommitted Seniors to Watch: Week 1

The wave of commitments this offseason has been the biggest I have seen. Students are putting in the time to visit, camp, and see what feels like home and making decisions early. As you scroll through the rankings you will see that has led to a lot of the top talent already being committed. However, the talent pool is still deep among uncommitted 2025s. So let's talk about a few that college coaches should have their eyes on in Week 1.    Last season we saw Franklin take on Catholic Memorial at Waukesha South High School and come away with what many called an upset in the 31-24 victory. Verges led the way in receptions that day, going 5 receptions, 56 yards, and a TD. Franklin's offense will need that and more this time around as they look to involve a new wave of receivers.   Ben has the talent to do that in this year's showdown with Catholic Memorial. He is coming back 15-20 lbs heavier, which will only make him more of a force after the catch. The standout TE brings a massive catch radius thanks to excellent hands that can make every type of catch. His speed with that size is going to give the CM LBs and DBs plenty of trouble. We know the connection between Verges and QB Kallay is well established. Look for both of them to come out of the gate hot.     This is going to be a must watch battle for anyone in the Sun Prairie/Madison area. Sun Prairie East plays host to Verona in a Week 1 heavyweight bout. Both teams will field seniors that are well within the Top 10 of their position groups in the 2025 rankings. One such athlete is WR [player_tooltip player_id='685891' first='Cooper' last='White'] who is WR6 overall and the second highest ranked uncommitted WR in the state.   Cooper's matchup with the Verona defense will be must see TV. You have to expect he will be facing off against the #1 defender in WI and Tennessee commit, [player_tooltip player_id='382410' first='Tre' last='Poteat']. Cooper has the tools to hold his own. His quickness, agility, and body control has given him the ability to be an excellent route runner. That ability will be key as he looks to open up separation against a loaded defensive backfield. I can't wait to see the highlights from this Cooper and this game overall.     One of the best pure passers in the state returns to the field on Friday night as he leads Grafton into a battle with Cedarburg. Grafton will be looking to make their way back to Madison in November with a lot of the key pieces that helped get them there last fall. It will be interesting to see if Brady and the offense start off as hot as they did in 2023 when he threw for 327 yards and 2 TDs on just 26 attempts.   That type of output is always in the cards for a QB of Brady's talent. The senior checks off all the boxes. Consistent footwork, an arm that can get the ball to every blade of grass with velocity, and the control over his placement to be a 70+% completion percentage passer while attacking every level of the field. The senior is extremely poised and enters his senior season with as much experience as you could hope for. College coaches, keep your eyes on the lookout for this Week 1 highlight tape.     Ben and West De Pere will host Hortonville in a rematch of the 2023 season opener. WDP brought home the 25-14 victory in a thrilling battle of two very talented teams that I was lucky enough to watch live. A lot will be different this time around as Lemirand moves into the WR1 role. Last year Ben came away with an electric 4 receptions that went for 126 yards and a TD. With the graduation of Langdon Nordgaard, who had 11 catches that day, we could see Ben get a big jump in targets.   Just like in last year's matchup, Lemirand will give WDP the fastest athlete on the field. That has led to WDP also having the most explosive playmaker on the field. Ben is an athlete who can get behind the defense with ease and track the ball over his shoulder. He can also take the quick pass, make the defense miss and be off to the races. Keeping Ben in front of the defense will be a challenge for teams all season. Can't wait for these Week 1 highlights.     In 2023, West Allis Hale struggled to a 1-8 record. That one win came in a Week 5 42-0 win over West Allis Central. That is who Hale opens up against this season as they look to start things off with a W. In that game [player_tooltip player_id='685850' first='John' last='Schloss'] caught 1 pass for 12 yards, but made his biggest impact in the run game. John helped open up holes for an offense that break free for 296 rushing yards and 4 TDs.   I expect Hale to continue to want to establish the run game, giving Schloss the chance to continue to impress with his powerful blocking. The 6'3" 240 lbs TE is going to be driving his man off the line all night long and cutting off LBs at the second level. It will be interesting to see if he sees more action in the pass game this time around, but even if he doesn't the tape is going to be impressive. John is one of the top TEs available, and could even have a future on the IOL. Keep an eye on him this week and the season overall.     St. Croix Central will be hosting Mauston to kick off their 2024 campaign. A campaign that is sure to see a lot of run game, with more run game, and a little bit of run game sprinkled on top of that. Teams like SCC have the ability to do that because of the talent they have and develop on the OL.   One of those impressive athletes on the OL is [player_tooltip player_id='685908' first='Vaughn' last='Berger']. Vaughn has been consistently putting on size and will enter 2024 around the 265 lbs mark. Berger excels at getting out of his stance quickly and getting leverage with where he attacks his opponent. He has the range to attack and meet LBs at level 2. Berger also demonstrates a strong base to drive the bigger DL out of holes on the interior of the line. Look for Vaughn's tape to have plenty of impressive reps right from the start. He is one of the top OL names to know.     Manitowoc Lincoln opens their 2024 campaign with a tough battle against De Pere at home. This will be a great chance for Julien to continue to pump out the impressive tape as De Pere has multiple impressive DBs on their defense. Bailey has proven he can battle against some impressive DBs, coming off a junior season where he put up almost 600 yards receiving and 9 TDs.   I'm expecting those numbers to rise this fall with the talent that he possesses. Julien is a quick twitch athlete that shines in the short passing game because of his ability to make DBs miss in space. He also has the unfair long speed to put stress on DBs as they try to stay with him or keep him in front of them. Julien is a talented weapon out wide that coaches need to check out early this season.     We are in store for a big season from the versatile ATH out of Wauwatosa East. Mack and East kick off their 2024 season with a game against Kingdom Prep Lutheran. A team they faced off with in 2023 and beat commandingly 44-6. East will be looking to repeat that success and so will Malachi who posted a dominant line of 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD, 8 Tackles, 2 Sacks, and a forced fumble.   Malachi has the talent to take over games like he did in that Kingdom Prep Lutheran matchup in 2023. He plays the game faster than a lot of the opponents he faces off with. We see him easily get the edges on end arounds, get behind the defense in the pass game, and fly off the edge on defense to put pressure on the QB. Wherever you put him on the field Malachi finds ways to make plays with his superior athleticism. I'm excited to see what he does this time around.

The wave of commitments this offseason has been the biggest I have seen. Students are putting in the time to visit, camp, and see what feels like home and making decisions early. As you scroll through the rankings you will see that has led to a lot of the top talent already being committed. However, the talent pool is still deep among uncommitted 2025s. So let's talk about a few that college coaches should have their eyes on in Week 1.