Athletes Putting Together Early Season Breakout Campaigns

We are three weeks into the season. Crazy to think that a third of the regular season is already in the rearview mirror. Those first three weeks didn't go to waste, though. Several athletes have gone above and beyond what we expected to see, and have made themselves legitimate college football prospects. We have a list of nine athletes putting together that particular type of season, and we are here to shine the spotlight on them. Let's get into it!    We just talked about Wyatt in last week's Live Game Recap, but we are here to shine the spotlight on WI's most underrated recruits. That is what we are going to do, so we had to include the 6'6" 235 lbs senior DL in this article. It doesn't look like the senior has an offer at this time, but that should change as the highlights start getting out there. The senior has elite length, and active hands to create separation from OTs as he rushes the passer. He has solid speed around the edge and shows off some bend around the corner to take the shortest path to the QB. The big man also flashes some quick lateral agility to make linemen miss with their initial punch, and that is enough to get him past them and after the QBs. Through the first three games, Wyatt has piled up a dominant 7 sacks. He has size, agility, and production that should turn a lot of heads. The film is now published too. Check it out!      The Amherst senior OL is very new to the Prep Redzone WI radar, but he showed up just in time to earn a spot in this article. Jack has a great frame at 6'4" 240 lbs. He carries that weight very easily and will be able to carry plenty more at the next level. The senior has experience at guard, tackle, and DL just through the first three games of this season. Even at 240 lbs, Jack has the power to drive his man off the line of scrimmage in the run game. He plays with good knee bend to get leverage and consistently shows good hand placement on his opponent. His lower body strength also flashes on defense where he has bene able to bull rush right over the top of OL. Jack holds an offer from River Falls currently. Check out his library of weekly highlights.      Thomas has put together a great early season. Since the 2024 season kicked off, the senior DL has earned offers from Eau Claire, Concordia- St. Paul, and Minnesota State University- Moorhead. Watching through the highlights, it is clear to see what has everyone impressed. Thomas is quick out of his stance and can instantly create power on contact to set the edge vs the run. His ability to instantly create power is hard to find. Especially from an athlete who also has the ability to play with the quick twitch agility he has coming off the edge. As a pass rusher, Medley shows active hands, quick hips, and balance to be able to run a tight loop to the QB. Don't be surprised when even more schools join the recruitment of Thomas. Check out some of his highlights.      Blake has put together a breakout party early this season. He already has a 260+ yds 6 TD game and a 170+ yds 3 TD game in just the first three weeks of the season. The production is off the charts, and the tape is just as fun and impressive to watch. The word that comes to mind while watching it is: balanced. Blake is very good at understanding how to attack. He can win with vision and patience behind the line. He can attack downhill with power between the tackles and break through tackles of LBs. The senior also has the speed to get the edge and beat pursuit angles. Blake has proven he can handle a massive workload and take over games. It looks like the senior is still looking for that first offer, and that doesn't add up with the tape. Give the stud a look.      I love what I'm seeing here. Luke has made the switch to RB as well as safety on defense. The senior does a good job of following his blocks while also scanning and finding cutback lanes to attack. He brings physicality to the position with his power and also a low center of gravity that helps him to bounce off tackle attempts or drag the pile forward. At safety, Luke shows a high level of instincts and football IQ. He is quick to diagnose plays and has the range to be able to get himself in position to make impactful plays. Don't sleep on the versatile athlete out of West Salem.      Malcolm is an under the radar QB who is doing his best to climb the rankings with what he has done early in the season. Statistically speaking, Malcolm is completing 66% of his passes while throwing 21 attempts a game on average. It isn't dink and dunk passes either. The senior is averaging 258 yards/game thanks to his ability to push the ball 40+ yards downfield accurately. MacGrath is showing impressive touch and ball placement to every level of the field through the first three weeks. He is also a smart decision maker, highlighted by his 8 TDs compared to 0 INTs through 3 games. Malcolm has a great frame, production, and ball placement. More eyes need to get on him.      We have been anxiously waiting for film from the 6'5" 280 lbs DL out of Sun Prairie West, and it is here! The senior does a great job of using his size to his advantage. He consistently gets hands on and is able to create that separation to then disengage and get around the block. The raw power is there to be able to collapse the pocket with a bull rush. Ben also implements pass rush moves that have been effective for him. Buie is raw, but he is learning and developing quickly. No surprise that the impressive athlete holds an offer from St. Thomas. Check out the film below because more schools should be recruiting him.      I wondered how the Franklin run game would fair after the graduation of their stud 2024 back. Robert has more than held it down at the position. The junior RB has an impressive low center of gravity and body control that allows him to recover from crazy angles and hits then continue to pick up yards. He forces defenses to gang tackle him and gameplan around how to slow him down. On top of the physicality, Robert offers a viable receiving threat out of the backfield too. Robert is a gritty athlete at the RB position.      An OL who has really taken a big step is Eau Claire North's Kenton Mondeau. The massive junior OT is now an impressive 6'7" 315 lbs, an elite frame for the OT position at any level. Kenton's tape is filled with examples of how devastating his heavy hands can be on the initial strike. Over and over he sends kids to the dirt with just that first punch. Despite the massive frame, Kenton also can move rather well. He faced off against some speed rushers in Week 3 and showed that he could get good depth to cut off those speed rushes. In the run game, Kenton's pure strength easily overpowers DL at this level. The junior is able to drive them off the line or that initial punch again is able to pancake his opponent. I highly recommend diving into the tape of an athlete who be one of the top players in the Class of 2026.

We are three weeks into the season. Crazy to think that a third of the regular season is already in the rearview mirror. Those first three weeks didn't go to waste, though. Several athletes have gone above and beyond what we expected to see, and have made themselves legitimate college football prospects. We have a list of nine athletes putting together that particular type of season, and we are here to shine the spotlight on them. Let's get into it!