Marquette Scouting Report (vs Lowell)

I've been itching to see the Marquette Sentinels for a long time. Marquette is likely the most recognizable Upper Peninsula program, and this team has several prospects that I've been wanting to watch perform in person. Today, I'll be sharing my evaluations of five of those highly anticipated prospects.    I really liked what I saw from Pavel during yesterday's game. In fact, I firmly believe he'll be a top-tier GLIAC prospect this coming spring.   I watched Pavel closely throughout the game. In the dozens of blocks I watched him attempt, I only counted one loss. While run blocking, Pavel has enough power to eliminate just about any defender on down blocks, and he has the agility to effectively execute reach blocks.   While pass blocking, Pavel knows the fundamentals of his kickstep and I like that he keeps his hands up. He's not the most agile or fluid, so I'd expect him to struggle against quicker defenders, especially those with a good inside move. Though, Pavel was going up against a solid EDGE rusher and won each and every time I watched. Especially when his defender tried to win on the outside, Pavel always flushed him out of the play.   In addition, Pavel was calm and collected when the game got out of hand. Some of his teammates expressed negative emotions, while a few guys like Pavel talked with teammates about what to do better (in a positive way).   With his size and current skill, Pavel will 100% earn GLIAC offers. If he continues to improve, the MAC is not out of the question.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/IMG_6673-crop-1771x1163-1726983537.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1473438" style="width:606px;height:auto" /></figure>    Although his first sport is basketball, I could easily see Jacob earn a spot on a GLIAC football roster.   He's a true 6'6" with a long wingspan. He is slim for a tight end and lined up off the line of scrimmage the entire game. That said, Jacob is probably underdeveloped when it comes to blocking, just based on the lack of reps he got in that area yesterday. As a receiver, he's an OK route runner, and I didn't see enough to properly evaluate his hands. Jacob did have one catch in particular where he displayed great physicality and contact balance.   I'm sorry if I sounded a bit too critical. My point with Jacob is he's a raw prospect with excellent upside. Because of his basketball background, he's very athletic and knows how to maneuver his body (a ton of 6'6"+ athletes struggle with athleticism) So, with his athleticism, in addition to his size and length, I could see a ton of GLIAC programs loving his potential.     Talon showed exactly what he's shown throughout the offseason. Offensively, he's extremely polished for an Upper Peninsula prospect. He won his blocks, finished his blocks, and did a great job in that area.   Defensively, Talon played an even better game. Although Marquette got crushed, Talon consistently won his reps and was all in all the most physical Marquette defender. On top of that, Talon is incredibly competitive, which is something I didn't see too much last offseason. That said, he expressed some emotion in negative ways, but I am happy that Talon is so passionate about how his team is performing.     Ford is a talented Quarterback. During warm-ups and throughout the entire game, he was throwing the ball with excellent accuracy and zip as long as he had his feet set. In-game, Ford continued throwing the ball well with his feet set in the pocket. Out routes, fades, comebacks, you name it- Ford has the arm to sling it on time to his receivers.   When Ford was pressured or forced to throw on the run, that's where big accuracy issues showed up. There was one play in particular when he had a receiver screaming wide-open downfield. At the last moment, Ford was forced to sidestep and make a quicker throw than usual. Because of that, he was just off the mark. That showed up repeatedly; any pressure or movement meant accuracy issues. Lastly, Ford was getting quite frustrated throughout the game. As a Quarterback, you need to have a short memory and a "next play" mentality.   I am overall impressed with what I saw from Ford. He's the most talented Quarterback I've ever seen from the Upper Peninsula, and he's got very high upside. I think that Ford will be a phenomenal developmental prospect for a good D3 or NAIA squad in the future.     Marquette has some good receivers, and Pierce may be the best. For one, he has solid size and looked to be around 6'0"-6'2". On top of that, he knows how to run a variety of routes. I didn't see too many, but I watched him run a solid hitch and heard him talking about other route combos on the sidelines. Especially running deep, Pierce can really explode out of his stance and earn separation.   On top of that, Pierce was another player who displayed great leadership on the sidelines. On several occasions, I watched him talk with fellow receivers about how to exploit the Lowell defense.   If Pierce can travel to a few D3 camps next Spring, I could easily see him earning opportunities.

I've been itching to see the Marquette Sentinels for a long time. Marquette is likely the most recognizable Upper Peninsula program, and this team has several prospects that I've been wanting to watch perform in person. Today, I'll be sharing my evaluations of five of those highly anticipated prospects.