Notre Dame Prep vs. GR Catholic Central Scouting Report

Yesterday, Notre Dame Prep put up a shockingly impressive performance against a state powerhouse. Here, I'll share my notes on a few of the most prominent players from both teams.    So, Odin did not have a successful outing. He went 4/22 on the day with 2 interceptions and 67 yards.   It was apparent that the game was moving way too fast for Odin. ND Prep was blitzing the entire game, and it definitely rattled Odin. He was also playing with a ton of hesitation. On one of his interceptions, he stared down his receiver for far too long (receiver ran a hitch), threw it way late, and allowed the DB to jump the route and make a play.   I do not doubt that Odin will bounce back. Yes, there are plenty of things to work on, but this season will serve as a phenomenal learning experience. It is apparent that Odin is talented, and I hope he can keep his head up and keep at it.     Right off the bat, I was impressed with Brayden. During pregame, he was the vocal leader who rallied the troops. I loved his energy during the early stages. In addition, it's obvious that he's put on a significant amount of muscle. Last time I updated his weight, he was listed at 185. Now he's 215.   As for his actual play, he was hit and miss. The best, most consistent part of his game was tackling. I saw a lot of missed tackles but only one from Brayden. I even saw Brayden make a few impressive shoestring tackles. Even when he's not in the best position, he has the focus and strength to grab a ballcarrier's legs and force him to the ground. I also liked his coverage skills, and I like that he's utilized in a variety of ways (on-ball, off-ball, Nickel).   The one major element that I did not like was his effort. Throughout the game, I'd say he was playing at 80%. On runs to his side, Brayden did a good job of trying to work through blocks and make a play. On outside runs / screens, I did not like Brayden's effort most of the time. ND Prep did a great job working through open-field traffic and they broke a lot of tackles, and Brayden would have been a great help if he sprinted to some of those plays instead of assuming his teammates had the tackle. I'm used to a swarming Catholic Central defense, and last night was not it.     #24 was all over the field last night. I mean, wow. 2 interceptions, 78 yards receiving, and a touchdown.   He was sticking onto Jami (D1 offered receiver) very well. He was targeted a ton, and Joey way more often than not made a good, smart play on the ball. On his first interception, Joey read the QBs eyes beautifully and jumped the hitch route to secure the pick.   Offensively, Joey made a few great catches. I didn't watch him a ton on that side of the ball, but it seemed like he was running very good routes, and he was able to grab some tough catches. He was also open deep downfield on multiple occasions and was slightly overthrown on those occasions.   Right now, I only see one offer from Lawrence Tech on his Twitter. Just going off this game, I think he's wildly undervalued.     Drew's mission was simple. Pressure the QB.   Play after play, ND Prep drew up a blitz to pressure the inexperienced Freshman QB. On many occasions, Drew was the first to get pressure and force an inaccurate or ill-advised throw. Yes, Drew is a bit undersized, especially playing on-ball. Though he is explosive, plays very hard, and is an all-around excellent football player at the high school level. In addition to his several QB pressures, Drew scored a TD on a blocked punt. I now see why he was 2023 all-state and why he holds offers from Hope and Lawrene Tech. I think either of those programs would be a phenomenal fit.     Billy was an extremely impressive running back. At first glance, he looks like your typical elusive back. 5'9" 195, pretty well-built, but nothing extraordinary from the eye test.   But he got going, there was no stopping him. In total, Billy racked up 229 yards and 3tds. 95 of those yards came from the ground, 106 from receiving, and another 28 from punt returns.   Billy is an excellent runner in traffic. He forced several missed tackles by making small adjustments. A little juke, shoulder fake, and probably a lot of things he does unconsciously- they all worked. His tiny adjustments, at worst, allowed him to gain a couple of extra yards. At best, it turned a standard play into an explosive play. I remember two plays in particular where Billy was running between the tackles, got hit early, was able to catch himself while falling forward, and somehow kept his knees off the ground while churning forward. I wouldn't say Billy has great contact balance, but he has incredible focus and recovers extremely well when he does get hit.   Based on what I saw yesterday, Billy is a good Division 3 prospect. Very good athletic foundation and great instincts, but I don't think he quite reaches the athletic threshold that most GLIAC programs are looking for.     Sam should be a college prospect. For one, he is the ideal size for a quarterback—6'4"—which is exactly what programs are looking for.   Second, he had a great day stat-wise. 14/19 with 254yds, 2TDs, and 1 INT.   On many of his incompletions, he barely missed a receiver deep downfield. I counted at least two occasions where Sam overthrew his receiver by a couple of inches. On one of those occasions, the coverage was tight, and Sam threw it about an inch too far. Still, it was a throw that demanded a perfect ball, and it was dang near perfect. That said, I like his all-around accuracy. Sam throws a beautiful spiral with a good amount of zip. He could still work on his processing + timing on some throws but the talent is 100% there.   My gut currently says D3. Without his size, I'd say NAIA. I think there's too much upside here for him to be passed up. MIAA programs- look into Sam!     Jack is someone I circled on my roster because of his size. Watching him in person, I can confirm that Jack is around 6'4" with long-looking limbs. That right there will immediately get the attention of colleges.   He is fundamentally raw, but there are some things to like. I saw him reach block, base block, and he generally did a solid job run blocking last night. Jack does a good job of getting hands on a man and fighting against the block shed, but he doesn't do a whole lot to recover once he's lost and is not strong enough to dominate some D-Linemen. That said, he is quite slim for a tackle, but I've seen plenty of colleges recruit an under-weight tackle if he has decent skill.   There's a lot of upside here. If Jack is interested in playing college ball, he's got a great shot at earning D3 offers if he puts in the work this offseason.

Yesterday, Notre Dame Prep put up a shockingly impressive performance against a state powerhouse. Here, I'll share my notes on a few of the most prominent players from both teams.