IKE Scouting Report (vs. Dakota)

After a shocking loss to Chippewa Valley, IKE came into this game as the underdog. I (regrettably) dropped them in my rankings pretty hard, and boy, did IKE prove me wrong.   This is a team that I've always wanted to watch in person. So many ranked players and so much up-and-coming talent. Today, I'll be sharing my evaluations of seven IKE players!    Conner exploded out of the gate and was the biggest reason IKE was able to get out to a 14-0 lead.   Early in the first, Conner came down with a few great 50/50 balls. There was one in particular where he came down with a very difficult catch on (I think) 3rd and long. Later in the game, Connor had a scoop-and-score TD (shown in the Tweet below).   In terms of college upside, I think Conner is severely underrated. First off, I really like his size. He's definitely 6'2 and has long limbs. On top of that, he has great body control and is an elite 50/50 guy. Conner can also climb the ladder and high-point balls that smaller DBs don't have a chance to get. Finally, Conner is a very high effort player on both sides of the ball. He received a lot of targets, and ran extremely hard on each and every route. Defensively, Conner attacked the football and was very opportunistic.   The only big question with Conner is his route running. Most of his routes seemed to be deep go's posts, etc. I didn't watch Conner run any comebacks or other short routes, and I don't see any from this season on Hudl. I also didn't watch Conner when be blocked, so that's a bit of a question.   All in all, I don't see why Conner doesn't have many other GLIAC offers. He has the size, and he has the skill. Grand Valley State is (in my opinion) the best in-state recruiter in the GLIAC. They don't take offers lightly, and I know they must be confident in Conner. Wherever he ends up, I can say confidently that [player_tooltip player_id='247687' first='Conner' last='Temple'] is a Saturday player.   <a href="https://twitter.com/statechampsmich/status/1844891293777826110">https://twitter.com/statechampsmich/status/1844891293777826110</a>     Bryce didn't have a dominant performance like in weeks past, but he was undoubtedly still a key piece for IKE.   Offensively, I watched Bryce run a few wildcat plays. Whenever he ran the ball, I was very impressed with his quickness and vision in tight traffic. Bryce doesn't dance around too much, he's relatively patient and does his best to always run north-south. One area of improvement is contact balance.   Bryce showed exactly what he's shown on tape. I didn't watch him much because he's a senior already committed to GV (I try to focus on 2026's), but it was impossible to completely ignore him. Great stuff, and I'm glad I got to evaluate Bryce in person!     I watched Gabriel for a few drives on both sides of the ball. In terms of yesterday's game, Gabriel made a few tackles defensively (LB) and was a high-effort player on offense. In the few tackles I saw, Gabriel tried his best to lay a big hit, but I honestly didn't like his technique. Offensively, he gave consistently great effort but didn't receive many targets. I will say, Gabriel ran a few good short routes, and he looks generally athletic. Gabriel also punter, making him a 3-way starter.   Offensively, I didn't get a clear enough look to see potential areas of improvement. He played all over the field, and is a great gadget player this season. Next season, Gabriel should get a ton more offensive oppurtunities.   Defensively, Gabriel looked raw. Pretty slow to react during a few plays, and not great at stopping the run.   It's obvious that IKE has a lot of trust in Gabriel since he's a Junior starting in all phases. Although my current in-person evaluation is pretty bare bones, I know that Gabriel worked very hard this offseason and has made a few GREAT plays for IKE in weeks past. I am really looking forward to seeing Gabriel at some point this coming offseason.     Marco caught my attention late in the game when he posted a sack. During that drive, Marco did a solid job at anchoring down and giving a great initial effort. However, as each drive progressed, Marco looked tired. He began standing up out of his stance and didn't show much effort outside of the initial burst.   Offensively, Marco played solid at left tackle. The technique can be improved upon, but I really liked the effort in every play I watched.   That said, Marco is a raw prospect, but his size + flashes of good play have intrigued me. If he wants to play college football, he definitely can with a great offseason. Start working right when the season ends, and Marco could earn D3 offers by July.     Braylon is someone who I've evaluated multiple times during the offseason. He wasn't a top priority for me to evaluate, but I'd like to shout out a few plays he made.   Offensively, Braylon secured a great high-point catch and ALWAYS ran extremely fluid routes. He also threw a touchdown on a trick play, which is fun to see. Braylon is currently overshadowed a bit by other, more experienced talent, but he still gave amazing effort play in and play out.   He also started at corner, but I honestly didn't watch much of him there.   Braylon has already made a few <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15571133/670275c08a66cd4affd0c36c">great play</a>s showcasing his effort, route running, and open-field ability. He's a fringe MAC prospect in my eyes, and I'd be shocked if schools like GV and Ferris State don't offer him this Spring.     I didn't know who IKE's starting QB was going into this game, and I made a point to evaluate whoever was in that position.   All in all, Jack is a very raw quarterback. Although he's raw, Jack managed the game extremely well and rarely put the ball in harm's way. IKE passed the ball a lot, and Jack sometimes held onto the football for a bit long. While I don't particularly like how long he held onto the ball, I like that Jack waited until the perfect time to hit his receivers. Also, when Jack missed a throw, he almost always overthrew the ball. Overthrowing the ball is far better than underthrowing, as it makes it harder for the defense to intercept the ball and it gives his receivers a chance to high-point the ball.   Moving forward, I'd like to see Jack make quicker decisions and have more consistent footwork, throwing motion, and accuracy. He's definitely the guy for IKE, and Jack has an opportunity to lead IKE to a DEEP playoff run.     Duda caught my eye a few times during the game. Although he didn't earn a ton of targets, I was incredibly impressed by his effort. In addition, I saw a few solid comeback routes, and I know he at least has above-average route running.   Anyways- Duda's big play came very late in the 4th quarter. Duda started with an explosive release and screamed downfield on the deep post, then secured the slightly underthrown 50/50 ball.   Great & consistent effort, good route running, and seems very explosive. Duda is a true 6'2"-6'4" with long limbs and projects as a college X receiver. Next season, I fully expect Duda to take over the [player_tooltip player_id='247687' first='Conner' last='Temple'] role. My sample size is very small, but my gut says Duda will be a GLIAC prospect.

After a shocking loss to Chippewa Valley, IKE came into this game as the underdog. I (regrettably) dropped them in my rankings pretty hard, and boy, did IKE prove me wrong.