Production > Recognition?

With the 2024 season in the books, a lot of seniors making their commitments, and college coaches getting out to start building up their next recruiting class we are starting to see some consistencies. On one hand we are seeing a lot of talented athletes either starting to be recruited and offered or announcing their commitments. On the other hand, we are also seeing a few athletes who are looking for that uptick in recruitment. For a lot of these athletes, once summer camps come around and they get another chance to prove themselves we will see that recruitment increase. However, we are going to get ahead of the curve here at PRZ WI and talk about those athletes who have produced at a high level and are ready for the recruiting attention, right now. We start with a 2025 ATH who put together one of the best performances of the year...    Leading the way in this article is La Crosse Logan's [player_tooltip player_id='262117' first='Bradley' last='Check']. The senior LB/QB/ATH put together one of the best statistical seasons of the 2024 campaign. A stat line that had him down to the final two choices for Prep Redzone Player of the Year. The outstandingly productive athlete put up 1,534 passing yards, 2,177 rushing yards, and 51 offensive TDs. Bradley also secured 123 tackles on defense.   Watching Bradley on tape and in person led to a big rise in the final rankings for him. His 5'10" 210 lbs frame is strong, punishing defenders and ball carriers as he broke tackles or made them. He has the short area agility and lateral burst to play in the box, avoid OL and get to the ball quickly. When it comes to versatility nobody proved it better than Bradley in 2024. The senior is still uncommitted and vastly under-recruited. Check out the tape. His production and talent deserves it.     Another wildly productive athlete who needs to see it translate to his recruitment more is Columbus' [player_tooltip player_id='1209428' first='Conner' last='Roche']. The 5'10" 180 lbs senior RB was in the race for #1 in rushing yards and TDs all season long. He finished the year with 2,257 yards and 35 TDs while helping Columbus qualify for the playoffs and put together a deep run to Level 3. While putting up those numbers Conner put out tape that shows a well rounded athlete that I would have thought the WIAC would be all over. Vision, physical running style, low center of gravity to help break tackles and gain yards after contact. Plus the qualifying athleticism is there. Roche is one of the Top 10 senior RBs still uncommitted. Check him out.     Another PRZ Player of the Year finalist who needs to see the recruitment match more of his production level is [player_tooltip player_id='685858' first='Drew' last='Kortz']. Drew is another two way stud who played a monstrous part in Freedom's deep postseason run. Kortz finished 2024 with 2,844 passing yards, 774 rushing yards, 41 offensive TDs, 49 tackles, 7 INTs, and a pick six. Drew finished 2024 as the conference offensive player of the year, DB of the year and was All State on both sides of the ball. The senior is also a 21 PPG scorer on the basketball court. No matter where or what sport Drew competes in he produces. Which is why I am so surprised to see he is uncommitted and not reporting an offer. The versatility, athleticism, and playmaking ability need to get him more attention. A WIAC team needs to sweep in and steal this kid.     Another steal in the Class of 2025 is the 6'4" 170 lbs QB out of ashwaubenon. MacGrath finished 2024 with 2,402 yards and 21 passing TDs. The pocket passer was in his second year as a varsity starter in 2024 and the leap he made in production along with his physical development is great. He improved his TD:INT ration from 5:11 to 21:5 in 2024. Malcolm also improved his completion percentage and more than doubled his yards while playing just one more game. The senior was aggressive too. He could push the ball downfield with solid velocity. On the short-intermediate levels he can fire it into small windows. Most important of all, the senior QB is accurate. He completed 60% on the year while averaging almost 9 yds/att. Get this kid on campus, get him in the weight room, and let him keep developing. You will be very happy with how he ends his career with you.     Flipping to the Class of 2026, we can't go too far into the roster of players we have ranked before we find one that is deserving of more than what he has. Tommy is receiving attention that he deserves, however he has been in the race or at the top of the RB list since he was a freshman. While others around him have earned offers, the Marquette standout is still looking for his first. No doubt it is on the way, though. Tommy is such a natural playmaker. He seems to do everything well. Attack the edges, run between the tackles, make people miss, provide a receiving threat. The junior already has a State Championship and almost 3,300 career rushing yards under his belt. Big things are ahead for this kid. I can't wait to see who is the first to extend the playmaker an offer.     A standout on the defensive side of the ball that is sure to see things pick up for him over the coming months is Bay Port's [player_tooltip player_id='533161' first='Brock' last='Gauthier']. The younger brother of Wisconsin Badgers LB Landon Gauthier finished just outside the Top 10 in tackles for the state while helping bring home the team's first D1 State Championship. Brock thrives out on the edge in an OLB/S hybrid role. He has the range and change of direction to be able to drop into a zone, read the QB and close quickly on the ball. Brock also has the aggressive mentality to fly downhill, take on blocks, and make tackles against the run game in the thick of the trenches. In just 25 career varsity games Brock has over 200 career tackles. The production is already there and only going to get more impressive. Get on him early.     We move into the trenches for our final two production monsters. First up is the most productive pass rusher returning in 2025. [player_tooltip player_id='1361629' first='Wyatt' last='Graffin'] of Columbus finished with 14 sacks in 2024, good enough for 2nd overall in the state. Making it even more impressive, it was the first season that he put time into the DL position instead of purely OL. The big, strong athlete is also a dominant thrower during track season. With Wyatt's size, power, quickness, and raw ability I have to believe it won't take long into camp season for him to start turning heads and earning offers. What I'm interested in seeing is if those offers start before we get to camp season. There is plenty of productive tape to watch through and fall in love with before the teams start pouring in. This is a kid to get in early on with his size and position versatility.     We are currently working on updating the Class of 2026 rankings. Maxx is an athlete that you can expect to see make a significant jump. It is looking like he will be a Top 100 player at least. The 6'4" 280 lbs OL made a great impression at the PRZ WI Winter Showcase in December. He was able to show next level balance and reactive athleticism in pass protection. It was great to see the natural gifts in pass protection because the film is loaded with run blocking reps. Not surprising for a team that lived off the ground game. That is why Wittmer is included in this article. He helped clear the way for 2,300+ rushing yards and 35 rushing TDs in just 12 games. In the run game, Wittmer is a mauler who can drive his man off the ball and remove him from the designed gap.   Maxx also makes this list of athletes because he needs to see an increase in recruitment. The 6'4" 280 lbs junior is currently looking to get on campus for some Junior Day visits so he can build those relationships with coaches. Get your eyes on this kid and get him on campus to meet him and also see that his size is legit. Big time sleeper prospect here.

With the 2024 season in the books, a lot of seniors making their commitments, and college coaches getting out to start building up their next recruiting class we are starting to see some consistencies. On one hand we are seeing a lot of talented athletes either starting to be recruited and offered or announcing their commitments. On the other hand, we are also seeing a few athletes who are looking for that uptick in recruitment. For a lot of these athletes, once summer camps come around and they get another chance to prove themselves we will see that recruitment increase. However, we are going to get ahead of the curve here at PRZ WI and talk about those athletes who have produced at a high level and are ready for the recruiting attention, right now. We start with a 2025 ATH who put together one of the best performances of the year...