Going Deeper: Eau Claire '26s to Watch and Recruit

We return to Eau Claire and the surrounding cities to identify even more talent. Part I of this series saw eight athletes that are legitimate game changers and future cornerstones of 2026 recruiting classes. Today we are back with more athletes from almost every school in the area. Many of today's athletes are new to our radar from this deep dive into rosters and Hudl accounts. So let's get to know some new names!    The Chippewa Falls OL is a loaded group. Today's spotlight is on left guard [player_tooltip player_id='1601657' first='Carson' last='Parker']. The 6'4" 280 lbs junior plays with overwhelming, smothering power on the interior. From his initial strike to his leg drive once engaged, Carson is able to dominate his opponents with his power. He consistently finishes plays with his man on the ground. Parker can do his damage in the trenches, second level, or by pulling across the formation. The junior also uses that superior strength to provide a secure pocket for his QB to step up into. The big man is able to play with a strong anchor that gives up very little ground vs bull rushing IDL. No doubt, Carson is one of the best IOL in the class.      One of Eau Claire's most dominant returning skill players is Regis' [player_tooltip player_id='1361669' first='Austin' last='Rideout']. The 6'3" 180 lbs athlete makes an impact on the ground, as a receiving threat, and as a safety on defense. The kid doesn't leave the field. The small school standout is a big time athlete. Watching through the highlights you see the superior speed and vision that allow him to knife through a defense on his way to big plays. The long striding athlete does well in tight quarters by shortening those strides but still maintaining his ability to burst to top speed. That speed also helps him be a rangy safety that you can put on the back end by himself and let him go sideline to sideline. Austin is a reliable one on one tackler too. Plus he does well finding the ball and diagnosing plays so he can put himself in the correct position to make a play.      Aaron is a Swiss army knife for Eau Claire North. The '26 plays WR and also handles kicking and punting duties. On the kicking side of things, Aaron has a big leg that is able to drive the ball on long field goal attempts while still getting the height needed to prevent any blocks. As a punter the junior is able to get consistently good hang time under the ball to give his coverage team time to get downfield. On offense EC North utilizes him on a lot of short routes where he can use his quick twitch athleticism. They also let him show off the speed on jet sweep carries too. Check out the versatile Eau Claire athlete.      The 6'1" 210 lbs junior DL/TE is a versatile small school athlete who does what a lot of small school need. Make plays on both sides of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball Tyler might be undersized for DL, but I could very easily see a move to LB at the next level. He has range, a high motor and wins so many reps with his quickness off the line and lateral agility. On offense Tyler is a reliable target underneath and a strong run blocker who can drive edge defenders off the line and inside to break that outside containment of the defense.      We mentioned in Part I of this series that Eau Claire Memorial will be replacing a lot of receiving production from 2024. One of the athletes who could step up is Oliver Vlcek. The 5'11" 175 lbs WR spent his junior season on the JV primarily while also getting some scattered varsity action. The kid definitely has some speed to burn and stood out from the crowd with his speed compared to the field. Oliver also spent time at safety and special teams where his speed again gave him a big advantage towards making plays. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Oliver this fall.      A name to watch out of Altoona this summer and fall is [player_tooltip player_id='1629013' first='Connor' last='Schmude']. The 6' 175 lbs athlete was a standout playmaker at CB and WR for Altoona. I am a fan of his play at CB. The junior is an agile, fluid athlete who can make the quick changes of direction in man coverage. I also really like his awareness and how quickly he diagnoses plays in zone coverage. You will see him know when he can come off his man to attack the underneath routes and is a sound tackler in space. The athlete also shows good timing with his hands to breakup passes downfield. Connor also offers a solid catch radius for his QB at WR. He also has shown that he can take the top off the defense with his speed out wide on offense. The '26 has a good frame, athletic base of traits, and the two way production is there. Keep an eye on him this summer and into the fall.      Josiah is a junior that will be looking to make the jump to varsity as a consistent contributor this fall. The 6'1" 220 lbs athlete plays DE, and while slightly undersized you see the high motor and athletic range he brings to the field. Range that allows him to pursue the ball outside the tackle box and even play on the kickoff coverage unit and be one of the first kids to the ball. I'm hoping to see him come back even stronger this season so that the bull rush and initial contact he makes will be even more effect this year.

We return to Eau Claire and the surrounding cities to identify even more talent. Part I of this series saw eight athletes that are legitimate game changers and future cornerstones of 2026 recruiting classes. Today we are back with more athletes from almost every school in the area. Many of today's athletes are new to our radar from this deep dive into rosters and Hudl accounts. So let's get to know some new names!