Don't sleep on these Northern Michigan Upperclassmen

A lot of good players from Northern Michigan if you know where to look. Here are our five final prospect evaluations from Northern Michigan until camp season.    I've talked about Pavel at nauseam. Usually, I come up with article titles then find players who fit that mold. Thing is, Pavel matches the critera for a LOT of the ideas I come up with.   I'll hit the main points again here. Elite size, elite measurables, multi-sport athlete, and seems like a very good guy. Listen, he is a bit raw fundamentally, but so are most offensive linemen. The way I see it is that if you're polished + have great size, you're going to a Power 4 team. Many times, I see unpolished prospects with good size earn MAC or D2 offers.   Pavel has elite size and can hold his own against decent DL talent in the offseason. I saw Pavel at one of the MHSAA showcases last year, and he did well, but didn't have many college coaches looking his way because he wasn't an incoming senior. I know he'll be at the Brighton showcase in a few weeks, and I frankly expect him to earn his first offers there.   I've always had a high opinion of Pavel, but I honestly don't know what colleges will think of him. I hope I'm right in my high D2 evaluation.     Efficent QB playing in the Power T offense. Not asked to throw the football a ton, but when he is, like I said, he's efficent.   Many of Tucker's throws are from the pocket to receivers in coverage. An important distinction, since many QBs watch from this type of offense have a ton of highlights throwing to wide-open receivers pretty much every highlight. With Tucker, I like his decision-making. His first highlight shows a great read to the TE running a deep out. The second highlight is a good pass to the RB running a seam. Last pass I'll mention is at 0:58- Tucker does an awesome job seeing the flat-footed LBs expecting run, and throwing right over them to the TE. Great, efficent player. Should have an amazing senior season.     I like Vaughn's tape!   A two-way player with good physicality. The <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18007465/6733643b6123e6ab09210ac7">highlight at 0:14</a> is a great example of his physicality. Vaughn drops into his pass set, sees the stunting DT heading right toward him, and puts him in the dirt. Even with a head of steam, the DT couldn't do anything against a stronger offensive lineman. Then, 0:39 is a good pulling highlight. Lastly, 3:22 shows a really nice combo block. Lays a hit on the DT before eliminating the linebacker from the play.   Overall, good tape from Vaughn. Size may impact his college recruitment, though the biggest factor in being recruited will probably come down to his camp performances.     Solid two-way player for Boyne City.   Thomas doesn't have any full-season tape, but he does have game-by-game tape. I'll mostly be looking at his highlights from the semifinal game against Lansing Catholic.   He did a solid job at guard against a very well-coached defensive line. 1:03 is a solid base block against an inside-stunting DT. Good job keeping him out of the play despite the DTs best efforts. Most of his tape is at linebacker. Thomas had a number of run stops from his off-ball OLB position. Plays like 1:32 show a willingness to make tackles near the sideline. Every team that goes deep in the playoffs needs a linebacker capable of stopping the outside run / screens. By all accounts, a good Junior season from Thomas.     A northern Michigan QB with excellent size and good efficiency. He has a long <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/20094831/67658673a232c3c8c267e71b">12-minute tape</a> showing a wide variety of plays from nearly every game. The bulk of his passing highlights are accurate, quick throws to an open receiver. Nolan is someone who can run an offense well.   Where I think Nolan has the most upside is as a runner. He's a bigger-bodied QB who can dish out punishment when he wants to. Few running plays really stand out, but Nolan has some solid short-yardage runs. Practice lowering the shoulder and running through more tackles, and Nolan's rushing efficiency could explode.

A lot of good players from Northern Michigan if you know where to look. Here are our five final prospect evaluations from Northern Michigan until camp season.