Iowa Seniors with Something to Prove in 2025

Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area   A new season is quickly approaching. Updated rankings are being released, and we'll be kicking off preseason coverage before long.   It's still early July, however. There's plenty of time to keep rolling out student-athlete evaluations as we grow our data base here at Prep Redzone Iowa.   Here's a look at a group of seniors worthy of reports on their profile pages, which they now have:    Robinson has largely flown under the radar as a versatile, multi-sport athlete. Sometimes these guys sacrifice club team activities, and with it, exposure to scouts in a given sport. Robinson flashes potential in basketball, but we're here to analyze his work on the gridiron. He completed 50 percent of his passes for 1,382 yards and 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions as a junior in 2024. He added 136 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Defensively, he recorded 18.0 tackles (11 solo) and picked off two passes. Robinson averaged 42.2 yards on 23 punts. Again, he's an intriguing athlete. His <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17748345/672cf6ccca23f9e56bafc125">11th-grade highlight video</a> shows us a signal caller with a smooth, easy throwing motion. Arm strength and touch are present. Robinson is comfortable throwing on rollouts and quick enough to pick up yards with his legs. Robinson's speed and athleticism would allow a position switch if a college program saw that as the best path forward.     Miller played a key role in the Comets' run to last season's Class 4A state championship. The two-way lineman registered 18.0 tackles, 5.0 stops for loss and 2.5 sacks on defense as a junior. He was just as impactful on the offensive front, where he earned second-team all-state honors. Miller impresses during his <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18203678/6791cabb6930b432d99326c3">11th-grade highlight video</a>. He's a mauler in the run game, firing off of the snap and gaining an advantage on his opponent. Miller operates with good leverage and power. He's also adept at pass protection, sliding his feet, playing with balance and utilizing effective hand placement. Tackle could be his future but his skill set would work inside if a college liked him there.     Cox mostly stood out on defense as a junior at Southeast Warren in 2024. He did rip off a 30-yard touchdown on his only rush of the season, though. On the other side of the ball, he recorded 57.0 tackles (30 solo, 5.0 TFL), recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Evaluating eight-player football can be challenging, but Cox's <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18314197/683e648b7763fcc47c6fdc6c">11th-grade highlight video</a> makes it easy to spot his talents and project them to the 11-player game. His physical style plays in any alignment as does his speed and explosion. Cox diagnoses what's coming before the snap and uses the information to blow up the offense's plan on a regular basis. He's adept at separating from blocks and shows sound tackling technique. His skill set fits well at safety.     Pedersen raced to the Class 2A 100 title at the state track meet in May in a <a href="https://x.com/rmmurken/status/1926352896959934914">school-record time of 10.73 seconds</a>. That track speed certainly is a key part of his success on the gridiron. He averaged 22.0 yards on 15 receptions, scoring touchdowns on seven of those grabs as a junior last season. Pederson averaged 28.6 yards on eight kick returns, housing one of them. On 13 punt returns, he averaged 16.1 yards and added a score. Finally, Pedersen collected 23.5 tackles (17 solo, 1.0 TFL) and an interception on defense. Pedersen's <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17770062/Brandon-Pedersen/highlights">Hudl page </a>contains highlights from six of his nine 2024 contests. During them, we witness a dynamic athlete capable of delivering a game-changing play in all three phases. His long arms provide him with a large catch radius. That asset paired with leaping ability make him a red-zone threat in addition to him being able to take the top off.     DeWaard put together a very solid junior season for a team that reached the Class 5A state quarterfinals last year. He posted 33.5 tackles (21 solo, 1.5 TFL) and picked off a pass he returned for a touchdown. DeWaard's <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18012444/67340c6f4907b00f82247fce">11th-grade highlight video</a> supplements the multiple in-person scouting chances where I've seen him get the job done. His football IQ is high. You see it in watching him diagnose plays coming his way before and after the snap. DeWaard is fast to the football when he breaks off his receiver to support the run. His coverage success is aided by a smooth backpedal and fluid hip actions. DeWaard brings physicality to the field and has a skill set that works at multiple spots in the secondary.     Most of us aren't well versed in long snapping to know what it takes to be a good one. We do know when we see one make a poor play. It's kind of like not noticing an umpire until we disagree with a call. It's obvious that Rich does it well when watching his <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15089750/678a8f1cdd29dde0e1d0005c">junior highlight video</a>. He puts the ball on the money with pace during punts, giving his guy time to get the ball off. Rich is a strong athlete with speed and able to stand out in coverage after he snaps the ball. He's also proficient at starting the place-kicking operation.

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