Northern State Prospect Camp: Nate's Defensive Standouts

We unleash our last camp of content from the summer which found us in Aberdeen, SD at the Northern State prospect camp last Friday. We scanned the notes this weekend and logged these as our defensive standouts from the Wolves only prospect camp of the year which had nearly 160 athletes in attendance.   Defenisve Linemen   [player_tooltip player_id='1575838' first='Grady' last='Quam'], Devils Lake, ND 2028 <a href="https://x.com/GradyQuam_55">Twitter</a>   The lone 2028 that caught my defensive radar all day came out of Devils Lake in defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='1575838' first='Grady' last='Quam']. What Grady showed off that was encouraging for a defensive linem prospect at his age was a mix of a few skillsets. First we noticed the fluidity with his get off which carried for the duration of the 1v1 reps we watched. He also had the solid blend I want to see from a pass-rusher with his power and speed which tells you about Grady's feel for the game at his age. Lastly and probably one of the most important, I loved the pursuit angles Grady had in the reps I watched as one that grown from a technique perspective since his freshmen season for sure.   [player_tooltip player_id='1319875' first='Alec' last='Threadgold'], Carrington, ND 2027 <a href="https://x.com/AlecThreadgold">Twitter</a>   Alec is another new name out of Carrington (ND) that we have learned about at camps this summer in their trenches in the 2027 class. The 6'3 209 pounder showed off to be more elusive with getting his hands off his sheds than I had figured he would be and the consistency I saw with that on a couple reps aligned Alec even better during the live eval. He clearly has the length to cause problems in the defensive trenches as one with barely a lick of tape, but gave off a solid live eval during his camp trip to Aberdeen. Hopefully a name that pops up more affluently in his junior season.   Linebackers   [player_tooltip player_id='670029' first='Lincoln' last='LeBrun'], Dell Rapids St. Mary, SD 2026 <a href="https://x.com/lebrun_lincoln">Twitter</a>   Back to back years at the Northern State prospect camp Dell Rapids St. Mary 2026 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='670029' first='Lincoln' last='LeBrun'] has gotten onto my radar. Better yet this year, two areas intrigued me, Lincoln has grown to now 6'2 (5'11 last year_ and he was the first prospect to caught my attention in Aberdeen. He's gotten more progressive with his quckness with the bulk of the reps I watched from all three areas (testing, Indy, 1v1s) as it was evident that Lincoln plays with a downhill force and finish. You crank up Lincoln's tape and that's what you see too at linebacker, even though it looks like he's doing it at a faster pace this camp season. It's not frequent that a prospect gets on my board twice during the same camp, back to back years as that should be drawn up as one that is developing as Lincoln is one that is awaiting his first offer as I remain surprised he doesn't have one yet.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255138' first='Chris' last='Rehak'], Farmington, MN 2026 <a href="https://x.com/ChrisRehak08">Twitter</a>   A 2026 linebacker that encouraged me out of Farmington throughout the Northern State prospect camp was [player_tooltip player_id='1255138' first='Chris' last='Rehak'], A first team All-District LB during the 2024 season, Chris was one linebacker that I saw log a ton of reps during 1v1s and they were encourgaging reps as well. I could tell the ballhawk capability that Chris has at his disposal, as it felt like every second or third rep I watched Chris was put a pop on the ball carrier. I also liked his shedding hands he showed off for his size as I felt he was agile with getting those off and getting downhill quickly. He's another 2026 LB in this group from the NSU prospect camp still waiting for his first offer.   Defensive Backs   [player_tooltip player_id='929919' first='Westyn' last='Thorpe'], Leola-Frederick, SD 2026 <a href="https://x.com/WestynT_1">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/IMG_4053-rotated-crop-384x253-1753719229.jpg?w=384" alt="" class="wp-image-1738097" style="width:299px;height:auto" /></figure>   The best reps I watched from Westyn came during the 1v1 period at the Northern State prospect camp as the 5'11 170 pound from Leola-Frederick was another that played with a presence around the ball that caught these eyes attention for a few reps. What I saw from Westyn that intrigued me, was he did not give him an inch to the WR he went up against on one particular rep and ended up winning the rep in the end. It wasn't just presence that caught my attention either, it was the overall balance of his footwork, ball-tracking ability, and use of the hands is what encouraged me about this young man. Westyn surely looks like a prospect that can play on Saturdays that more NAIA schools or local schools should track this into this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1422312' first='Brody' last='Dybvig'], Tri-Valley, SD 2026 <a href="https://x.com/Brody_Dybvig">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_2101-rotated-e1753719080963.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1578156" style="width:258px;height:auto" /></figure>   I swear at nearly every college camp this summer, Brody's name pops onto my radar in my notebook and at this point, I don't think that's on accident as he's been persistent at the bulk of the camps I have been at this summer. Brody is one of the most sudden defensive backs I feel in this group I logged in Aberdeen as the suddenness meshed with his instincts that broke a school record last year for interceptions. I could gauge that the 5'8 175 pounder from Tri-Valley has continued to grow his great football IQ as the weight carries over his testing numbers, which were sound too in Aberdeen. The way this young man closes in for the ball is surely worth a watch on his junior tape and with his great camp production this summer, should be even better in 2025.   [player_tooltip player_id='1575885' first='Cale' last='Haselhorst'], Yankton, SD 2026 <a href="https://x.com/calehaselhorst">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/12/IMG_1976-rotated-crop-384x253-1753718890.jpg?w=384" alt="" class="wp-image-1738084" style="width:315px;height:auto" /></figure>   A 2026 safety we have been fired up about for awhile now as one of our top ones still available in the 2026 class, is Cael Haselhorst of Yankton. The verified 6'3 180 pounder with a 6'5 wingspan ran a 4.40 pro agility at the Northern State prospect which is only the start of what he showed off in my eyes last Friday. Cale has gotten much smoother with his footwork over the last year plus and that was evident during 1v1s in Aberdeen, as covering a deep route Cale came over his receiver like a dark cloud in a storm and aggrevated them with his length and on point 1v1 physicality, showing the presence he has with his ball-tracking ability. Only one D2 school has offer Cale in the NSIC, and I got to say that surprises me significantly this late in the summer.   Tyler Pankonin, Sioux Falls Washington, SD 2026 <a href="https://x.com/pankonin19">Twitter</a>   A DB prospect that has caught my attention a little this summer, but certainly did at the Northern State prospect camp came out of Sioux Falls Washington's Tyler Pankonin. We know that this young man has verified speed running a 10.89 100-meter dash but we also learned that his change of direction checks the boxes too, as he went 4.44 in the pro agility. Tyler is a safety you could tell is instinctive, as the the chunk of reps I watched in Aberdeen, he got to the proper spot and idenified the ball coming very quickly especially during Indy Drills. You also couldn't miss his range as despite the 5'11 172 pound frame I thought the value of Tyler's footwork showed off quite long strides for his size. A hidden gem this late in the NSIC in my eyes, with just one NSIC offer thus far.   [player_tooltip player_id='1561698' first='Easton' last='Ridlehoover'], Rogers, MN 2026 <a href="https://x.com/EJRidlehoover">Twitter</a>   One of the most physical prospects on the defensive side of the ball in my eyes at the Northern State Prospect Camp, came out of Rogers 2026 DB Easton Ridlehooever. Easton was a cornerback that understood how to be physical with his hands approching his reps with great discipline to not draw a penalty during any 1v1 reps. The coverage windows to throw in were extremely tight for the QB group to find as I felt Easton had the wide receiver strapped long enough to some throws being way off line due to him slowing down their routes. Just one D2 and D1 offer as a couple MN schools had uncovered a gem earlier this summer, but hopefully more join the race.

We unleash our last camp of content from the summer which found us in Aberdeen, SD at the Northern State prospect camp last Friday. We scanned the notes this weekend and logged these as our defensive standouts from the Wolves only prospect camp of the year which had nearly 160 athletes in attendance.