Mountain Men: OL to Watch in Final Week of Regular Season

The final week of the regular season is upon us! Wild to think that we have already made it this far. Some seasons will end Friday night, some teams have a chance to grab a win to continue their season, and some teams are loading up for a postseason run. No matter where these teams are at, they will all be relying on their OL to set the tone and churn their offenses to success. In this article I want to shine the spotlight on those big fellas up front who have been doing the dirty work for the past 8 weeks. We have representatives from the senior through sophomore classes, all of them are uncommitted too so make sure they are on your radars, coaches. Let's dive into some tape!    The small-school powerhouse, Stratford, is home to a big time steal when it comes to senior OL. Drew has a fantastic frame to get into your program and build upon. Length, filling out with power really well, and still has so much room to continue to add on to. I love this kid's tape. Drew always comes off the line low and looking to win the leverage battle. A battle the 6'4" LT wins at a high rate. Drew has done a great job with hand placement. His athleticism is a major plus too, showing that he can come off level one and pick up a level two defender. On top of it all, everything the senior does is violent. He already looked good in his junior season, but Drew has made a noticeable leap as a senior. Somebody is going to get a steal.      Another small-school senior standout on the OL to take note of is Potosi- Cassville OG [player_tooltip player_id='1801678' first='William' last='Tobin']. William has built a frame that is ready for further development in a college lifting and nutrition program. There is so much room left to build on physically and technically speaking. As you watch through his tape you quickly see how great Tobin's range is. He will execute shorter pulls and also go all the way across the formation and leap up into space. The senior is a natural athlete at 260 lbs and does a really good job of hitting his target out in space and sticking on them while removing them from being a threat. With William's size and athleticism there is a lot of clay to mold into a future impact OL at the next level.      Jaxon is putting together a solid season on the Middleton OL. The OG brings the right mentality to the field as he is looking to dominate every opponent physically. Even on plays he doesn't have a man, like in several pass pro reps, the senior goes hunting and usually can quickly find a target to put on the ground. This season Jaxon has done well to be a force in the run game. He is heavy-handed, and has shown he can use his lower body strength to walk DL off the line. Take a look at his Week 8 highlights for a glimpse into his talents.      I was able to watch Sam in person this season, and came away impressed with his talent and the potential a college coach could tap into. Watching his Week 8 highlights I see an OL who is continuing to get even better. The senior has a prototypical frame with height/weight/length needed to play at the college level. The big man is a man mover with his wide, powerful base and strong upper body. In the run game it was impressive watching his displace DL by yards on a play to play basis. The 290 lbs OT can move too. He flashes quick feet when looking to win the body position battle or when getting out to an edge rusher in pass pro. The pieces are there in this kid's toolbox. He needs a ton more eyes on him.      This is a two for one special. Senior Jack Simmons of Prairie du Chien has spent this season and past seasons making an impact on the OL and DL. To the point where I believe he could play either side at the next level. Jack is an explosively powerful athlete. He launches off the line and can create that strong initial push and run his feet through his man to open up the lanes. The senior is violent and impactful. Could see him earning a roster spot for a D3 program here in WI, which is no easy feat.      Parker is putting together a strong senior season, and Week 8 might have been his best week yet. The center is able to quick set rapidly and be in position to either set his anchor in pass protection or win the body position battle and then attack DL in the run game. Almost every run rep looks the same from the senior. He fires out quickly, wins the leverage and body position battles, and then steadily works the DL out of the gap or off the line of scrimmage into level two. Definitely keep an eye on the senior as he heads into Week 9.      You have to love the way Jaxon plays in the trenches. He plays fast, low, and violent. The junior IOL comes off the line with bad intentions, looking to bury DL and the junior OL doesn't stop driving his legs and resetting his hands until his man is on the ground or the whistle blows. The junior also shows off the range to get across the formation and make key blocks. The 2027 impressed during summer camps, has put together strong tape as a junior, and is a hard worker in the offseason. So I am very excited for what he could become by the time 2026 camps roll around.      We have spent a lot of time watching the left side of the Chippewa Falls OL where they have two impressive seniors. But when you turn your attention to the other side there is a 6'2" 250 lbs junior making impact blocks. Blake played RG and OC throughout his junior highlights. He does really well in short areas with his movement and with his initial power on contact to create that initial surge. Blake is a raw prospect that is well worth keeping an eye on as he develops over this next offseason.      Jeremiah now plays OL for Racine St. Catherine's and is turning in a really sound sophomore season. The underclassman has no trouble holding his own in the varsity trenches either. Jeremiah does a great job of bringing the fight to the DL. In the run game he fires off the snap and wins with power and technique. The technique is key because he is undersized at this point in his career at 220 lbs. There is plenty of time to fill out that frame, though. In the pass game Jeremiah is still able to go on the attack at times. He is quick into his set so he can actually attack DE after getting that depth. Quickness, that nasty mentality, and adequate power have allowed this sophomore OT to be an impact in the trenches.

The final week of the regular season is upon us! Wild to think that we have already made it this far. Some seasons will end Friday night, some teams have a chance to grab a win to continue their season, and some teams are loading up for a postseason run. No matter where these teams are at, they will all be relying on their OL to set the tone and churn their offenses to success. In this article I want to shine the spotlight on those big fellas up front who have been doing the dirty work for the past 8 weeks. We have representatives from the senior through sophomore classes, all of them are uncommitted too so make sure they are on your radars, coaches. Let's dive into some tape!