Standout Performances at the Minnesconsin Camp

Illinois athletes made the long road trip up to River Falls, Wisconsin to get themselves in front of dozens of college coaches from every level of competition at the next level. In the end, we saw roughly 1,000 student athletes from all over the Midwest come together to get in reps against each other, meet coaches, and get coached up. While looking through notes it was clear that Illinois athletes were making their presence felt. Let's highlight a few of them and their performances!    Xavier was one of the bigger DL prospects in the group, checking in at a stout 6'2" 262 lbs. The big man is an anchor in the middle of a DL. He proved that he is hard to get off his spot and will eat up blocks against the run game. Xavier has strong hands that show up on the highlights when I went to check them out. You see him create separation with a strong upper body and active hands shed the block before making the tackle. Xavier is a kid to watch for teams looking to add a future space eater in the middle of their DL.     Stevan put together a great day at the Minnesconsin Mega Camp. He measured in at 6'4" 178 lbs, vertical jumped 36", ran a 4.79 40, 4.41 pro agility, and a 9'10" broad jump. Despite the long frame, it is clear that Stevan is still an athletic receiver. He followed up the event with an offer from the host team, UW- River Falls. On the field, Stevan dominates in the vertical passing game. His long strides eat up cushion from CBs and leave them behind as he legs it out, reels in the pass. Stevan also puts that long frame and wingspan to good use, high pointing the ball with strong hands away from his body. He gets himself between the DB and ball when he can. Stevan has the tools to be a redzone/jump ball monster and a reliable target on the outside.     The incoming junior DL looks the part of a future college football recruit with his strong 6'3" 255 lbs frame. I caught up with Moussa while he was going through his 1 on 1 battles and was impressed with what I saw. Strong hands to create separation, pass rush moves to shed the block once he made that separation, and lateral agility and burst to get around the block with the pass rush move. The big man also vertical jumped 29.9" and 8' in the broad jump. Keep an eye on the up and coming DL prospect.     Next up we have the versatile OLB/S hybrid athlete out of Libertyville. Mason checked in at 6' 182 lbs in River Falls and looked the part of that hybrid position that more and more teams at the next level are using. I went to his tape to learn more and came away even more of a fan. Coaches need to check him out. He flies around the front seven at 100 mph. He is quick to read and react against the run and triggers downhill like he was shot out of a cannon. When he gets to the ball carrier, Mason drops the hammer on kids. He knows how to run his feet through contact and always ends forward progression on contact. His burst and timing make him a very effective blitzed as well. Give this kid a look.     Demian is another athlete in this list who turned his strong showing at the Minnesconsin Mega Camp into an offer from UW- River Falls. The big man has a powerful upper body and an athletic lower body. The incoming senior showed some quick feet and the ability to mirror pass rushers because of that. Demian has the frame to continue to build him up and fill him out at the next level. With his short area agility and the nasty demeanor you see on tape we could see Demian become a solid IOL prospect.    Demian Villagomez

Illinois athletes made the long road trip up to River Falls, Wisconsin to get themselves in front of dozens of college coaches from every level of competition at the next level. In the end, we saw roughly 1,000 student athletes from all over the Midwest come together to get in reps against each other, meet coaches, and get coached up. While looking through notes it was clear that Illinois athletes were making their presence felt. Let's highlight a few of them and their performances!