’22 Season District Previews: Linebackers – Metro-Maroon North

<strong>District Previews: Metro-Maroon North</strong> In this edition of the 2022 season linebacker previews, I will be focusing on the Metro-Maroon North district as I look to dissect which linebackers I feel are prone to have a great season ahead of them. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="143274" first="Daniel" last="Tschida"] | Roseville | 2023</strong> Hard-nosed football with big collisions in the hole; Daniel is the type of linebacker to make running backs second guess whether or not they want to lower their shoulder when breaking through the trenches. Daniel displays a tremendous first step, which is always downhill. Daniel trusts what he sees when the offensive plays break, which allows him to be quick and decisive with how he attacks the ball handlers. Daniels’ ability to keep his feet moving beneath him when reading the plays in front of him makes it so that he is never reactive, but rather, he is proactive in attacking the play unfolding in front of him. Overall, Daniel has excellent instincts when out on the gridiron, and as a cherry on top, he has tremendous speed that allows him to track down plays from coast to coast. There is no doubt in my mind that Daniel is set to have a breakout year, and the offers should be piling on relatively soon. Whichever team ends up with Daniel following his senior campaign will indeed have a baller on their squad. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13071513/61848ba4dfd7f80af890eb20">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13071513/61848ba4dfd7f80af890eb20</a> <strong>Ian Wittek | Anoka | 2024</strong> This rising junior has shown he has the fundamentals for his position to make a significant impact over the next two seasons for Anoka. Ian can drop back into coverage, plays aggressively and more prominent than his size shows in the hole, and has excellent tackling technique. While watching Ian’s film, this young man showed immaculate tackling techniques in how he kept his head up and saw what he was hitting while driving through the tackle, a crucial skill for someone who is going to play the linebacker position. Ian also plays much larger in the hole than his figure shows with how he takes a quick downhill step and is not afraid of a giant collision in the hole to clog the offensive play. Besides the mentioned attributes, Ian is a stout defender when he drops back and exhibits great pass defending skills. Ian is a linebacker for Anoka who has two seasons ahead of him to develop even further into an incredible defender. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14754195/618955e0b01870040c0ba5d2">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14754195/618955e0b01870040c0ba5d2</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="220197" first="Abdallah" last="Abed"] | Mounds View | 2023</strong> Cheetah-like speed comes to mind when I watch Abdallah play, and it’s visible to all who watch that this young man collapses on the ball from all parts of the field. Abdallah shows excellent ability in chasing down from coast to coast when on the field, an asset that can see him playing well at the next level of football. Not only does Abdallah have great speed on the field, but he can break on a dime and keep his feet underneath him when he is attacking towards the ball carrier, a fantastic skill that will suit him well this upcoming season. Abdallah sometimes shows hesitancy in reacting to what he sees in front of him, so I see this as a point of development for Abdallah in his senior season campaign. I look forward to Abdallah continuing to enhance his skill-set and making a significant impact from his linebacker position this upcoming season for Mounds View. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13380597/617e101e3df4d30ba8191cfb">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13380597/617e101e3df4d30ba8191cfb</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="112120" first="Tolu" last="Oyekunle"] | White Bear Lake | 2023</strong> Tolu shows versatility in his game as he plays well when he comes down to the line and gets off the ball. Tolu has shown great hand moves when an offensive lineman comes out to engage him, and he has a nasty spin move he can also play. Tolu often plays as a deeper linebacker and has the speed to cover from that deeper position. Tolu shows glimpses of letting his feet become stagnant when playing, which leaves him needing to recover on plays; however, Tolu’s speed allows him to recover rapidly and make plays. I look for Tolu to continue to develop his skills and be a force for WBL at linebacker this season. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14550977/6150d15fe97abd052cf83dfd">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14550977/6150d15fe97abd052cf83dfd</a> <strong>Vayo Kamara | Osseo | 2023</strong> This rising senior has shown that he is capable of making big plays, as he has demonstrated his innate ability to propel downhill and off the line when coming on a blitz to make a big play at the ball. Vayo is a solid Blitzer from his linebacker position, and I look for him to continuously build on that skill set and exhibit how he has enhanced it this upcoming season. Vayo’s efficiency at coming off the blitz is made strong through his ability to get little when engaging an offensive blocker and then working a move to shed stated blockers. He plays slippery off blocks with offensive linemen as if he is on a wet surface. Vayo also parades his comfort at his position in the way he bops and weaves pre-snap, which works well with confusing offensive linemen and asserting himself mentally over his competition. Football is 10% physical and 90% mental, and Vayo plays the mental game well. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13083060/61759d72f55fb70524fdeeac">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13083060/61759d72f55fb70524fdeeac</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;