Nathan Cleveland
Nathan Cleveland
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Oliver West | Prep Redzone Scout
A classic recruiting story represented by Hoffman Estates 2025 future LB
Nathan Cleveland
Nathan
Cleveland
6'1" | 200 lbs | DB
Hoffman Estates | 2025
State
IL
here. Established FBS offeree and rising senior earns that vaunted and elusive first P4 offer in-person and during the Summer Camp SZN. A 6’3, 215 lb. high school safety who is heading closer to the line of scrimmage in college, Cleveland attended the Wayne State Mega Camp in Michigan and came into the event with 16 FBS and FCS offers. His performance netted him Central Michigan, Minnesota, Kent State, and Western Michigan offers, and that momentum carried him into additional offers from Kansas State and New Hampshire. The Golden Gophers were in contact for a while, and the relationship quickly gained steam, as he visited the Gophers Summer Splash on an official visit and committed to Minnesota less than two weeks later. All of his hard work culminated in that camp performance in Detroit, and Cleveland reached out and took it.
A noticeably large presence at the strong safety position, Cleveland opens his tape with a brutal suplex of a tackle to set a tone of physicality, and he’s a turnover-minded defender who does a great job of ripping at and attacking the football when a ball carrier is held up. The now-215 lber. is a rangy defender who finds most of his work and action inside the box, but can cover a ton of ground in pursuit and in run support. He displays plentiful closing speed, takes good angles to the football, runs the alley effectively, and is a comfortable and effective tackler in space and in 1v1 settings. Cleveland accelerates out of a dead stop with noticeable pace, can come downhill and halt ball carriers in their tracks, and is a strong and aggressive tackle. Gophers got a good one, and we have yet another Summer Camp SZN success story.
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Read EvaluationPatton Fitzpatrick | Prep Redzone Scout
Cleveland is a highly athletic hybrid outside linebacker / strong safety out of Hoffman Estates. He provides incredible versatility to the Hawks defense, as the 6’3, 205 lbs playmaker can cover and tackle. Cleveland has the speed to play as a high safety that can run with vertical routes from slot receivers and has the size to get down hill and set the edge. An incredibly gifted tackler, Cleveland isn’t afraid to get off of blocks and initiate contact with both running backs on the edge and receivers coming over the middle of the field. This do-it-all player is due for a massive senior campaign. Don’t sleep on Cleveland as one of the top OLB’s in the state.
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Read EvaluationEric Bergman | Prep Redzone Scout
Cleveland is a true athlete at the quarterback position. He was a stud last year as a sophomore on the defensive side of the ball. He still a standout on defense but he has been putting up some big numbers with the ball in his hand on offense. He is a dual threat that can be difficult to tackle in open space but he can also hurt you spreading the ball around to his wide receivers. He has thrown for 1,119 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year.
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Read EvaluationPatton Fitzpatrick | Prep Redzone Scout
The 6’1, 200 lbs outside linebacker from Hoffman Estates jumped off the tape immediately. Cleveland was extremely impressive in the pass game in his sophomore year. He had 4 interceptions and several pass breakups that made him look like more of a defensive back than a linebacker. He understands zone coverage and reads the quarterbacks eyes to undercut throws or drive on the football to take it the other way. Cleveland was also no slouch in the run game, as he sets the edge with physicality and runs downhill. This attributed to several tackles for loss last season. He is a strong tackler in the open field and explodes through running backs to drive them backwards. Cleveland is a do-it-all OLB who continues to fly up recruiting boards heading into his junior year.
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