One of several small school sleepers hiding in the West River to me is Hlll City 2026 defensive back Nick Schroeder Nick Schroeder 5'11" | 160 lbs | DB Hill City | 2026 State SD . Nick has a sound athletic presence as a deep safety that has ideal presence around the ball in pass coverage and flies right to it with his quick instincts. The position flexibility for Nick at the next-level is certainly there as he gets off quick as a route-runner off the top of his route which shows that he could be a capable slot receiver too. He surely looks like a great fit at the NAIA level in the Dakotas in either the GPAC or Frontier Conferences.

Another West River 2026 athlete that also was a new addition in our last 2026 rankings update in South Dakota, was Nick Schroeder Nick Schroeder 5'11" | 160 lbs | DB Hill City | 2026 State SD out of Hill City and the live eval I got at camp in Aberdeen wasn’t too shabby either. The 5’11 160 pound strong safety for the Rangers shows off quickly that you shouldn’t underestimate his size, as this young man has some pluck downhill when he makes contact as I even felt too this summer that Nick at camp played bigger than the measurables show off as a DB prospect that showed off eye-catching range. You can expect Nick to travel sideline to sideline to find a ball carrier, but also has intriguing athletic ability in pass coverage. No offers as of yet, but if I were a NAIA recruiter in the Dakotas I would certainly take a look at Nick for my secondary.

One of the more intriguing prospects I have ever found out of Hill City since we launched in 2020, is 2026 defensive back Nick Schroeder Nick Schroeder 5'11" | 160 lbs | DB Hill City | 2026 State SD . Nick is a defensive back that relishes the vision I want to see out of a next-level defensive back and its very consistent across his tape. Nick also shoots off the physicality with his pursuit angles with pure contact around the ball. You can also gauge that Nick is a right place right time type of athlete that seems to conisistently be in position. He would be one I would like to see how he lines up at prospect camps this summer, as I feel he has a good shot to play at the next level.

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