The best player on this list of massive human beings suiting up to play the world’s greatest game, Catholic Memorial’s Owen Strebig committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as I was finishing up this PrepRedzone Midwest feature. A literally massive commitment for Marcus Freeman & Co., Strebig is everything you could want and all the best things of a 6’8, 295 lb. OT, and he was sought after by more than 25 P5 and FBS programs from all around the country. His final four came down to ND, Wisconsin, Florida State, USC, and Miami, and for those recruiting fans who haven’t noticed, Catholic Memorial in Waukesha has been pumping out some serious talent as of late. With obvious and eye-catching NFL upside, Strebig wears his 295 well as an overwhelmingly large left tackle, and is technically sound, freaky athletic, and possesses functional mobility at his size that is very rare.

The big difference from Strebig to other OTs is that his change of direction ability, including being able to start/stop, sprint, run & break down and adjust to defenders in space, all while going at top speed and generating a terrifying amount of force at 6’8, 295. Strebig is particularly smooth and fluid when zone blocking up to LBs, and does a great job of chopping his feet, and playing and moving with a noticeably wide base and balance. His body control is elite for his size On top of it all, he possesses an great pass set, can reach and seal out on the edge, and has great reps of him lead blocking out in space for his RBs. Doesn’t get much better than this at the high school level, folks. Go Irish!

Waukesha’s own Catholic Memorial High School has one of the most talent-ridden offensive rosters in Wisconsin going into the 2023 season, as well as the entire Midwest, and along with their star-studded 2024 class, the Crusaders already have a national 2025 recruit who is the most popular prospect on this list. Tipping the scales at 6’8, 290 lbs., rising junior offensive tackle Owen Strebig saw his recruitment explode as soon as his sophomore campaign ended, as Indiana, Minnesota, and Illinois all offered in December, which invited Purdue, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State, and UCF to also offer heavyweight scholarships. Strebig has also visited ND, Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, and Iowa in this time frame, so he’s already well into the thick of things and is poised for a monster summer to follow his productive sophomore offseason. The bend, body control, and general mobility are all eye-popping and noteworthy on film, as Strebig explodes out of his stance and flies across the LOS like he’s 100 pounds lighter, can break down in space smoothy to take out quicker defenders, is a confident and competent zone blocker, and is a strong, physical finisher once he gets hands on. His 290 pounds looks lean and long on tape, and Strebig plays with a low pad level, especially for 6’8, while showing off good footwork when working laterally or in pass pro. Man, he looks like a 5-star on film, and I have only seen a couple lineman that move as well as Strebig does, not to mention the fact he’s doing it at 6’8.