Junior Standouts: Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase Day 2
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We are back for part two of our mini series highlighting the players that stood out on Day Two of the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase! Today we are going to look at the players from the junior class that stood…
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Continue ReadingWe are back for part two of our mini series highlighting the players that stood out on Day Two of the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase! Today we are going to look at the players from the junior class that stood out to me. Just like with the senior class, I will identify the player and the school they are from, and then go into how they caught my eye. There were several juniors that jumped out to me, so let’s get into it!
Jack Baretz Jack Baretz 6'4" | 220 lbs | LB Franklin | 2022 State WI , LB- Franklin
Jack first caught my eye just walking around. He has a great frame and build at 6’3″ 215 lbs and he carried it extremely well. I was able to catch one of his shuttle attempts as well. His ability to change direction, the flexibility to stay in an athletic position while touching the lines, and his explosiveness out of his change of direction were all some of the best that I saw on day two. That athleticism carried over to the drill work. I watched a good portion of the LB drills and Jack really impressed. He was one of the biggest athletes in the group, yet he was one of the most smooth players in his movements. Jack had a great day. He came out and showed off how special of an athlete he is.
Will Campbell, LB- Kaukauna
I have watched a ton of Campbell’s film throughout the fall as he was constantly having impressive games. That made him a must watch for me coming into this event. My biggest surprise is that he was even more put together than I thought. He checked in at roughly 6’1″ 225 lbs. Will was one of the reasons I really stuck around the LB group early on in the drill portion of the Showcase. His lateral movement and his loose his while going through the coverage drills really caught my eye. His transition from lateral movements to flying downhill also jumped out as he was going through the workouts with the other LBs. I already believed he was a really nice talent from all his film, but Day Two really showed me that there is no doubt that he has the athleticism to be successful at the next level.
Sam Dodd, QB- Hortonville
Sam was slinging it on Day Two. The first thing that caught my eye was how big he was. Sam came in around 6’4″ 200 lbs and he looked like it. Dodd caught my eyes in the QB- WR vs air drills. That is where I was able to get my first look at him. Sam’s release is very compact and quick. He does use a bit of a different motion, but if anything it has just made his release quicker. It was very clear that he has a strong arm too and can make every throw he had to. Each pass had some really nice velocity on it. Even when he was attacking 40 yards down the field. The best part of Sam’s performance was his accuracy. It isn’t easy to come out and play with a bunch of receivers you have never thrown to. Sam didn’t have much of a problem with that.
Max Grand Max Grand 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Ellsworth | 2022 State WI , RB- Ellsworth
Max had the best workout of his class and one of the best of the entire Showcase. He lit the 40 yard dash track on fire with a 4.40 time on astroturf. To have that much speed on his very powerful 5’9″ 190 lbs frame is insane. When they switched to the drills Max showed off easy change of direction and very soft, natural hands. Then when we got to the one on one battles there wasn’t an LB that could stay in coverage with him. He was quick out of his breaks in his routes on the shorter passes and he easily ran away from defenders on the deeper passes. It was a special workout from Max. He checked off every box you could look for in this type of event. He should have a lot of FCS interest and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the FBS interest start to come through as well.
Nolan Hawk, TE- DeForest
Nolan was the most eye- opening player on the hoof. He is roughly 6’5″ 210 lbs and he already looks like he has grown used to that much size. I was able to watch several of his routes in the one on one battles. None of his movements seemed uncomfortable or unnatural. He was very smooth in his routes and even had some nice suddenness that you could see surprised the DBs covering him. His body control was further endorsed with the ease that he caught the ball. Nolan is a natural hands catcher and looked relaxed throughout the catch. He clearly knew how to use that size to box out defenders too. It was a really nice day for Nolan.
Quinton Henry, WR- Bradford
Quinton had a great day. He came in at a cut up 6’ 180 lbs. The speed, agility, and route running ability that he played with was next level. Quinton dominated in the one on one battles. He flew off the line when given a cushion and when he was pressed he had the quickness to disengage and then get past the DB. Once in his route, it was impressive how well he carried his speed throughout his routes. He could cut on a dime and it didn’t seem like he even had to slow down. Out of every receiver there, Henry created some of the most consistent separation for his QB to throw to. Quinton killed it.
Kevin Jagiello, LB- Messmer
While watching the LB group for a couple players that I had my eye on heading into the event, an LB from Messmer High School caught my eye. Jagiello came in around 5’11″ 230 lbs. He wasn’t just a bowling ball, though. Where Kevin really caught my eye was with how easily he moved in the change of direction LB drills as well as the drills where they had to flip their hips and simulate dropping into coverage. Kevin showed off some loose hips and was able to change direction with the same ease as a lot of the top guys in the group. I really liked what I saw when he would transition from lateral movements to attacking down hill. It looked like he was shot out of a cannon in those drills.
Matthew Wagner, WR- Kettle Moraine
Wagner was one of the kids that I wanted to find and watch in the one on one battles. I wasn’t disappointed. He did exactly what I had hoped. While standing 6’1″ 180 lbs, he showed off his nice play speed and very impressive route running. Matt has the perfect blend of speed and quickness to consistently win in different situations. The best part of his game though is his route running. He is so clean throughout his route and he explodes out of his breaks creating a lot of separation. The craziest part is that while looking so smooth and natural at receiver and creating all the separation that he did, Wagner has only played WR for one season. More surprising, he has only played football for the past two years. The sky is the limit with Matt. He had a great day and is going to be a kid to watch going forward.
Riley Warzynski, QB- Stevens Point
Riley had a nice day. He was a player that I wanted to check out coming into the event since he didn’t get a chance to play this fall. I liked what I saw. He came in at a nice 6’2″ 195 lbs and he was able to translate that size into a nice arm. Riley had no issue getting the ball to every point of the 40 yards of field that we were playing with. Even without being comfortable with the receivers, Riley was able to drop a couple of deep shots in a bucket perfectly in stride with the receiver. He was a very natural thrower of the football. I really liked his prototypical over the top throwing motion too. Riley is going to be a guy that you will want to keep an eye on if/when they play this spring. He has the tools you want to see.
Devin Yeats, WR- Hampshire
Devin might be the player who caught my eye the most. He came up from Illinois, so I had no idea who he was coming into the event, but he made me learn his name quickly. He was all of his 6’1″ 190 lbs that he was listed at. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was even bigger. Devin wasn’t just a big body though. He was a complete receiver. He changed direction with ease in the shuttle, he had an impressive 40, and once we got to the one on ones he did an exceptional job. His route running was sudden and the body control that he played with at that size kept catching my eyes over and over. He had no issue adjusting to the ball in the air and he used his body well to wall off the defensive backs that were trying their best to guard him. Over and over, Devin kept winning the route as he would get the separation he needed or would be able to position his body just right so that he could win with his size. I know he caught the eyes of coaches with his performance.