Midwest Boom “Best of the Best” Showcase: Standouts & Awards
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Top prospects from Illinois and the surrounding states met up for the annual Midwest Boom “Best of the Best” Showcase on Sunday night. Year in and year out this is one of the top showcases hosted in the Midwest and…
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Continue ReadingTop prospects from Illinois and the surrounding states met up for the annual Midwest Boom “Best of the Best” Showcase on Sunday night. Year in and year out this is one of the top showcases hosted in the Midwest and beyond. This showcase is typically held in Chicagoland, but was moved to the Sparta Dome in Crown Point, IN due to Covid. There were around 300 (2022-2024) prospects in total, including a number of national recruits, and some under the radar players looking to make a name.
When I say that there was a ton of talent at the showcase, that is certainly not an exaggeration. There were dozens of players that already have D1 offers, and many more that will see them coming soon. Below is my personal awards, along with players that stood out and caught my eye on the night. With 300 players it is impossible to see everybody, so there will be prospects that had a great performance, but did not make this list because I did not see them.
Highlight Real Award: 2024 WR/ATH Alonzo Manning, Marist HS:
This kid was a human highlight reel on the night. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with an incredible amount of athleticism, and a fantastic skill-set. When Manning has the ball in space, he is nearly impossible for defenders to wrangle up. There were a number of times during the cat and mouse drill where he made defenders look downright goofy. The 2024 prospect has a little Tyreek Hill to him, and as he continues to grow physically, so will his interest from college coaches. Alonzo Manning already has a D1 skill-set as a freshman, so it will be exciting to follow his development over the next few years. He has a bright future!
Grand Entrance: 2022 RB Kendrick Washington, Shepard
Due to the amount of events I attend, my relationships with HS coaches/trainers, and the amount of film I watch… It is rare for me to see a rising Sr, with this amount of talent, who I did not have circled going into the event. That is the great thing about these showcases, they can make a prospect go from just being a name on a list, to a player that I need to get in front of the coaches and teams I work with. That is exactly what Kendrick did on Sunday evening. The 2022 RB is a great combination of size and athleticism. He showed a great burst, ability to make defenders miss in space, quick feet, and just a high level of athleticism overall. Kendrick is a player that I will be watching closely over the next year, and a name that college coaches need to know.
FBS Teams Need to Hurry Up & Offer: 2022 RB Maurice Edwards Maurice Edwards 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Warren Township | 2022 State IL , Warren & 2022 WR/ATH Trevor Burnett Trevor Burnett 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Glenbard South | 2022 State IL Glenbard South
A huge benefit that I have as a scout, opposed to being a college coach, is that I am not limited by the NCAA as to how often & when I’m allowed to do in person evaluations. Meaning that unlike a college coach, I am able to evaluate these players multiple times throughout their HS career, while college coaches are very limited as to how often they can evaluate a prospect in person. I only bring that up because Trevor Burnett Trevor Burnett 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Glenbard South | 2022 State IL and Maurice Edwards Maurice Edwards 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Warren Township | 2022 State IL are two prospects that would have multiple FBS offers, and most likely Power 5 offers, if D1 coaches had the access to evaluate in person like I do. Both players are legit Power 5 talents, and both have developed a ton since they last played in a HS game. The offers will definitely come with time, but these are two talents that would already have a handful of suitors in a regular/non-covid recruiting cycle.
Name a Better Combo: 2023 OL Paris Patterson Paris Patterson 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL and Miles McVay Miles McVay 6'7" | 345 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL , East Saint Louis
I challenge anybody in the nation to show me a more impressive combo of 2023 OL from the same school than these two. From their physical presence, to their competitive nature, to their ability on the field… These two are flat out impressive. Huge bodies that are twitched up, and will flat out get after you. Both players have the chance to be big time national recruits and they both have big futures in front of them. East Saint Louis will continue to be in good hands over the next couple seasons with these two anchoring a very strong position group for the Flyers.
Came from out of state to show out: Jahsia Galvan, West Liberty
There were a handful of standouts from surrounding states at the event, but the majority were kids that I had on my radar from states that I cover as a scout. Iowa is not a state that I cover, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw an athlete with Galvan’s physical profile coming from a state that I am not as familiar with. Galvan has a great frame for a DB, and comes in around 6’2″ with great length. He possesses the frame of a big time college safety, and has the coverage ability of a corner. Jahsia is still growing into his body and perfecting his craft, but this is a kid that has an extremely high ceiling. He has some really good football in front of him, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Galvan is a multi offer prospect when it is all said and done.
Here are the rest of the players that caught my attention and were standouts on the night…
2022’s
- RB Jaden Hale- East St Louis
- DB Saveon Brown Saveon Brown 6'1" | 195 lbs | DB Thornwood | 2022 State IL – Thornwood
- OL Melvin Priestly- East St Louis
- ATH Trevor Burnett Trevor Burnett 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Glenbard South | 2022 State IL – Glenbard South
- RB Maurice Edwards Maurice Edwards 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Warren Township | 2022 State IL – Warren
- DL/TE Trystan Anderson Trystan Anderson 6'4" | 220 lbs | DL Buffalo Grove | 2022 State IL – Buffalo Grove
- QB Hayden Timosciek- Lockport
- DB Ben Wilson- Warren
- RB Deandre Lawrence- East St Louis
- LB Jacob Bottarini- Marmion Academy
- LB Cameron Adams- Oswego
- DL Brian Allen Brian Allen 6'3" | 230 lbs | TE Marian Central Catholic | 2022 CT – Marian Central Catholic
- DB Jasiah Galvan- West Liberty (IA)
- TE Chris Petrucci Chris Petrucci 6'5" | 215 lbs | TE Maine South | 2022 State IL – Maine South
- WR Kaleb Brown Kaleb Brown 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB St. Rita | 2022 State IL – Saint Rita
- ATH Myles Walton- Homewood-Flossmoor
- DB Michael Mankaka- Mayo HS (MN)
- OL Milind Kumar- Schaumburg
- DL Jireh Mays Jireh Mays 6'2" | 320 lbs | DL East St. Louis | 2022 State IL – East St Louis
- TE Kayden College- Armstrong (MN)
- ATH Chris Eubanks- Warren
- TE Tyler Fawcett- Wheaton Warrenville South
- ATH Quinton Henry- Kenosha Bradford (WI)
- RB Kendrick Washington- Shepard
- OL Luke Dalton Luke Dalton 6'5" | 300 lbs | OL Marian Central Catholic | 2022 State IL – Marian Central Catholic
- LB Joe Taylor- Northmont (OH)
- LB Blake Bellamy- Winterset
- DB Khary Shaw- Brother Rice
- LB Carson Eggebraten Carson Eggebraten 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Saint Viator | 2022 State IL – St Viator
- DB Lamar Box Lamar Box 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB East St. Louis | 2022 State IL – East St Louis
- LB Jalen Handford Jalen Handford 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Warren Township | 2022 State IL – Warren
- DB Ben Wilson- Warren
- WR Amarion McDonald- Marist
- WR Marcuson Taylor- Crete-Monee
- TE Marques Boddie- Wheaton North
2023’s
- QB Ben Monahan- Hinsdale Central
- LB/DE Tyson Beck- Homewood Flossmoor
- WR Malik Elzy Malik Elzy 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Simeon | 2023 State IL – Simeon
- RB Marquise Palmer- East St Louis
- WR Ryan Boyd- East St Louis
- OL Jacob Welch Jacob Welch 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Johnsburg | 2023 State IL – Johnsburg
- TE Nick Hawkins- Lemont HS
- WR Luke Jones Luke Jones 6'0" | 170 lbs | WR Deerfield | 2022 State IL – Deerfield
- DL Karl Schmalz- Notre Dame College Prep
- WR Carnell Tate Carnell Tate 6'2" | 170 lbs | WR IMG Academy | 2023 State FL – Marist
- TJ McMillen- St Francis
- DL Brooks Bahr- Loyola
- ATH Kaleb Miller Kaleb Miller 5'8" | 170 lbs | ATH Nazareth | 2023 State IL – Nazareth Academy
- OL Miles McVay Miles McVay 6'7" | 345 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL – East St Louis
- OL Paris Patterson Paris Patterson 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL – East St Louis
- WR Charlie Newton- Payton Prep
- DL Nashaun Jenkins- Oswego
2024’s
- ATH Alonzo Manning- Marist
- WR David Coffey- Montini
- QB Robert Battle- East St Louis
- DL Jack Anderson Jack Anderson 6'0" | 155 lbs | QB Alma Center-Lincoln | 2021 State WI – Glenbard West