Jordan’s Notebook: Mid Season Report 24s
We’ve gone through 5 weeks of the season so far. There have been countless close matchups throughout the state, impressive performances each week, and highlight tapes being created by the student-athletes. We’re going to be evaluating some of these highlights…
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Continue ReadingWe’ve gone through 5 weeks of the season so far. There have been countless close matchups throughout the state, impressive performances each week, and highlight tapes being created by the student-athletes. We’re going to be evaluating some of these highlights that have been sent my way through Twitter for the Class of 24′. Without further ado, let’s dive into the midseason highlights of these student-athletes.
24s
Troyer Carlson Troyer Carlson 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Kaneland | 2024 State IL 6’2 175 Kaneland QB Twitter Film
Mr. Carlson makes level 3 throws by putting a touch on the deep ball putting it into the receiver’s basket downfield. He stays in the pocket to get the ball off under pressure, makes throws in tight windows, and has the arm strength to make impressive throws. When he gets flushed out of the pocket he’s able to make off platform throws while on the run to make the completion downfield.
Jacob Katauskas Jacob Katauskas 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Lemont | 2024 State IL 6’3 240 Lemont OL Twitter Film
Mr. Katauskas gets hands-on quickly when he kick out blocks and drive blocks resulting in driving the defensive lineman 5 plus yards downfield by keeping his feet driving. He can block in open space, gets to 2nd level blocks, and doubles the edge creating running lanes all while playing through the whistle.
Austin Alexander Austin Alexander 6'0" | 165 lbs | DB Marian Catholic | 2024 State IL 6’0 150 Marian Catholic DB Twitter Film
Mr. Alexander stays with his man in coverage where he high points the ball to come away with the interception by tracking the ball well and will undercut the route for an intercpetion too. He attacks downhill with his closing speed to make open field tackles and fill holes in run support.
Nathen Omolo Nathen Omolo 6'3" | 260 lbs | OL IC Catholic Prep | 2024 IL 6’3 260 IC Catholic OL Twitter Film
Mr. Omolo fires off the ball getting hands-on quickly, this results in drive blocking the defensive lineman back 8 yards downfield as he keeps his feet driving. He washes the defensive lineman down, can block in open space when pulling, and pancakes the defensive lineman when he overpowers them as he gets after it in his playstyle.
Jackson Nekolny Jackson Nekolny 6'2" | 255 lbs | OL Batavia | 2024 IL 6’2 215 Batavia OL Twitter Film
Mr. Nekolny creates running lanes by driving the defensive lineman back 5 yards downfield by keeping his feet driving, working up to 2nd level blocks, and getting hand on quickly to hook the defensive tackle on inside zone runs playing through the whistle. He holds his own one on one in pass protection where he absorbs the rushing defensive lineman before bringing him to the ground, if nobody is in his gap during pass protection he will double to the Center.
Alessio Milivojevic Alessio Milivojevic 6'1" | 205 lbs | QB St. Francis | 2024 State IL 6’1 198 St Francic QB Twitter Film
Mr. Milivojevic makes level 1 2 & 3 throws where he’s able to put a touch on the deep ball and put zip on the short as well as intermediate throws putting the ball in the receiver’s basket. He uses his pocket footwork to make platform throws, gets the ball off under pressure, and when he’s flushed out of the pocket he’s able to make the throw on the run by flipping his hips to add extra velocity on the ball.
Brett Larson Brett Larson 6'3" | 270 lbs | OL Kaneland | 2024 IL 6’3 245 Kaneland OL Twitter Film
Mr. Larson gets hands-on to create running lanes where he washes the defensive lineman down and drive blocks as he keeps his feet driving. He blocks in open space, gets to 2nd level blocks, and can pancake defenders while doing so. In pass protection, he will pick up the blitzing linebacker and hold his own one on one by staying square all while playing through the whistle.
Jack Donovan Jack Donovan 6'1" | 260 lbs | OL St. Francis | 2024 IL 6’0 240 St Francis OL Twitter Film
Mr. Donovan gets hands-on quickly creating running lanes when he drive blocks and kick out blocks where he will also double the defensive tackle at times resulting in a pancake. In pass protection he can hold his own where he stays square and stops the pass rushing defensive lineman in his tracks as he plays through the whistle.
Randall Nauden Randall Nauden 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Brother Rice | 2024 State IL 5’10 180 Marian Catholic RB Twitter Film
Stats: 408 All-Purpose yards, 9 TDs
Mr. Nauden bursts through the line of scrimmage, once he does he blows by the 2nd level of defenders as he changes his gears quickly. He has the vision to see the cutback lanes, keeps his feet driving to break arm tackles, and uses his jump cuts while reading blocks to evade the first defender.
Anthony Petrucci 5’9 160 Riverside Brookfield WR Twitter Film
Mr. Petrucci is quick off the line of scrimmage where he’s able to make contested catches by high pointing the ball downfield and gets upfield once he secures the catch. In the run game, he stalk blocks the defensive back downfield and will crack block the outside linebacker as well.
Dion Andrews Dion Andrews 5'10" | 185 lbs | DL Tf South | 2024 IL 5’9 185 TF South DL Twitter Film
Mr. Andrews has a mix of JV & Varsity film on his highlights. With his varsity film he’s able to get pressure on the quarterback off the edge. He does so by using his hands at the point of attack to get inside release as well as getting leverage against the offensive tackle by sinking his hips. This young man also fills gaps in run support and gets off blocks to make the tackle.
Porter Mihelich Porter Mihelich 6'1" | 270 lbs | DL Burlington Central | 2024 State IL 6’2 225 Burlington Central DL Twitter Film
Mr. Mihelich fills gaps in run support occasionally meeting the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage and gets pressure on the quarterback with his use of hands at the point of attack. He gets off the block to make the tackle and takes backside pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield not giving up on the play.
Paulie Rudolph 5’11 200 Jacobs LB Twitter Film
Stats: 55 tackles, 10 TFL, 1 FF, 1 sack
Mr. Rudolph covers ground quickly to make open-field tackles and fills holes in run support. He has the ability to blow up plays when coming on a blitz and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield.
Jackson McCarey Jackson McCarey 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH New Trier | 2024 IL 6’0 175 New Trier RB Twitter Film
Mr. McCarey doesn’t have much film but has had impressive performances so far. With the film he’s sent me, he bursts through the line of scrimmage changing his gears quickly and keeps his feet driving breaking arm tackles. He’s a name to look out for the remainder of the season and one to keep an eye on his development.
Michael Champagne Michael Champagne 5'10" | 160 lbs | QB Glenbard South | 2024 State IL Glenbard South QB Twitter Film
Mr. Champagne makes level 1 2 & 3 throws where he can either put a touch on the ball or add zip to it. He gets the ball off under pressure, can get the ball out quickly when running RPOs, and can throw on the run when he’s flushed out of the pocket. If nobody is open downfield, he can pull the ball down to scramble.
Riley Sprindis Riley Sprindis 5'9" | 190 lbs | LB St. Charles North | 2024 IL St Charles North LB Twitter Film
Mr. Sprindis has shown glimpses of what’s to come in the next few years as he awaits his time on Varsity. On JV, he’s showcased that he can fly to the ball to make the tackle on the play and disrupt the opposing offensive attack. Time will tell how those skills transition over to the Varsity level as he has the potential to be a key defensive player for his team.
Matt Larson Glenbard East RB Twitter Film
Stats: 48 carries for 471 yards & 6 TDs, 5 receptions for 145 yards & 2 TDs on JV
Mr. Larson has posted solid stats for his time on JV this season so far. On JV, he’s used in the ground and air attack hitting at the possibility that he can be a 3 down back on Varsity and at the college level. Again, this is on the JV level so we’re going to have to wait and see how his skillsets transition from JV to Varsity, if his current JV season is any indication this young man has a high upside.
Matt Kuczaj Matt Kuczaj 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Wheaton North | 2024 IL 6’0 165 Wheaton North WR Twitter Film
Mr. Kuczaj showed glimpses of what’s to come in his JV highlights so far this season. His versatility being used at receiver and in the return game is going to be one to keep an eye on as he has made an impact on both for his team so far this season. What I’m interested to see is how his receiving skillset transitions over to the Varsity level as on the JV level he’s showcased a multitude of various skillsets that you like to see out of receivers further showcasing his potential.
Silvano Spatafora Silvano Spatafora 5'6" | 175 lbs | RB Neuqua Valley | 2024 IL 5’6 173 Neuqua Valley RB Twitter Film
Mr. Spatafora is a downhill runner on the JV level that looks to make a name for himself over these next few seasons. With the talented 23′ class Neuqua Valley currently has, he’s going to fit well into that group next season on Varsity. Another young man to keep an eye on as he continues to develop and hone his craft.
Dylan Jeppe 5’10 175 New Trier QB Twitter Film
Mr. Jeppe is a young lefty quarterback that has showcased what he can do on the JV level this season. What I like about this young man is how he can make something out of nothing extending plays for his team. This puts extra pressure on the opposing defense to gameplan against which is going to be interesting to see how that transitions to Varsity.
Jovan Williams Jovan Williams 5'10" | 150 lbs | ATH Hillcrest | 2024 IL 5’10 150 Hillcrest WR Twitter Film
Mr. Williams has shown glimpses of what he can do on the JV level so far this season. What stands out to me about this young receiver is his ability to know what to do in the QB scramble drill, getting open to become an outlet for his quarterback as he’s extending the play, which is a great skill set to have. As he develops further and gets more game time under his belt, keep an eye as he hones his craft as he awaits his first Varsity snap.
Ethan Kohl 6’3 170 Bradley Bourbonnais QB Twitter Film
Mr. Kohl is a taller quarterback that has a solid foundation of skillsets that he’s been showcasing on the JV level. He’s set up to take over the helm of Bradley Bourbonnais’s offensive unit next fall taking over for then graduate Caige Williams Caige Williams 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Bradley Bourbonnais | 2022 State IL . As he continues to hone his craft and develop himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up adding more of a mobility/scrambling aspect to his game to add further to his foundational skills.
Lavelle Hardy 5’11 175 DePaul College Prep WR Twitter Film
Week 6 Stats: 5 receptions for 157 yards, 2 TDs
Michael Prokos 6’0 170 Crystal Lake South WR Twitter Film
Week 6 Stats: 8 receptions for 127 yards
Danny O’Malley Danny O’Malley 5'10" | 180 lbs | ATH Benet | 2024 IL 5’9 150 Benet Academy DB Twitter Film
Stats: 28 tackles (15 solos), 2 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBUs
Ryan Usher Ryan Usher 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lincoln-Way East | 2024 IL 6’0 170 Lincoln-Way East Twitter Film
Stats: 22 receptions for 615 yards, 10 TDs, JV Stats
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