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My Take: EDGYTIM/EFT MLK Showcase OL/DL session

This was held on Monday at The Max Center in McCook....and we've been able to hold this event for over 10 years now and counting. Overall we had very good numbers here (we limit overall signups by position so not to get too many kids not getting reps and work) and we start the day with the OL/DL group....then roll in the rest of the different position campers as the morning and afternoon rolls on.

Again for the record...let me clarify. I try to watch and see as many kids as I can at these showcase and camp events....but I've yet to be able to find a way to watch 300 plus kids in one spot at one time...and I can and will miss seeing some additional top names...but I'll keep trying my best to see as many kids as possible. Also when your name is on the billing it pulls me away in a million at times and I rely pretty heavily on feedback from various coaches and media aka people who I trust here along with my own in person evals. I've said this before and will again....the hardest thing for me to do is get a really good feel on the top kids at this event when I'm not 100 percent locked into it for multiple reasons.

So Who Stood Out OL/DL

00 OT Rico Schrieber Marist 2026
- Every year it seems we see a freshman linemen who just has some eye popping skills and/or size. Schrieber is just a gigantic kid on the hoof (6-foot-7, 330 pounds) who moved pretty well and more than held his own again higher level competition. Schrieber no question still has a lot of work to do both in shedding weight, gaining strength and just becoming a much more fluid and mobile linemen.....yet his upside in some ways reminds me in some ways to East St. Louis/Alabama OT Miles McVay...who also had the early physical attributes but who also needed to work hard for four years to get to where his game is at this winter.

01 OT Brady Barrowman Minooka 2024- Won the Semper Fi award presented and sponsored by the Marines as the best overall player in the OL/DL group. Barrowman has made big strides in his game from last fall in my opinion. Barrowman is stronger, has very good feet and balance and his overall hand usage was also strong, The other media and coaches lauded Barrowman for his work in one on ones and his overall approach, hard nosed mentality and his overall frame, length and reach is high level. Barrowman can and will get to 300 pounds plus pretty comfortably at the college level. I feel Barrowman continues to work himself into a D1 level linemen and look for more Power 5 schools to take a harder look this spring.

02 OL Conor Kenzinger Brother Rice 2024- Big, strong and an impressive kid on the hoof here. Still very raw in many ways (has played football for just one season) and his lack of experience and technique was evident in one on ones.However, I can definitey see higher level schools take a muc closer look this spring and summer and Conor's physical tools and upside are impressive and will help him draw attention. Has FBS/FCS physical upside and potential.

04 OL Danny Zarco Lyons Township 2024- I also saw Danny at Boom the previous day (was also the case with several others here) and he's just a very solid, very consistent performer who is also a hard nosed kid and worker. I really like him as an interior offensive linemen at the next level but I also feel has has the makings of a potential defensive linemen as well. Regardless of position Danny Zarco is a very impressive overall player.

05 OL Grant Ellinger Naperville Central 2024- It was the first time I saw Grant in person and he has a lot to offer here. Ellinger has good size and strength, uses his hands really well and also showed good overall feet and balance. I liked what I saw from his one on ones along with his ability yo learn quickly in positional drill work. I definitely will dig deeper here.

07 OL Jalen Cole Homewood Flossmoor 2024- Big kid (6-foot-4, 290 pounds) who did some good things here including more than holding his own in one on ones. Was noted by the coaches as one of the hardest working kids in positional drill work/teaching portion of the showcase.

10 OL Zach Barrett Sandburg 2024- Yet another impressive interior offensive linemen here. Barrett had pretty good junior season video and was able to carry over his work ethic and tools in person. I liked Barrett's overall feet and balance, he was able to lock up more than a few opposing DL and just had a solid day here.

11 OL Rhett Van Boening Libertyville 2025- Rhett is the younger brother of Trenton Van Boening (EMU) and while Rhett isn't quite the overall size of his older brother yet, Rhett has a lot to offer here including just being a very technically sound linemen with very good feet, quickness and hands. Looks more and more like a potential OC to me unless he hits a late growth spurt? No question a name to watch this summer.

15 OL Michael McDonough Andrew 2025- The best thing I can tell Michael McDonough is that he gets bigger, stronger and better every time I see him in person. McDonough had a very strong showing in this camp, has very good strength and is pretty technically sound. Can improve his pass pro a bit but the overall ingredients are there to develop into a D1 level interior linemen in college.

16 OL Alex Poholik Mount Carmel 2024 - Had a decent showing here and this was the first time seeing Alex in person this weekend at both Boom and this event. Has good overall power and strength, showed to also have a good motor and battles all comers in one on ones.

17 OL Christian Walton Brooks 2024- Big kid here who is very raw physically but shows the ability to develop into a college level player.

18 OL Parker Brault Palatine 2025 - Big barrel chested kid who has great strength, punch and power. Was able to use his feet well in cutting off speedy outside edge rushers in one on ones and he has just an advanced game for a 2025 name.

27 OL Demarcus Caston Brother Rice 2023

102 DL Gavin Tinch Prairie Ridge 2025
- Good sized kid here who showed some flashed of better things ahead. Will need to continue to improve his overall technique and bag of pass rushing tricks, but I see a lot to like here.

103 DL Tyler Fortis Maine South 2025- Strong and a pretty athletic kid here. Fortis impressed me in the post-season and he's definitely gotten bigger and stronger. Fortis bigger strength could be his combination of quickness of the snap along with just having very good strength and power. I can see teams looking at him playing either tackle or end at the college level and he has the skill set to pull that off in my opinion.

107 DL Joseph Reiff York 2025- I also was impressed with Joseph Reiff this past season, He was just a very disruptive force on the Dukes defensive line with good overall speed and who always seemed to be around the football. Reiff looks to be capable of adding more good size and weight over the next year plus and he's a name to watch no question in the 2025 class.


115 DL Hunter Lisheka King College Prep 2022- post grad workout

117 DL Jamari Chaney Mount Carmel 2024- Twitchy, quick and strong athlete here who no question was a handful to slow down in one on ones. Coaches also selected him for the best of the best portion and raved about his work ethic and attitude.

118 DL CJ Ameachi Johnsburg 2025- An interesting athlete who could wind up playing more than a few different spots at the next level. Ameachi has good size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) and frame and will no question get bigger and much stronger over the next few years. I can see him develop into a rush end/hybrid OLB type and his overall physical tools, upside and potential is impressive.

119 DL Bryce Gray Cardinal Ritter 2025- St Louis area kid who was simply one of the top overall defensive linemen at this camp.

120 DL Johnathan Mayfield Hoffman Estates 2024- Strong, quick and athletic defensive tackle who also has enough quickness and twitch to play at end if needed. Overall had two very solid back to back ays here and also at Boom on Sunday. I will definitely dig deeper on this iid. Also received a lot of consideration for the Semper Fi top overall performer award.

121 DL Jarve Bey Homewood Flossmoor 2025- Lots of potential lots of upside as well, Bey played offensive line as a sophomore in 2022 and I felt was pretty solid, but he also showed alot playing defensive lien at this camp. Bey has impressive size and strength, is already next level ready and was able to use his hands well in one on ones. Has a chance to make some real noise in the spring and summer.

122 DL Joe Kelly Loyola Academy 2024- Just battled his butt off the entire camp. Kelly worked hard in everything, is advanced from a technique standpoint and just battled all comers. Kelly seemed to just get better with more reps in one on ones and overall earned a spot in the best of the best

123 DL Lesroy Tittle Nazareth Academy 2026- Heard alot of good things about this kid during the season and wow it's easy to see why. Tittle is a high level athlete type who has impressive mix of speed and power, had excellent overall leverage and his ability to just separate from the OL in one on ones was impressive. Considering this kid is just a freshman....wow the overall upside on him and his development will be fun to track. Biggest question is where will he be physically over the next few years and what position will he project to play at the college level?

125 DL Lamari Hall Aurora Christian 2026

126 DL Ethan Aghakhan Stevenson 2024

NIL, is an incoming freshman QB worth 13 million over 4 years?

"Jaden Rashada will not be attending the University of Florida."
"Per multiple reports, Rashada had an agreement with an NIL collective for an endorsement deal contingent upon signing with the Gators. According to The Athletic, the NIL deal with the collective was agreed to in November and had a maximum value of $13 million.
But that max value was reportedly well beyond the means of the collective’s financial ability. The deal then soon reportedly crumbled."

That is a lot of money for a kid who hasn't stepped on a college campus.
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My Take: Boom Midwest Best of the Best Showcase Part 2

My Take: Boom Midwest Best of the Best Part 1


257 Jonas Williams QB 2026 Bolingbrook
- Had one of the most memorable seasons for a freshman I can ever remember....and Williams was just as strong at this event. Williams has a very strong and accurate arm. has good overall feel and just can make all of the required throws all over the field. Huge upside and potential here kids.

259 Jayden Johnson S 2025 Warren Township- One of a handful of impressive looking athlete types from WTHS at this event. Johnson has very good speed and quickness and I'm looking forward to see his growth and development.

260 Diego Gutierrez QB 2024 Riverside-Brookfield- it seems like I've been watching Diego for like 10 years now...(ok not quite) and I liked what I saw from Diego at this event. Gutierrez has grown a few inches since last season and also has added much needed weight and strength. Guterrez has always had a strong and accurate arm and did at this event as well.

269 Chidu Bekee SS 2024 Plainfield East- Great looking athlete on the hoof here with impressive size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) who also ran and moved well here in positional work. I'm excited to see more from this kid who could end up at say OLB/DE at the high level college.

272 Tysean Griffin CB 2024 Morgan Park- Morgan Park athlete worked out at cornerback and while he was tested more than held his own here. Griffin no question is truly an athlete who is already holding several, offers at more than a few positions (CB/Slot/RB). I'm still mixed when it comes to a position in college for Griffin....but his ovewrall speed and athletic ability remains off the charts here.

273 Chris Durr Jr. WR 2024 Morgan Park- Durr Jr. is also a twitchy speedy athlete who can play on either side of the football. Dutr Jr. still needs to add more weight and good size but his overall speed, hands and full speed all the time play will no question draw lots of looks this winter and spring.

347 Nicholas Arogundade WR 2024 Loyola Academy- Good sixed kid with room to grow as well. Made some nice catches and just looked the part here.

360 DL Braeden Jones DE 2026 Chicago Mount Carmel- I've seen Braeden twice at camps now and he's impressed me both times. Jones has impressive size and strength used his overall quickness and power well in positional drill work. Huge upside here in my opinion.

361 OL Danny Zarco OL 2024 Lyons Township- Another camp familiar face....Zarco always seems to perform well and certainly had a strong showing here. I'm still trying to figure out what Zarco will be positionally and seems like a player who can flip to either side of the football if needed. Again this is a name to watch over the next several months.

362 DE Lesroy Tittle 2026 Nazareth Academy- Had an impressive breakout freshman season on varsity for Nazareth Academy in 2022 and it's easy to see why after this event. Tittle has tremendous quickness and twitch, once he gains the edge he can flat out beat linemen play in and play out....yet Tittle also has plenty in his trick bag to also outfight and beat opposing bigger offensive linemen. Tittle will be a work in progress physically over the next year or two....,but his raw upside and potential is going to be tremendous.

363 LB Jovan Clark LB 2025 Morgan Park- Clark is another well known name on my recruiting radar screen. Clark has a great mix of speed and strength, runs really well to the football and just gets after it. The biggest question will be if Clark still has some physical growing still to do, yet regardless I love his game here.

436 Johnathan Mayfield DL 2024 Hoffman Estates- Had an eye opening performance here as well as at my showcase on Monday. Mayfield is a good size kid with an impressive mix of strength and power and his overall balance/footwork is also a plus. Mayfield was at times unblockable and still has room to get better.

439 Rico Schrieber OT 2026 Chicago Marist- Huge young man here (6-foot-7. 338 pounds) who is still learning the game and the position but who also at time3s flashes some real potential and better things to come. Rico still needs to cut and transfer bad weight into good weight...but what caught my attention was his feet and his overall mobility. Schrieber is not a slow footed kid and was pretty solid overall here. Yes....still a lot of work needs to be done but I saw the same from others at this stage who got it figured out (Miles McVay among others).

442 Alexander Poholik 2024 OL Mount Carmel- Had a very strong showing here as well as at my showcase on Monday. Alex will no question wind up as an interior OL in college. Possesses really good quick feet and hands, engages the defender well and his strength and punch was impressive here. Poholik battled all comers here, stole a ton of reps at my showcase and will be a name to watch for the FBS/FCS level schools this spring and summer.

445 Cameron Brooks 2025 DT Homewood-Flossmoor- Big, strong kid who had a good showing. I was impressed with his well Brooks moved here and his quick get off was really strong. Brooks still has a lot more to learn from a pass rush moves standpoint but his tools and ability is there no question.

449 Jarve Bay 2025 DL Homewood Flossmoor- Bay is another 2025 name at H-F to watch this spring and summer. Bay also has good size and strength, moves well and can be an effective linemen on really either side of the football for the Vikings.

How deceiving are high school highlight tapes?

With the rise of Twitter and Hudl the amount of highlight tapes out there currently is vast but are they really useful? It seems to me for many kids their highlights are almost exclusively from the games where they are playing 3 win teams and include nothing from the games where they are playing against top tier teams. I saw one QB who has almost 5 seconds and throws to a wide open kid down the field every time, he looks great doing it but is this realistic at the college level? I understand it the point is to make yourself look good but does this really help or just provide a distorted view about how good you really are? I'd rather see your highlights from the top tier competition.

Rant over.

My Take: Boom Midwest Best of the Best Part 1

This was held on Sunday at Naperville Yard....which is the home of Boom 7on7 and Acceleration Speed training aka JR Niklos. I've been able to attend many many Boom events over the years and I really enjoy JR and all of the Boom team and remain good friends and we support each other's events and will continue to do so I hope for years to come. With my own Showcase the next day....I come here to support the event and to also get a quick eyeball on some kids I know and others I might not be aware of at this event. I was at this event for 2/3rds of the day unfortunately I had to leave with maybe a half hour left in the day, so I missed several one on ones but saw plenty in positional work etc.

Again for the record...let me clarify. I try to watch and see as many kids as I can at these showcase and camp events....but I've yet to be able to find a way to watch 200/300 plus kids in one spot at one time...and I can and will miss seeing some additional top names...but I'll keep trying my best to see as many kids as possible.

My Take: Boom Midwest Best of the Best Showcase Part 2

Who Stood Out?

061 Carson Boyd QB 2025 Cardinal Ritter
- Out of state name who was one of the better overall QB's at this event....was an East St Louis kid who's family last year transferred to Cardinal Ritter in St Louis.

062 DB Javy Payne 2025 Mount Carmel- Younger brother of former Simeon and NIU DB Leon Payne. Javy is a terrific lock down cover with impressive speed, quickness and the ability to just separate the receiver from the football on a consistent basis. Payne also has impressive ball skills and awareness and his ability to track then close on the deep ball was pretty evident here. I can see Payne also being a plus defender in run support and this kid will see his recruiting stock soar this winter and spring.

063 WR Kyan Berry Johnson 2024 Bolingbrook- Maybe, just maybe we all might be sleeping a bit on Kyan Berry Johnson this summer. Berry-Johnson has gotten bigger and stronger from last summer, can still run extremely well and best of all, he might have the best overall ball skills and hands out of any receivers in the Illinois Class of 2024. Berry Johnson just makes catches most human beings aren't suppose to catch... and his ability to make one handed catches in traffic (yes we all know not fundamentally sound./correct etc) just shows you a flash of his truly high level ability.

078 WR Maurice Davis Jr 2024 Mount Carmel- Just a very solid all around football player and prospect here. Davis Jr. runs well, showed good overall hands and is very capable of making the over the middle catch consistently.

097 QB Keshaun Parker 2024 Simeon- Had a really strong 2022 season for the Wolverines and Parker just does a lot of nice things here. Parker also ran pretty well and is a higher level athlete in my opinion for sure.

099 WR IMarion Stewart 2024 Bolingbrook- The highly sought after 4 star Imarion Stewart is about as smooth as they come at these events. Stewart has impressive high level speed and quickness, his bursty, first few steps and ability to stop, start then cut on a dime and change direction is eye opening for sure. Stewart also has very good hands and ball skills and his biggest plus I feel is is overall Football IQ and multiple gears (downfield speed).

194 WR Talyn Taylor 2025 Geneva- Talyn Taylor has been one of the top overall receivers in Illinois for the last year plus. Taylor, who is already holding a handful of Power 5 offers just is incredibly physically advanced for his age, has very high level athletic skills and his game just is about as polished and as smooth as any IHSA player in Illinois. Taylor at times was just dominant here and very few defensive backs seemed to find a way to lock him down in coverage. Taylor still has some things to learn and improve and more reps and experience will help no question...yet in my mind Taylor will be another very high level ranked recruit in a very strong Class of 2025 locally and nationally.

200 WR Miles Cremascoli 2024 New Trier- Not sure if Miles will end up as a receiver or say a tight end in college. Cremascoli has good size (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) who also has good hands and was very competive here.

220 WR Kaiser Williams 2025 Naperville North- Great looking prospect on the hoof here. Williams has impressive size and length, ran well and was more than a handful for opposing defenders to handle one on one. Williams just looks like a D1 level name who will no question draw a ton of looks this winter and spring.

224 WR Adrian Washington 2024 Joliet Catholic- Washington is another big, tall and lanky receiver who was able to show good overall hands and ball skills here. I liked Washington's speed and quickness in positional work.

228 WR Quinn Morris 2025 Plainfield East- Quinn Morris is the younger brother of Naz/Michigan WR Tyler Morris. Quinn just continues to grow and develop into a high level receiver and a big time target. Quinn Morris has great twitch and explosiveness, runs impressive routes and physically is just a tough matchup.

236 RB Nico Bertolini 2024 Belvidere North- Was one of the overall fastest players at this event. Ran really well here and also was able to make some nice plays in positional work and is just an overall solid athlete.

238 Charles Miles DB 2024 Mount Carmel- Miles transferred from TF South to MC last season and had to fight and scrap for every rep on a very deep MC roster. Miles has a lot to offer here including strong cover skills, good overall length and closes quickly on the football. The more schools who get to see Miles in person this winter and spring will like what they see.

248 Rasheed Johnson RB 2024 Rockford Boylan- Liked what I saw live from Rasheed Johnson in person last season live and he also carried his overall speed and quickness to this event as well. Johnson is a strong in between the tackles runner when needed but also shows the ability to have outside/breakaway speed.

252 Jacob Bell QB 2025 Naperville North- A well known name in recruiting circles who should have a better path towards becoming a full time starter in 2023. Bell sat behind Aidan Gray (Northwestern) last season and Bell has a ton of upside including a live arm and just an impressive physical presence.

255 WR George Dimopoulos 2024 Crystal Lake Central- Just a really nice receiver and overall athlete here. Bigger kid who shows really strong hands and ball skills in traffic who also hung with and against several of the higher profile names at this event.

256 Phillip Goodrich Jr. 2026 RB Carmel Catholic- Goodrich Jr. is just a freshman who has upperclassmen level skills tools and ability. Goodrich Jr. also had a strong 2022 season on the varsity and I'm excited to see his development.

IL Players Entering the Transfer Portal

Lovett, a sophomore from East St. Louis who played high school football at Belleville West and East St. Louis, ranks seventh in the SEC with 76 targets and is the second-highest graded wide receiver in the league by Pro Football Focus. Schools mentioned as possible landing spots for Lovett should he decide to transfer include Alabama, Miami, Oregon and Southern California, per multiple sources.

LB3 seems set to stay:
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IHSA Board meeting 1/11

FYI for those like to keep up. Hey at least they are talking about competitive balance!

St. Rita's Conor Talty Finalist for Chris Sailer Kicking Award

Conor Talty is a Finalist for Chris Sailer Kicking Award, but I think Conor is the underdog. Because St. Rita had a very good OL and DJ Stewart as a running back, Conor did not have the opportunity for a lot of long distance field goals. Conor's 51 yarder in the opening game was his long for the year. I just watched the YouTube video of it and that field goal cleared the cross bar above the uprights and could have been easily 60 yards. I've read somewhere the Coach Kuska and special teams coach JJ Strandring have had more than a dozen kicker/punters play division 1 college ball. Conor would have played in the All-American game but he committed to the Polynesian Bowl months ago and the rules are that you can play in one game.

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