If any one school has benefitted the most from the satellite camp boom it very well could be North Central College. NCC and head coach Jeff Thorne and staff just ran these last two camps exceptionally well. From the organization to getting a ton of kids on campus plus getting the players at NCC involved, for me this was a major win-win for NCC on several levels.
This version actually drew more kids than I expected to be honest. With nearly 300 kids in attendance along with nearly 200 at Lake Park earlier in the day...I just wasn't sure how the attendance would be effected at either camp. Glad to see both camps drew well.
(note: always do my best to get around to see as many kids as I can but can and will miss as many or more than I see. Also note I'm focused a bit more on longer observations for 2018/2019 kids at this stage but always note of any 2017's that standout and I usually won't watch a ton of kids I've seen already this summer).
Now Who Stood Out?
Class of 2017
WR Davion Talbert OPRF- I've seen Talbert at a few camps now and this is a kid that just seems to make plays, has some speed and athletic abilities.
QB Tommy Herion Loyola- I've seen Herion about a half dozen times now and he's still throwing the football well. Again (and I hate sounding like a broken record but) overall size along with lack of varsity level 2015 tape hurts here. No question that Herion will need some strong early senior video but his camp performance was a plus here.
WR Ty Ritchie H-F- just a very quick and athletic receiver with great ball skills, body control and hands. Didnt see any 40 times so not sure what Ty runs these days but looks plenty fast to me.
DB Devin Aguilar Oswego East- Have I mentioned that OE should be pretty good this coming season? Aguilar is a vet of the 7on7 circuit so he's a bit of a known entity. Has good speed and cover skills and always battled for the football better than most here. Could end up being a D2 level kid.
OL Ethan Lemons OPRF- also been aware of Ethan for a while now. Does very well at OC and to me is a very solid interior OL option. Needs a bit more bulk and size but from a technical standpoint is pretty solid. Went toe to toe with some big dawgs here and more than held his own.
OL Jake Zeiler Neuqua Valley- another very solid overall OL here. Moves well and has decent strength. Another 2017 kid who battled all day against some very tough DL and won more than he lost.
OL Michael Ross Montini Catholic- for some reason just didn't remember Michael from last season and that's my bad. Ross has some good size and strength and also showed good hands and punch. Lost some one on ones but kept coming back for more and physically has a lot to offer. D2/NAIA caliber name...
OL Verderian Lowe Rockford Auburn- Beast. Simple as that. For some stupid reason I ranked Lowe down quite a bit based off of his junior year video. I just wasn't overly impressed and I'll be honest...after seeing Lowe since a freshman and seeing what he's capable of I expected a lot more from him. Well guess what? Lowe has never looked better physically, is finally down to a great weight and at times just overwhelmed kids. Lowe has just one offer to date and if they see what I saw here...that would change very quickly just like my lowly ranking of Lowe next time around.
OL Evan Day Batavia- has a tackle body, length and size. At times struggled with the inside rush. Yet overall? Definitely a name to watch alter this summer and early fall. Has FCS level tools and potential I believe. Remember tackle body types are always in high demand and we have very little overall OT with the overall size and physical tools of an Evan Day.
RB Jordan Rowell Immaculate Conception- has offers from schools at various positions and I definitely see why after this camp. Rowell has size and just has the look of a higher level recruit. Rowell just does a lot of things well including the football as well as just shining in various position drills. I'm guessing safety for Rowell at the BCS level.
DT Joe Spivak Montini Catholic- I'm tired of talking about Joe. He's great. Sign him. That's all. In all honesty Spivak is one of those kids who's "undersized", has limited physical upside etc. and Joe is also a kid who will beat you rep in and rep out while smiling the entire time. Simply one of the best DT/NG in Illinois.
OL Matt Ricketts Galesburg- been aware of Ricketts for awhile now and I liked what I saw for the most part here. Has good size and feet. Needs to improve his overall pass pro a bit but has some definite upside.
OL Sam Ambrogio St. Charles North- switched this camp from more of an OC and was much improved at center. Ambrogio seems much more comfortable and much more effective inside in my opinion. Has above average size and strength and could draw more OG/OC looks this summer and fall.
WR Patrick Cooper Lockport- another name that I saw here that I liked, Cooper is a WR/DB type, has really good straight line speed and quicks. Also looked to have good hands in the limited reps I saw.
WR Jace James Glenbard North- one of several two camps in one day kids. See my breakdown of Jace in the Lake Park camp.
WR Cameron Moore Wheaton South- wanted to watch more live reps from Moore but I failed sadly. pretty good looking kid on the hoof and a kid I'll look harder at this summer in 7on7 play.
Next Up? Top NCC camp underclassmen.
This version actually drew more kids than I expected to be honest. With nearly 300 kids in attendance along with nearly 200 at Lake Park earlier in the day...I just wasn't sure how the attendance would be effected at either camp. Glad to see both camps drew well.
(note: always do my best to get around to see as many kids as I can but can and will miss as many or more than I see. Also note I'm focused a bit more on longer observations for 2018/2019 kids at this stage but always note of any 2017's that standout and I usually won't watch a ton of kids I've seen already this summer).
Now Who Stood Out?
Class of 2017
WR Davion Talbert OPRF- I've seen Talbert at a few camps now and this is a kid that just seems to make plays, has some speed and athletic abilities.
QB Tommy Herion Loyola- I've seen Herion about a half dozen times now and he's still throwing the football well. Again (and I hate sounding like a broken record but) overall size along with lack of varsity level 2015 tape hurts here. No question that Herion will need some strong early senior video but his camp performance was a plus here.
WR Ty Ritchie H-F- just a very quick and athletic receiver with great ball skills, body control and hands. Didnt see any 40 times so not sure what Ty runs these days but looks plenty fast to me.
DB Devin Aguilar Oswego East- Have I mentioned that OE should be pretty good this coming season? Aguilar is a vet of the 7on7 circuit so he's a bit of a known entity. Has good speed and cover skills and always battled for the football better than most here. Could end up being a D2 level kid.
OL Ethan Lemons OPRF- also been aware of Ethan for a while now. Does very well at OC and to me is a very solid interior OL option. Needs a bit more bulk and size but from a technical standpoint is pretty solid. Went toe to toe with some big dawgs here and more than held his own.
OL Jake Zeiler Neuqua Valley- another very solid overall OL here. Moves well and has decent strength. Another 2017 kid who battled all day against some very tough DL and won more than he lost.
OL Michael Ross Montini Catholic- for some reason just didn't remember Michael from last season and that's my bad. Ross has some good size and strength and also showed good hands and punch. Lost some one on ones but kept coming back for more and physically has a lot to offer. D2/NAIA caliber name...
OL Verderian Lowe Rockford Auburn- Beast. Simple as that. For some stupid reason I ranked Lowe down quite a bit based off of his junior year video. I just wasn't overly impressed and I'll be honest...after seeing Lowe since a freshman and seeing what he's capable of I expected a lot more from him. Well guess what? Lowe has never looked better physically, is finally down to a great weight and at times just overwhelmed kids. Lowe has just one offer to date and if they see what I saw here...that would change very quickly just like my lowly ranking of Lowe next time around.
OL Evan Day Batavia- has a tackle body, length and size. At times struggled with the inside rush. Yet overall? Definitely a name to watch alter this summer and early fall. Has FCS level tools and potential I believe. Remember tackle body types are always in high demand and we have very little overall OT with the overall size and physical tools of an Evan Day.
RB Jordan Rowell Immaculate Conception- has offers from schools at various positions and I definitely see why after this camp. Rowell has size and just has the look of a higher level recruit. Rowell just does a lot of things well including the football as well as just shining in various position drills. I'm guessing safety for Rowell at the BCS level.
DT Joe Spivak Montini Catholic- I'm tired of talking about Joe. He's great. Sign him. That's all. In all honesty Spivak is one of those kids who's "undersized", has limited physical upside etc. and Joe is also a kid who will beat you rep in and rep out while smiling the entire time. Simply one of the best DT/NG in Illinois.
OL Matt Ricketts Galesburg- been aware of Ricketts for awhile now and I liked what I saw for the most part here. Has good size and feet. Needs to improve his overall pass pro a bit but has some definite upside.
OL Sam Ambrogio St. Charles North- switched this camp from more of an OC and was much improved at center. Ambrogio seems much more comfortable and much more effective inside in my opinion. Has above average size and strength and could draw more OG/OC looks this summer and fall.
WR Patrick Cooper Lockport- another name that I saw here that I liked, Cooper is a WR/DB type, has really good straight line speed and quicks. Also looked to have good hands in the limited reps I saw.
WR Jace James Glenbard North- one of several two camps in one day kids. See my breakdown of Jace in the Lake Park camp.
WR Cameron Moore Wheaton South- wanted to watch more live reps from Moore but I failed sadly. pretty good looking kid on the hoof and a kid I'll look harder at this summer in 7on7 play.
Next Up? Top NCC camp underclassmen.
