Who Stood Out: Monday Session 1 2026
Who Stood Out: Monday Session 1 2027/2028/2029
Who Stood Out: Tuesday Session 2 2026
In short, the Tuesday session of the NCC camp was easily the best overall talent, and quite possibly the deepest underclassmen talent I can remember at these events. I had more than a few college coaches tell me about my early prediction of the 2027 and 2028 class here in Illinois having the potential to be as strong as any classes I can remember...and this session is no question was a prime example A of that call.
I try my best to see all 400 plus kids at this event spread out over three separate fields (main stadium and practice fields) but I know going in this is an impossible task...yet I still try my best to see as much as possible. If you have a way of me getting to watch all 400 plus kids here please let me know and thanks.
See any name misspellings etc email me edgytim@edgytim.com or leave a message and I'll correct.
Class of 2027 (Black Jerseys)
#3 WR Benjamin Anderson Lake Forest- Good sized receiver with length and showed good hands. Also ran and tested well and was just pretty consistent in the testing and positional work.
#7 RB Logan Natyshok Coal City- Good sixed running back (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) who runs with a nice mix of speed and power. Would have loved to see skills play in shells as well but....oh well. Another young guy to watch for the Coalers.
#7 WR James Skona Hinsdale Central- Tested really well and showed good speed and burst in positional work. Liked his overall physical tools...and like a lot of kids in this class...James needs to add a bit more siize and strength... but the skills are there.
#8 RB Jackson Grabinski Marist- Another impressive looking running back who also has the nice mix of speed, quick feet and power as well. I will definitely look at his tape this fall.
#11 QB Michael Vander Luitgaren Batavia- Has a chance to develop into a higher level name in the stacked 2027 quarterback class. Has good size and physical tools, throws the football consistently well and Michael just plays with patience and confidence. A lot to like here.
#12 WR Jake Marchese Bartlett- Another solid part of a very good receiver position group at this session. Ran and tested well here and this is another name I will go and watch more of this fall.
#14 WR Chris Akpede St. Charles North- Chris tested and ran well, his broad jump was silly strong here and he possesses some twitch and some explosiveness as well. Should get a ton of opportunities this fall for the North Stars.
#16 S Cruz Evans Glenwood Glenwood brought a ton of kids here and a handful really stood out including Cruz Evans. Evans runs well and has some speed and some explosiveness. Needs to add much more good weight and strength over the next year plus but I see some upside here.
#20 DB Isaac Saldana Mount Carmel- Big fan of this kid for the last year or so. Isaac is fundamentally solid, has good speed and cover skills. Tesing phase was decent but could be a bit better however his overall height and length was better than I remembered.
#22 QB AJ Rayford Glenbard West- Started last season at QB for Providence Catholic and is now at Glenbard West. AJ is a very solid all around athlete who can just do a lot of things well. Has a very good and accurate arm and his ability inside and outside of the pocket are at a plus level. It's a stacked 2027 QB position and AJ has a chance to raise his profile this fall.
#23 WR Tony Banks Marian Catholic- A definite slot type of receiver who has real speed and quickness along with good hands. Overall testing numbers are a positive as well.
#24 DB Tate Beran Geneva- Overall did a nice job in coverage and positional drill work and also showed to have good speed and quickness in both drill work and the testing phase.
#27 RB Timmie Lewis Bolingbrook- Why this kid doesn't have like 20 plus offers so far is wild in my opinion. Lewis has impressive size (6-foot-0, 228 pounds) runs well, has a nice combination of speed, quick feet and explosiveness and once he's up to full speed look out. Has a chance to develop into a major dude in this class.
#29 DB Wesley Gundlach Loyola Academy- Good sized kid here (6-foot-2, 186 pounds) who runs well, tested well and just had the look of a name to watch over the next or two for the Ramblers.
#32 DB Jaylen McMiller Providence Catholic- McMiller is becoming a well known name in recruiting circles. McMiller has very good speed and quickness, is a hard nosed defender and ball hawk who just seems to get better and better each time I see him in person. Definite upside here.
#36 SS Jake Thies Fenwick- Thies is already adding D1 offers this summer and I was impressed with his play last season as well as his camp showing. Thies is a strong all around defender and cover man who has good speed and quickness along with a high football IQ. Carries himself as a leader at all times and plays with a ton of confidence.
#60 DT Easton Emmett Coal City- High motor defensive tackle who has a really nice combination of quickness and power here. Emmett is also a two way starter for the Coalers who was very productive last fall and more is expected in 2025.
#62 OC Frank McMillen St Francis- McMillen is another steady and active player on the camp circuit over the last year plus. Has ideal OC frame and size and his overall strength and strong hand usage was pretty evident in one on ones.
#63 WR Mason Hatchet Glenwood- Solid all around receiver here who made a few nice catches along with running and testing pretty well here. Has a chance to become a really nice player at the college level.
#68 OT Cade Koehler Sandburg- Cade already has eyeball passing size and frame at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds with even more growth and upside development ahead of him. Still need to improve his overall feet/quickness and footwork but I'm excited to see his development starting this fall.
#73 OL Jonah Meslin Naperville Central- Meslin still is a work in progress and will need to add some considerable weight and strength over the next year plus, but I like his overall abilities and upside development down the line.
#82 LB Sean Rice DePaul Prep- Has good size and passes the all important eye ball test. Rice has impressive first few steps and quickness and has a future as a rush end/OLB edge rusher . Rice will also add more good weight and strength down the line. His overall quickness and twitch stood out to me here.
#84 TE Charlie Fowler Loyola Academy- Is it a requirement at Loyola to be at least 6-foot7 to play tight end? Fowler measured in at 6-foot-7, 214 pounds and he also ran pretty well here along with testing and putting up some solid numbers. No question this is another underclassmen name to watch sooner rather than later.
#84 Cashmere Coleman Nazareth Academy- Overall has good size and also showed good hands and ball skills. Cashmere also has a big wing span and his reach advantage was evident here.
#85 DT Jack Woods Hinsdale Central- Good sized kid here (6-foot-5, 262 pounds) who has good strength and power and who also had some good moments in one on ones. Still has room to improve including working on his overall feet.quickness and bend. Name to watch for sure.
#90 DL Brandon Ward Mt. Carmel - The Caravan just seem to have talent all over the program thses days and add Brandon Ward to that list. Ward has good size and a frame that will allow him to add more weight/strength and Ward also moved well in drills and positional work.
Next: Session 2 Class of 2028/2029 (White Jerseys)
Who Stood Out: Monday Session 1 2027/2028/2029
Who Stood Out: Tuesday Session 2 2026
In short, the Tuesday session of the NCC camp was easily the best overall talent, and quite possibly the deepest underclassmen talent I can remember at these events. I had more than a few college coaches tell me about my early prediction of the 2027 and 2028 class here in Illinois having the potential to be as strong as any classes I can remember...and this session is no question was a prime example A of that call.
I try my best to see all 400 plus kids at this event spread out over three separate fields (main stadium and practice fields) but I know going in this is an impossible task...yet I still try my best to see as much as possible. If you have a way of me getting to watch all 400 plus kids here please let me know and thanks.
See any name misspellings etc email me edgytim@edgytim.com or leave a message and I'll correct.
Class of 2027 (Black Jerseys)
#3 WR Benjamin Anderson Lake Forest- Good sized receiver with length and showed good hands. Also ran and tested well and was just pretty consistent in the testing and positional work.
#7 RB Logan Natyshok Coal City- Good sixed running back (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) who runs with a nice mix of speed and power. Would have loved to see skills play in shells as well but....oh well. Another young guy to watch for the Coalers.
#7 WR James Skona Hinsdale Central- Tested really well and showed good speed and burst in positional work. Liked his overall physical tools...and like a lot of kids in this class...James needs to add a bit more siize and strength... but the skills are there.
#8 RB Jackson Grabinski Marist- Another impressive looking running back who also has the nice mix of speed, quick feet and power as well. I will definitely look at his tape this fall.
#11 QB Michael Vander Luitgaren Batavia- Has a chance to develop into a higher level name in the stacked 2027 quarterback class. Has good size and physical tools, throws the football consistently well and Michael just plays with patience and confidence. A lot to like here.
#12 WR Jake Marchese Bartlett- Another solid part of a very good receiver position group at this session. Ran and tested well here and this is another name I will go and watch more of this fall.
#14 WR Chris Akpede St. Charles North- Chris tested and ran well, his broad jump was silly strong here and he possesses some twitch and some explosiveness as well. Should get a ton of opportunities this fall for the North Stars.
#16 S Cruz Evans Glenwood Glenwood brought a ton of kids here and a handful really stood out including Cruz Evans. Evans runs well and has some speed and some explosiveness. Needs to add much more good weight and strength over the next year plus but I see some upside here.
#20 DB Isaac Saldana Mount Carmel- Big fan of this kid for the last year or so. Isaac is fundamentally solid, has good speed and cover skills. Tesing phase was decent but could be a bit better however his overall height and length was better than I remembered.
#22 QB AJ Rayford Glenbard West- Started last season at QB for Providence Catholic and is now at Glenbard West. AJ is a very solid all around athlete who can just do a lot of things well. Has a very good and accurate arm and his ability inside and outside of the pocket are at a plus level. It's a stacked 2027 QB position and AJ has a chance to raise his profile this fall.
#23 WR Tony Banks Marian Catholic- A definite slot type of receiver who has real speed and quickness along with good hands. Overall testing numbers are a positive as well.
#24 DB Tate Beran Geneva- Overall did a nice job in coverage and positional drill work and also showed to have good speed and quickness in both drill work and the testing phase.
#27 RB Timmie Lewis Bolingbrook- Why this kid doesn't have like 20 plus offers so far is wild in my opinion. Lewis has impressive size (6-foot-0, 228 pounds) runs well, has a nice combination of speed, quick feet and explosiveness and once he's up to full speed look out. Has a chance to develop into a major dude in this class.
#29 DB Wesley Gundlach Loyola Academy- Good sized kid here (6-foot-2, 186 pounds) who runs well, tested well and just had the look of a name to watch over the next or two for the Ramblers.
#32 DB Jaylen McMiller Providence Catholic- McMiller is becoming a well known name in recruiting circles. McMiller has very good speed and quickness, is a hard nosed defender and ball hawk who just seems to get better and better each time I see him in person. Definite upside here.
#36 SS Jake Thies Fenwick- Thies is already adding D1 offers this summer and I was impressed with his play last season as well as his camp showing. Thies is a strong all around defender and cover man who has good speed and quickness along with a high football IQ. Carries himself as a leader at all times and plays with a ton of confidence.
#60 DT Easton Emmett Coal City- High motor defensive tackle who has a really nice combination of quickness and power here. Emmett is also a two way starter for the Coalers who was very productive last fall and more is expected in 2025.
#62 OC Frank McMillen St Francis- McMillen is another steady and active player on the camp circuit over the last year plus. Has ideal OC frame and size and his overall strength and strong hand usage was pretty evident in one on ones.
#63 WR Mason Hatchet Glenwood- Solid all around receiver here who made a few nice catches along with running and testing pretty well here. Has a chance to become a really nice player at the college level.
#68 OT Cade Koehler Sandburg- Cade already has eyeball passing size and frame at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds with even more growth and upside development ahead of him. Still need to improve his overall feet/quickness and footwork but I'm excited to see his development starting this fall.
#73 OL Jonah Meslin Naperville Central- Meslin still is a work in progress and will need to add some considerable weight and strength over the next year plus, but I like his overall abilities and upside development down the line.
#82 LB Sean Rice DePaul Prep- Has good size and passes the all important eye ball test. Rice has impressive first few steps and quickness and has a future as a rush end/OLB edge rusher . Rice will also add more good weight and strength down the line. His overall quickness and twitch stood out to me here.
#84 TE Charlie Fowler Loyola Academy- Is it a requirement at Loyola to be at least 6-foot7 to play tight end? Fowler measured in at 6-foot-7, 214 pounds and he also ran pretty well here along with testing and putting up some solid numbers. No question this is another underclassmen name to watch sooner rather than later.
#84 Cashmere Coleman Nazareth Academy- Overall has good size and also showed good hands and ball skills. Cashmere also has a big wing span and his reach advantage was evident here.
#85 DT Jack Woods Hinsdale Central- Good sized kid here (6-foot-5, 262 pounds) who has good strength and power and who also had some good moments in one on ones. Still has room to improve including working on his overall feet.quickness and bend. Name to watch for sure.
#90 DL Brandon Ward Mt. Carmel - The Caravan just seem to have talent all over the program thses days and add Brandon Ward to that list. Ward has good size and a frame that will allow him to add more weight/strength and Ward also moved well in drills and positional work.
Next: Session 2 Class of 2028/2029 (White Jerseys)
