Photo courtesy: Journal Gazett
Blake led Bishop-Dwenger to a 4A State Championship as a junior and projects to have big senior season. On the field, Podschlne exhibits a quick release, live arm, and feel for pressure. His strongest quality is effectiveness outside the pocket, hitting receivers with velocity on rollouts and boots. He finished the season with 1,739 yards through the air and 588 on the ground, as well as 14 TDs.
The class of 2017 is very deep. The safety position is evidence of its depth, with several prospects already holding college offers. Some have started since their sophomore years and have made a high-impact on their team at a young age. But all of them are unique and possess different strengths that separate themselves from others. Here’s a look at each player and the unique strengths they can bring to the table as college prospects.
Note: Order of posting is not a ranking.
Ben Stewart, Cathedral
Strength: Overall team impact and effort.
Recruiting Attention: Offer from Toledo
Ben Stewart is a baller. He brings it on every play; he might be the toughest battle-hardened player in the state. He has been a cornerstone of powerhouse Cathedral’s defense for the past two years. Ben is a strong tackler with excellent range, flying all over the field. He has off-the-charts effort, contributing as a kick returner on special teams, where he is a legitimate threat to make defenders miss and go the distance. He also played at running back last year in the regional game against Avon. He currently holds an offer from Toledo.
R.J. Potts, Fishers
Strength: Position flexibility and team impact
Recruiting Attention: Offers from Notre Dame, Indiana
R.J. holds offers from Notre Dame and Indiana, and for good reason. He’s a two-way starter for the Tigers, also playing at wide receiver, where he makes a legitimate impact on their offense while making big plays on defense.
Brock Burns, HSE
Strength: Closing Speed
Recruiting Attention: Ball State, Northwestern, Purdue, Indiana, Miami-Ohio
Burns has no offers but was garnering Big 10 attention during the season. Coaches at HSE rave about Brock’s work ethic and intangibles. He has excellent closing speed and is seldom a flat-footed tackler; he can really knock back ball carriers and wrap up in space. He is also a top student with excellent grades.
Matt Anderson, FW Homestead
Strength: Ball skills/Pass coverage
Recruiting Attention: Visits to Miami-Ohio, Western Michigan, Cincinnati. Visited Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Michigan St., IU, Purdue.
Discovered Matt while recently going through Fort Wayne-area prospects. Anderson exhibits excellent tackling in the open field; he likes to run and hit. He’s also blessed with nice arm length and instincts. But his greatest strength is timing the ball in pass coverage. He can close in on receivers and smoothly bat down would-be catches.
Sterling Weatherford, Hamilton Heights
Strength: Size/Athleticism, Tackling
Recruiting Attention: Offer from Miami-Ohio
Sterling got an offer yesterday from Miami-Ohio, a MAC team that continues to hit Indiana with offers. He might project to tight end/wide receiver in college – he can adjust to the ball and catch in a crowd – but he also plays safety and deserves consideration at this position. On defense he likes to hit; he sheds blocks well and exhibits nice technique and fundamentals as a tackler. At 6’5” 205, he’s the biggest of all the prospects listed here, a quality that the Redhawks and other teams will take notice of.
Dijon Anderson, Warren Central
Strength: Range
Recruiting Attention: Purdue, Michigan State
Dijon isn’t blessed with the size of other prospects, but he makes up for it with excellent range, flying all over the field and making plays on the ball for 6A Warren Central. He can play center-field and exhibits nice ball skills in the deep passing game. He possesses excellent range, especially in run support, where he can read and react to screens and make big tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage.
Owen Strieter, LaPorte
Last week, we wrote a post previewing the 2017 safeties and the high potential within the class. We didn’t mention Owen Strieter, a 6’0” 175 DB for LaPorte. Perhaps we should have. Owen is a very physical player, a hard-hitter and technique-sound tackler who takes good angles to the ball. He also plays wide receiver and serves on kickoff coverage. He tells IndyScout that he has received interest from Ball State, Purdue, Columbia, UIndy, Valpo, and Buffalo. He also visited Northwestern and Purdue in the fall.
It’s hard to find a team that will lose more to graduation than the Orioles. Top quarterback Brandon Peters, three offensive linemen, and their key receivers – Matt Moore and Andrew Griffin – are all gone. Ditto for A.J. Elcock and Brody Gude, who emerged as two big players on defense late in the season. Addison Batton and DJ Bowles will return up front. Cameron Misner, a 6’2″ 185 sophomore, is the projected starter in place of Peters. Another returning bright spot is Bryant Fitzgerald, an outstanding two-way player and recent Indiana commit. Fitzgerald is a tremendous workhorse RB, exhibiting excellent balance in space and getting yards after contact.
Bad news first: Michael Viktrup and Noah Burks – two big-time players- will be gone at graduation. Good news: the new quarterback has a bunch of good guys to throw to. Ethan Merriweather, electrifying playmaker Jalen Walker, and 6’7” TE Kurt Rafdal return on offense. He’s also well-protected up front; 6’7” 225 offensive tackle Mark Strickford has two MAC offers. Britt Beery and Jack Van Remortel are key players to watch on defense. Beery holds offers from Indiana, Miami-Ohio, and Ball State. The team will rely on the arm of either Jake McDonald or Elliot Charlebois. McDonald is a rising junior who played in the final game against Penn. Charlebois is a senior transfer from Guerin Catholic. One of the two must step up and fill a crucial role.
Drew Keszei is under-the-radar for now, but he might not be for very much longer, especially with a strong senior season in 2016. The 6’2” 180-pound pocket passer for FW Homestead had a solid junior season, finishing with 2,750 yards and 38 total touchdowns. On tape he exhibits a quick release, an accurate deep ball, and puts zip on short-to-intermediate passes. He tells IndyScout that Miami-Ohio and Ball State are showing interest.
Arion Nieves confirmed to IndyScout that he will suit up next season as a Bishop Luers Knight, transferring from Fort Wayne North. He should fill in nicely for Noah Wezensky, a Miami-Ohio commit who will graduate this May.
Nieves could bring a new dimension to BL’s offense. Wezensky was a pocket guy; Nieves is a dual-threat. He is very mobile; he can escape the pocket and throw on the move as well as anybody. And he can run – he finished 2015 with 557 yards rushing and 1,411 yards through the air.
“I feel really good about playing with him,” wide receiver DaShon Bussell said. “He will open up our offense. We haven’t had that many QB’s from Luers that can run and pass.”
Luers will lose Austin Mack to graduation, and he will be missed. But Bussell is quickly emerging as a future star with a high ceiling. He’s a 6’2 rising junior who is garnering Division I attention and will likely be Nieves’ primary target. Bussell is a playmaker; he can high-point the ball, stretch the field, and is dangerous after the catch.
“It should be really exciting,” Nieves said of Bussell. “He’s a big-play type of guy. I can’t wait!”
Kurt Rafdal is a player to watch at Carmel. The 2015 season put him on the map in the eyes of college recruiting coordinators around the country.
Rafdal played fullback before transitioning to WR, where he spent his sophomore year on JV. Now he starts at tight end for the Greyhounds, but he can also flex out and play on the perimeter.
He has slowly raked in offers from Ball State, Miami-Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa State. He tells IndyScout that Indiana, Purdue, and Michigan have shown interest.
“So far it’s been a really good process,” Rafdal said.
He has the size Division I teams seek. He is 6’7”, 230, and coach John Hebert says he has room to grow. Rafdal said his strengths lie in zone blocking and running crisp routes. He wants to improve on speed, initial quickness, and being productive after-the-catch. Hebert praises Rafdal for his work ethic, positive attitude, and effort.
“Kurt is a kid that improves weekly,” Hebert said. “(He) pushes himself all the time. He is his toughest critic, which is mostly positive. Sometimes you have to get him to stop beating himself up over a play because he is a perfectionist.”
A tough test awaits Carmel this fall. With former QB Michael Viktrup off to Air Force, someone will need to fill his shoes. One thing is for sure: the new quarterback inherits a pretty talented group of receivers, which includes Jalen Walker and Ethan Merriweather. Rafdal is certainly among them.
Juchaun (#32), a transfer from Goshen, has several qualities desired in a college defensive back. He can play press and break on the ball. He can high-point the ball in midair, keeps his head on a swivel, and has enough size and arm length. He’s also a nice, physical tackler who takes good angles and wraps up in space. Fox tells IndyScout that he has drawn interest from Miami-Ohio
Jr. Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4131261/highlights/293127392/v2
“If you feel fear, plunge ahead. If you feel incompetent, remember past successes. If you feel insignificant, remember your goals. If you persist long enough, you will win.” – Anonymous
I’ve been asked by several people, both in and outside of football, something to the effect of – “So, Bryan, how’d you get into football?” I thought it would be worth taking the time to respond to those questions. It’s a long story, honestly, full of ups and downs. I’ll do my best to keep it as short as possible.
I was born and raised near Brownstown, Indiana. Home is a brick house surrounded by cornfields. My parents are retired school teachers and my brother is a recent graduate from Eastern Kentucky with a degree in wildlife management. I have never played football. I graduated from high school and attended Franklin College. While at Franklin, I was a journalism major and reporter. I covered state politics for awhile (I even interviewed Mitch Daniels once). Throughout all of this, my eye was on a career in football. I sent my work to several NFL and college people; I asked for their thoughts and advice. They affirmed my calling, said that I have what it takes, and suggested getting involved with the program at Franklin.
In January of 2010, my journey really began. I started evaluating recruits for Mike Leonard’s program. I watched film and wrote scouting reports, much like what you see on this blog. I quickly impressed the coaches there and made an impression with my work, but also my work ethic and determination to do whatever it took to succeed. I took all of my classes in the morning between 8-11 a.m.; by 11:15, I was in the football office, where I stayed all day. I actually had my own desk next to the recruiting coordinator, Steve Rock. Again, film and reports, constantly, as well as setting up drills during practice. I stayed at the office until 7 – sometimes later – and went back up to my dorm room and studied until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. I also advance scouted all of our opponents on Saturdays and attended high school games on Friday nights (not much sleep between the two). I was unpaid, like any other student assistant. All I wanted was the experience.
Throughout this time, I started to apply for jobs and internships. I came excruciatingly close two times. The first was during my junior year; I was a finalist for a training camp internship with an NFL team. As it turns out, that was the year of the NFL lockout, and they couldn’t hire me or anyone for that matter. The second time came after graduation with a separate pro team. They promised to call back.
I haven’t heard from them yet. Huge bummer.
So, no job prospects at graduation. I decided to go to Ball State on a wing and a prayer. We knew some of the people who were on BSU’s staff at the time. I met them before graduation and got accepted into their online graduate program for physical education. The staff couldn’t pay me; I would be working for free. So on a really hot day in August of 2012, I moved up to Muncie in a cheap apartment and started working for zero dollars.
At the time, Pete Lembo was the head coach and I worked with the recruiting staff. I quickly impressed them. It didn’t take long. Within a month, I was on the payroll – enough to cover rent and groceries. We had a great year when I was there – we went to the bowl game in St. Pete. After the season, I needed to make a little more money. I went on campus during snowstorms looking for a job because I really needed the money.
At one point, I wound up at Ball Memorial Hospital with mono and seizure activity in my brain due to physical exhaustion. I was there for three days. That was probably the low point. I finally did wind up with an extra job on campus in the teacher’s office. Only one problem – after two weeks, they couldn’t give me enough hours.
That led to the grounds crew. For three months, I did a lot of dirty work. Throughout that summer, I mowed grass all over the Ball State campus, 40 hours per week, and went to the football office at night to watch film. And throughout that time, starting in January, I happened to be dating a young woman named Ruth Divine, who I met online. She lived in Indianapolis; that meant several late-night commutes on I-69 to see her on the weekends.
My first real break came that August. I signed on with NP as a part-time scouting assistant. I moved to Indy to be closer to Ruth. I work with several people on the NP staff, mostly looking at southeast-area players.
I started this blog and Twitter account last summer, just to see what it would be like. I probably devote an hour or two each day into Tweeting and evaluating prospects; I wish I could do more, but between all of my duties, it’s all I have time for. To be honest, I’ve been blown away at the receptivity of it. I have received tons of positive feedback from players, coaches, and parents saying that they value my opinion. Today I have almost 1,200 followers on Twitter. All of my work here and on my Twitter page is for free and not connected with my work for NP. I travel to games on my own dime. I do this because I enjoy getting to know you all, hearing your stories, and watching you succeed.
That has been the story ever since. I married Ruth – a.k.a Mrs. INFootballScout – on the beach on July 26, 2014. Since moving to Indy, I’ve also had several wacky jobs, as most people in football have at some point during their careers – I’ve been a landscaper, a janitor at a church, and a courier. I continue to apply for full-time positions in NFL, college personnel, and recruiting (including teams and recruiting media). Currently, I work an early-morning part-time job and do all of my football work in the afternoons, evenings, and Saturdays.
I’m still waiting on a full-time opportunity. Meanwhile, I continue to work with some great people at NP. Football is my passion. I try to take one day and one game at a time. I work very hard, stay humble, and strive to learn and grow every day.
Work wins.
BA
Azjai Cooper and dual-threat QB Reese Taylor return; Taylor will be a junior who should be better in 2016. The season might ride on his performance. Cooper started 2015 at quarterback but was moved to receiver after an injury. The offense will lose two great ones in Chris Evans and Stori Emerson, who are off to Michigan and Miami-Ohio respectively. Cooper and the elusive Noah Thomas are still guys to account for. A guy to keep an eye on is Rondell Allen, a 2018 defensive back who can cover and carry in pass defense. Leshaun Minor and Pompey Coleman currently have several MAC offers and are key players in the trenches. Emerson and Evans are tough losses, but the Giants are very deep and play with tremendous energy and heart, mirroring the coaching style of Mike Kirschner. They will be ready to play anybody.
Indiana Football Scout 