Got sidetracked by the Kanon Catchings commitment last night, but wanted to post some thoughts and notes and such from last night's Carmel 35-21 win over Detroit Cass Tech, a really good high school football team and a win the Greyhounds really needed after an 0-2 start against two great teams in Louisville Trinity and Center Grove.
Purdue commitment Will Heldt
The Purdue defensive end/hybrid commitment really stood out, this being the first time I've seen him in person, aside from him just standing on the sideline at Purdue practice one day.
He is all of 6-foot-6 with the wing span of a pteradactyal, that length really helping him separate when being engaged by blockers. I didn't see a lot of inefficiency in his movement at those dimensions. Sometimes those guys lumber. Heldt is currently 240 pounds, he said, but he honestly looks about 220, with a lean frame that looks like it can easily carry 30 or 40 more pounds, meaning he may have some options. Right now, he looks athletic and active enough to play on his feet at around 250 pounds, or to get really big and become that big edge-setting defensive end type, maybe even a tackle. Such a thing wouldn't be unprecedented.
But that hybrid spot seems most likely.
What really stood out to me last night was Heldt's hustle and activity level. He gets in on a stunning number of plays for an edge rusher who could very easily be content to only play half the field or to check out on plays after his initial surge into the backfield.
I don't have stats, but Heldt probably had double-digit tackles, many of them down the field, long after the ball had cleared his initial space.
That was impressive.
Purdue commitment Winston Berglund
What's interesting about Berglund is that he's basically a nickel back for Carmel, but he doesn't look like one. He looks like a legit and well-put together 190-plus pounds and doesn't seem to lack anything from a physical perspective. A lot of nickels are basically third corners and can give something up physically. Berglund is built like a linebacker, but does look athletic enough and light enough on his feet to play in wide-open spaces and cover. He showed some instincts and ball skills on his game-sealing interception around the Carmel goal line, dropping back into a short zone and picking off the pass without much time to track the ball in the air, then immediately turning into a runner and turning the field over with a long return.
He's being projected for Jalen Graham's sort of role in Purdue's difference. He's very different. Berglund doesn't have Graham's height or length. Few do, and it's not like Berglund is deficient in those areas; Graham is just exceptional in that regard. But Berglund is more stout physically and though maybe not as explosive, he could be better suited to play around the line of scrimmage long-term.
There you go: All of that from one high school football game.
Purdue commitment Will Heldt
The Purdue defensive end/hybrid commitment really stood out, this being the first time I've seen him in person, aside from him just standing on the sideline at Purdue practice one day.
He is all of 6-foot-6 with the wing span of a pteradactyal, that length really helping him separate when being engaged by blockers. I didn't see a lot of inefficiency in his movement at those dimensions. Sometimes those guys lumber. Heldt is currently 240 pounds, he said, but he honestly looks about 220, with a lean frame that looks like it can easily carry 30 or 40 more pounds, meaning he may have some options. Right now, he looks athletic and active enough to play on his feet at around 250 pounds, or to get really big and become that big edge-setting defensive end type, maybe even a tackle. Such a thing wouldn't be unprecedented.
But that hybrid spot seems most likely.
What really stood out to me last night was Heldt's hustle and activity level. He gets in on a stunning number of plays for an edge rusher who could very easily be content to only play half the field or to check out on plays after his initial surge into the backfield.
I don't have stats, but Heldt probably had double-digit tackles, many of them down the field, long after the ball had cleared his initial space.
That was impressive.
Purdue commitment Winston Berglund
What's interesting about Berglund is that he's basically a nickel back for Carmel, but he doesn't look like one. He looks like a legit and well-put together 190-plus pounds and doesn't seem to lack anything from a physical perspective. A lot of nickels are basically third corners and can give something up physically. Berglund is built like a linebacker, but does look athletic enough and light enough on his feet to play in wide-open spaces and cover. He showed some instincts and ball skills on his game-sealing interception around the Carmel goal line, dropping back into a short zone and picking off the pass without much time to track the ball in the air, then immediately turning into a runner and turning the field over with a long return.
He's being projected for Jalen Graham's sort of role in Purdue's difference. He's very different. Berglund doesn't have Graham's height or length. Few do, and it's not like Berglund is deficient in those areas; Graham is just exceptional in that regard. But Berglund is more stout physically and though maybe not as explosive, he could be better suited to play around the line of scrimmage long-term.
There you go: All of that from one high school football game.
