Notre Dame Lineman Challenge Report

South Bend, IN -- The Notre Dame Lineman challenge had some talented Big Men at it. Among the group were two uncommitted prospects with multiple offers, two Big Ten commits, and a couple underclassmen to watch. Here is our report on how they did.

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Two of the top uncommitted prospects in the Midwest were at Notre Dame's Lineman Challenge.

Ogemaw Heights' (Mich.) Anthony Zettel is being recruited by most schools as a guard, but played defense on this day and did very well. He is an excellent athlete who can run and is fluid for a guy that big (6'4, 255-lbs). In one on ones, he was a tough matchup for would-be offensive linemen, because of his speed and tenacity. The key for him is adding weight to his frame, but I think he can do that once he gets into college and is not playing basketball and other sports. Some schools even want to try him as a linebacker, and he has been showing so far during the 7 on 7 season that he can run with backs and receivers. After this lineman challenge, he again joined his school's 7 on 7 team where he covered in space and played tight end. He was awarded defensive line MVP.

Rochester (Ill.) defensive end Riley McMinn has a great frame. He stands around 6'6, and is very long and lean. He's a good athlete who can really rush off the edge. He has a lot of room to fill out, and he needs to do that, but he can get to the quarterback. I think he could even be a stand-up rusher in a 3-4 or similar system.

One of the few offensive lineman (really the only one) who had success against Zettel was Corunna (Mich.) product Jalen Schlachter. The recent Indiana commit proved the Hoosiers are getting a good one as he twice won reps against the Ogemaw Heights defender who was currently toasting the rest of the competition. He did this at both left tackle, admittedly not a position he is accustomed to, and guard, where I project him in college. He is nearly 300-lbs now and a strong kid, particularly in the lower body. Earlier in the summer, I think he was still adjusting to the new weight. Now that he is used to moving at that size, he looks very good.

Another Indiana commit who had a good day was LaSalle (Ill.) Peru's C.J. Robbins. He has a great frame at 6'5, 240-lbs and showed me some athleticism. He could easily carry 270-280 and be a strongside defensive end or even an interior guy, but he's a big kid with good strength already, and today, proved he had athletic ability to go with it.

One underclassman who stood out was Indianapolis Cathedral's David Kenney, a rising sophomore who was arguably the most explosive defensive end there. He is a fine athlete who may have a future at outside linebacker as well.