SDSU Prospect Camp: Nate's National Standouts, Part I - Prep Redzone (2024)

BROOKINGS, SD– We check into our live-evaluation from our third camp last week which for our fourth year, camped with the FCS champs the last two seasons, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. SDSU is one of my favorite camps on my camp circuit every year, as I feel the talent pool gets deeper and deeper by the year and I don’t feel the talent dips off in their second prospect camp like some Division I camps do. With several prospect evaluations to get to, I will start with the first page of my notebook and tell you would stood out in Brookings in my eyes.

Myles Meyer, TE, Parker, SD 2025 Twitter

Myles is a TE prospect that I realized at SDSU that I am late in the game for one of the biggest XL tight ends in the state. Measuring in at nearly 6’6 232 pounds, Myles showed off all the length of that long frame at SDSU last week. I was impressed with how flexible he was as he was one of my first prospects at a camp of over 350 prospects to catch my eyes. Myles showed off in Brookings much more athletic movement with his first step than I expected to see at his frame and has excellent physicality in his hands. With the leverage and physicality Myles shows on tape, I could certainly see him move to offensive tackle at the next-level but is one that just got his first NSIC offer the other day with more I am sure to come.

Aiden Zajicek, TE, Wilber-Clatonia, NE 2025 Twitter

We know SDSU grooms tight ends better than anybody in FCS, so its not a surprise that the TE group was loaded last Thursday including a hidden gem from small town Nebraska, Aiden Zajicek of Wilber-Clatonia. Aiden measured in at nearly 6’6 210 pounds and as another prospect that passed my eye-test I still see so much frame a college program could add to this kid. Aiden ran one of the best pro agilty numbers amongst the biggest TEs in the group as well. His athleticsm pops out like a deer when I watched his route-running and does well on tape with highly contested routes and run-blocking with great leverage with his hands and I think has plenty of upside as far as his length to add. I am very surprised Aiden just has one NSIC offer this deep into summer.

Keegan Groat, LB/DB, Humboldt, IA 2025 Twitter

Sometimes the instincts just show from the early reps before testing that a new kid on my radar is going to test fast, as that was the case with LB/DB Keegan Groat of Humboldt, Iowa. Even at a 50% pace, the lengthy strides Keegan possessed showed me the burst which in the end, ran a 4.62 in the 40 yard dash and went 9’4 in the broad jump at nearly 6’2 200 pounds. This young man’s downhill presence is damaging to any ball carrier that gets wrapped up in it with his physicality and I love the position flexibility with Keegan as he shows off very twitchy movement and awareness in pass coverage. Keegan has a couple offers already, but man whoever lands this kid is getting a steal as a prospect that plays with an insanely high game speed that is one of the more wirey ones I have seen on tape this summer on the camp circuit.

Waleed Gaines Jr, DB, Mustang, OK 2025 Twitter

Holy cow was the instinctive balance and twitch impressive to watch from Mustang (OK) defensive back Waleed Gaines a blast to watch live and in person at the SDSU prospect camp. The length of Waleed also stretched out long, stretching out to 6’1 which for a prospect that came in at 5’9 155 pounds, I love that length for sure at the next-level. Just watching this kid’s first step just expilfies what I would want from a press corner. Waleed showed off a great ball-tracking ability at SDSU and even though he is the first Oklahoma prospect I believe I have covered he left a lasting impression of a prospect I will need to keep tabs on. Including his one offer from a coaching staff at SDSU, Waleed has picked up a couple of offers since his visit to Brookings as I believe more are on the horizon.

Ty Aparicio, WR, Madison Memorial, WI 2025 Twitter

The second Aparicio brother that I have gotten a live-eval on this Spring into Summer, is wide receiver Ty Aparicio of Madison Memorial. One of two Spartans that popped out at SDSU in my notebook, Ty impressed me in the early going of camp showing off a great release out of his starts. He played with good adreanaline in the reps I watched and is a prospect that I think is faster with his game speed than his testing numbers will give him credit for. Love the heck out of that release I saw at camp on tape with his route-running as he shows plenty of fluidity within his routes that he showed too at SDSU. This kid is deserving of some opportunities at the next level hopefully coming soon as this is one I will say college coaches to trust the tape on.

I can see why this defensive back has been a hot commodity at the Division I and Division II levels this summer, as what Joshua Mackiewicz Joshua Mackiewicz 6'1" | 200 lbs | DB Shawnee Mission NW | 2025 State KS showed off at SDSU certainly caught my eyes as well. The fluid athleticism Joshua has as a legit 6’2.5 205 pound defensive back, that was highly rated amongst the defensive backs at SDSU with his pro agility and change of direction. Joshua showed off some of those cling to the ball insincts I love flying up from the safety position at SDSU, but the tape showed off what a hell of a motor this kid plays with on every play you give him. Absoulutely love Joshua’s vision and ability to hit his gaps with pure physicality. Certainly one I would look to get more FCS or D2 opportunities this summer.