MIDWEST SHOWCASE COVERAGE | LB prospects that impressed in St. Joseph – We look at some of the linebackers that raised their profiles and were standouts at the 6Star Football Showcase in St. Joseph and raised their profiles on December 11th.
MIDWEST SHOWCASE COVERAGE
➡️ Results | Photos A | Photos B | KICKOFF23
389 —Kamdyn Cross
, 6-0, 185, LB, 2024, Lewis Central (Iowa) 
@CrossKamdyn
Cross was one of the junior backers that raised his profile at the 6Star Football Showcase in St. Joseph and showed some of the top backer speed at the Showcase also, a 40 yard dash time of 5.04 laser timed. Cross is a very impressive looking player that we like a lot in the class of 2024, a junior from a top notch program and a player that is one of the better edge play makers out there, Cross is one of the juniors that can really come up and make some huge tackles, 23 tackles on the year with 18 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and had 6.5 tackles for losses, one of those guys that has speed and can stop plays early with his speed. Also a standout student, Cross reports a 3.8 GPA.
579 —Aidan Flanagan, 5-8, 150, LB, 2026, Topeka (Kan.) @AidanFlanagan_
One of the backers for Topeka coming up that is in the freshman class, plays out side backer and will be looking to be a future speed edge threat on the team, a player that will be looking to get more and more snaps and action in 2023 as a speed play maker on the rise that could be a guy who will be a take away the running game speed backer of the future. Was one of the Kansas linebackers that raised his profile at the 6Star Football Showcase.
318 —Joel Guaderrama
, 5-9, 173, LB, 2025, Ulysses (Kan.) @GuaderramaJoel
One of the players that raised his profile and is one of the names to know that attended in the sophomore LB class is this Ulysses backer. A time to take notice of among the faster backer times in the 40 yard dash, 5.17. One of the players that is a player on the rise in the Kansas sophomore class, Guaderrama may not be a big backer but he is a very speedy play maker and middle defender that can chase down a lot of plays and be a guy that can make plays all over the football field and is a key side line to side line guy for the Ulysses defense. A player that will be looking to be one of the top rising play makers in the backer class of ‘25.
76 —Jameson Lantz, 5-11, 182, LB, 2026, Lincoln North Star (Neb.)@JamesonLantz
A play making freshman and LB coming up from Lincoln North Star that will be looking to add some speed to the lineup and be one of the key defensive young names on the team to watch out for in the coming years, good play reader and a player that will be looking to make a name in 2023. Was one of the freshman that raised his profile at the 6Star Football Showcase and looked like a backer to know for the upcoming season. Was one of the Nebraska linebackers that raised his profile at the Midwest Showcase and is a freshman to watch for in 2023.
77 —Jacob Loftus, 5-8, 165, LB, 2025, Olathe South (Kan.) @JacobLoftus38
One of the young Olathe South LBs coming up that will be looking to be a speed player in the sophomore class and a play reader in the middle defense that will be looking to get into the mix more and more in 2023 for the defense at Olathe South, Loftus reports has some good speed i and is a player that can also play some RB and defensive back as well. A player that is a name to know and raised his profile at the 6Star Football Showcase in St. Joseph. Also a standout student, Loftus reports a 4.75 GPA. Loftus raised his profile at the 6Star Football Midwest Showcase and will be looking to get into the mix of the action in 2023 for Olathe South.
311 —Ben McDavid
, 5-11, 170, LB, 2025, Blue Valley West (Kan.) @BenMcdavid15
One of the backers in the 2025 class that showed he was a stock riser to take notice of, good looking athlete with some speed, timed at 5.17 laser in the 40 and tied for the fifth best backer mark in the broad jump with a jump of 110 inches. One of the good looking athletes that is raising his profile. A player on the rise and an outside linebacker from Blue Valley West that will be looking to be a future edge speed play maker to know, shows some very good speed, McDavid also has some power to his game and is a very strong pound for pound backer, reports a 250 pound bench press at 170 pounds to show out some impressive strength.
177 —Rome Newson
, 6-0, 175, LB, 2025, Olathe West (Kan.) @RomeNewson
One of the more impressive looking linebackers in attendance for athletic ability, and a player that is raising his profile, Newson tied for the second in the broad jump among backers with a mark of 113 inches. Also ran a good looking 5.08 laser timed 40 yard dash as a backer with some speed. One of the athletes coming up that plays backer also and is a baseball talent as well for Olathe West, could be one of the risers in the middle defense in the coming years and will be looking for more and more action on the defense at Olathe West.
333 —Vance Provost
, 5-11, 170, LB, 2025, Olathe North (Kan.) @Vance_Provost
Provost was one of the backers that increased his profile, looked impressive on the field and tied for the second best linebacker mark in the broad jump at the 6Star Football Showcase in St. Joseph with a mark of 113 inches. One of the linebackers that is in this 2025 class we like a lot, another Kansas City area big timer coming up with speed that be a rangy play maker in the middle, Provost makes up for not being big with some good speed to be able to make a lot of plays happen and is a good open field tackler that will look to continue the tradition of being a big time player for a strong linebacker tradition at Olathe North.
320 —Dillon Scott
, 6-2, 195, LB, 2024, El Dorado (Kan.) @DillonS43011195
A very athletic player, one of the juniors that will be looking for another big year in 2023, backer and edge speed DE and OLB Dillon Scott will be looking to be a major enforcer for the team coming up in 2023 also, seniors lost, Scott will be one of the leaders to take major notice of coming up and a talent that looked impressive in 2022. Scott is a fast player and a guy that has a lot of range to his defensive game. Scott was one of the backers that increased his profile and is looking like one of the bigger names to know for El Dorado heading into 2023. Scott had 24 tackles and tied for second most sacks on the team with two as a junior. Also a standout student, Scott reports a 4.0 GPA.
308 —Cole Staudt
, 6-1, 190, LB, 2025, Glenwood (Iowa) @StaudtCole
A play making backer and sophomore out of Glenwood High School in Iowa, Staudt is a player that really does a nice job of shooting the gaps and then can blow up the running game. Also plays some QB and can be a burner after the catch also, good looking overall athlete and player that is speed on the field on both sides of the ball. A player that raised his profile at the 6Star Football Showcase and one of the Iowa sophomore defenders that will be looking for a big junior season ahead at Glenwood High School.
270 —Axavier Vink, 6-0, 230, LB, 2023, Ottawa (Kan.) @VinkAxavier
Has earned an offer from Clarke and Mid-America Nazarene and is one of those jumpers onto many college radars. Plays all over the field, from LB/DE/TE/LS and had a nice senior season with 39 tackles, 1 sack as a defensive edge play maker that used speed to attack the running game. One of those very intriguing prospects, the 6-0, 230 pound Ottawa TE and ILB/DE is a good one and can do some things that most TEs can’t do, one of those being that Vink has been a guy that has been a special teams return man on several kicks and has made some nice returns when he gets the ball in his hands. At TE is a very hard player to tackle in the open field at 230 pounds, can rumble down the field and be a guy that will take several defenders to pull him down. Dangerous big man and weapon for Ottawa High School.
