The offseason camp season is here. In our tenth year, Indiana Preps and the Indiana Showcase camp series kicked off the tour in the Region area, hosted a group of high school seniors and underclassmen from Indiana and across the Midwest. This was the second time around for Crown Point, Indiana and last year’s event produced some top prospects. Minnesota Golden Gopher recruit De’Eric Mister was among those under the radar prospects that shined in the annual event. The crop of talent that attended this year’s camp, made name for themselves.

Best of the Best

Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side 2024 wide receiver Kaden Hurst, 6’1 185-pound prospect showcased his ability to separate and lose defenders rep after rep. Hurst made several contested catches with defensive backs draped all over him. Telemetry Sports clocked Hurst at 18.3mph on a deep ball during 1v1s. Look for Hurst to turn more heads this offseason.

The offensive line group had several young prospects that caught scout’s attention during the workout. Best in the group belonged to Mount Carmel Chicago (IL) 2024 lineman Alexander Poholik. The 6’3 285-pounder moves well for his size during the speed and agility portion of the camp. He also knocked out 85 reps of the ammo can press in .45 seconds, a station conducted by the US Marines. In 1v1s, Poholik stymied pass rushers rep after rep.

Portage High 2026 linebacker Jayjouir Pleasant Jr. was another standout performer on the day. He pursued the ball with great angles in the open field drill against the running backs using his athleticism to close the gap quickly. Instinctive in drills, Pleasant anticipated the running backs’ moves quickly. At 5’11 180, he has plenty of room to grow over the course of his high school career.

Carmel Catholic (IL) 2026 receiver Kai Owens competed beyond his years, making jaw dropping catches and beating nearly every defensive back that lined up against him. The 6’2 170-pound prospect made the catch of the night with a one-hand snag over the shoulder with the defensive back in nearly perfect phase. Owens should be on every college coaches recruiting board.

The quarterback group was deep with rising underclassmen, state champions and all state players that lit up the camp with every throw. Going toe to toe, spinning the rock was Lake Central 2025 gunslinger Chase Kwiatkowski, Indian Creek 2023 Arjun Lothe, Hammond Morton 2025 Holland Harris, Chesterton 2024 Sebastian Boswell and Madison Grant 2024 Hunter Rutledge.

Jamari Jefferson a 2023 Gary West Side product arguably the best lineman in the building. He flashed off the ball quickness, first, and second moves to get past the offensive lineman. His style of play translates to the field as he racked up 12.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, in his senior season.

The Next Best

North Judson High 2025 offensive lineman Cole Kozecar looks the part of an interior line prospect at 6’3 255-pounds. Kozecar has strong hands, moved well and won several reps against a solid defensive line group. Daniel Grein is a mammoth offensive tackle at 6’7 300 pounds. The Munster high 2024 prospect was equally impressive during the 1v1 segment.

Portage 2024 defensive lineman Lathan Mister is a raw big man with tremendous upside. Ironically, his older brother De’Eric Mister a Minnesota recruit in the class of 2023 landed on this list after last year’s Crown Point camp. The elder Mister’s recruitment took off from there. One can expect the same for Lathan, who is 6’4 255-pounds currently. Look for Lathan to make a name for himself throughout the offseason and into the fall.

Penn High 2025 running back Noah Boutsomsy is a camp warrior, and each time we evaluate him in person, he’s gotten stronger, quicker and his ball carrying skills continue to improve. His 5’3 stature doesn’t bother me much, once you pop on the varsity reps he has taken on Friday nights. His camp performance corelates to the field.

Dekalb (IL) senior defensive back LaBrian Carrington was a standout on Saturday night. 6’0 160-pound with good feet, hips and good ball skills. Micah Lillard is another Lafayette Jefferson (Ind.) prospect coaches need to evaluate. He’s a long defensive back, that is aggressive at 6’1 175-pounds. Coaches were high on Cathedral (Ind.) 2024 defensive back Joe Funk, mentioning his ability to have good catch-up speed, patient and plays the ball very well. 2026 Michigan City defensive back Da’mon Thomas was back again this year with another solid camp performance. Another young prospect that continues to get better each time we see him in person. Laporte (Ind.) 2024 defensive back Drew Flores also flashed good ball skills, another long player at 6’2 175-pounds.

Carmel Catholic (IL) 2026 receiver Jamari Brown could easily landed in our Best of the Best segment of the article. Another talented young player that left defensive backs at the line of scrimmage with his quick releases and ability to separate at the top of the route. Likewise, Gabriel Lewis a 2025 Deefield (IL) prospect was a tough cover and flashed good ball skills.

Best of the Rest

Defensive Lineman Ashton Pesetski (Fort Wayne Carroll, Ind. 2024 ), Defensive Lineman Payton Foley (Greenfield Central, Ind. 2025), ATH Kiowa Burrell (Gary West Side, Ind. (2024), Quarterback Justin Clark (Valparaiso, Ind. 2024), Running Back Thomas Burda (Valparaiso, Ind. 2025), Defensive Lineman Christopher Myles (Calumet, Ind. 2023), Running Back Camjay Terrell (Gary West Side, Ind. 2023), Defensive Lineman Ayden Winston (Hammond Morton, Ind. 2023), Defensive Back Taylor Bauer (Penn, Ind. 2024), Defensive Lineman Elijah Taylor (Guerin Catholic, Ind. 2024)

Next Up

These are some of the 2026 players to know that will be making noise over the next couple of years.

Wide Receiver Logan Urbaniak (Andrean, Ind.), Wide Receiver Jacob Schwartz (Lafayette Harrison, Ind.), Wide Receiver Mason Baughman (Fort Wayne Carroll, Ind.), Running Back Jacob Piazza (Wheeler, Ind.), Wide Receiver Jerquadan Guilford (Fort Wayne Northrop, Ind.)