It was a fun introduction to those Friday Night Lights last week at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on the campus of the University of Saint Francis as the Cougars held their 2026 Prospect Camp. Over 90 high school prospects from all over the country showed up and participated in drills, tests, 1-on-1 battles and much more.
Approximately 80 of the prospects were from the state of Indiana, with about 20-30 of them local athletes. There ended up being six players from our area honored as top performers at the showcase and were offered a scholarship at USF before leaving.
DB George Hackman of Bishop Dwenger among the standouts
Let’s be honest, Bishop Dwenger lost a lot of talent to graduation, so it feels uncertain exactly how good the Saints will be this season. One of the few returners who contributed a ton last season is Hackman, now a senior. He only had 40 tackles last season with a pair of interceptions, but it’s the combination of his size (6-foot, 165 pounds) and hands as a defender in the secondary that stood out at the camp. He won a ton of reps and it earned the Saints senior an offer from the Cougars.
Pair of Homestead kids impress
One of the first things I noticed when watching the camp was that Homestead quarterback Logan Frieden was working as a wide receiver instead of QB. Not only that, he looked extremely comfortable and fluid at wideout in both the drills and 1-on-1 battles, which he won a lot of. It really shouldn’t have been that surprising, though, since he also runs a 4.45 40-yard dash. He would be the perfect athlete who could translate at the next level, which is likely why he was offered. He was very impressive all night.
Someone who could be climbing our Class of ’27 rankings may be Caleb Hollingsworth. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back had a tremendous showing in 1-on-1s against the wideouts. He looked noticeably stronger and more comfortable than ever at the camp, and his confidence showed in reps. He did have a huge junior year with 70 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes broken up. Because of his impressive showing, Hollingsworth earned an offer as well from the Cougars.
One from SAC, two from NE8 earn offers
One of the kids who can do everything and play anywhere is South Side’s Corte Wallace. He is extremely athletic and the three-sport athlete had a great showing at DB. It appears as if the Archers might have to either find themselves a new kicker or Wallace is going to doing more than just booting kicks this season. Although he doesn’t have a lot of game reps at DB, he looked confident against the other WRs and was very aggressive. Overall, Wallace had a great camp.
Going to the Northeast Eight, Columbia City’s Gabe McDevitt earned himself an offer as well. Another example of a player that may translate better at the next level at a different position, McDevitt’s switch to WR looked like it should’ve come a while ago. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound, senior-to-be runs a 4.6 40-yard dash and finished with 630 all-purpose yards last season (most were passing) and 10 total touchdowns. His route running was extremely impressive at the camp and he surprised a lot of the coaches.
Finally, East Noble tight end Tyler Eckovich earned himself an offer from the Cougars. He is also entering his senior season and usually plays wide receiver for the Knights. His dad played at Saint Francis, so it could be in the bloodline to continue that legacy. In an increased role this season, Eckovich could be a name to know moving forward at wide receiver and on defense in the secondary. You could tell he was kind of raw with his routes, but he has a lot of potential.
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