GI Football Jamboree: North Platte’s Genatone ready for NU private workout

GRAND ISLAND – 14 different teams took part in the Grand Island Football Jamboree this week at Senior and Northwest high schools.

Here are a few news and notes that came out of the event.

It’s been a busy few days for North Platte (Neb.) linebacker Vince Genatone. On Sunday the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gentaone worked out at Cal and didn’t get back home until 3 a.m. Monday morning.

From there he jumped in his car to join North Platte to kickoff team camp at the GI Football Jamboree.

The workout for Cal was the first of a very busy month for the son of former Washington State linebacker Al Genatone. He didn’t disappoint either.

Genatone went 127 inches in the broad jump, which would’ve ranked second overall at the 2019 NFL Combine for all linebackers.

The Bears have yet to make a single linebacker offer for their class of 2022, but you get the sense Genatone left Berkley very high on their board.

On Friday, he’ll work out for Nebraska head coach Scott Frost and inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud in Lincoln.

“Things have picked up a little bit since it’s June,” Genatone said. “I went to Cal on Sunday and I had a really good experience there.

“I’ll be running the 40 at Nebraska. I know that’s something a lot of teams look at, so that should be a pretty big deal. I actually haven’t run a 40 since my freshman year of high school.”

Genatone currently holds D-I offers from Southern Miss, Montana and Northern Arizona at this point.

Cal, Northern Illinois, Boise State, Wyoming, Nebraska and Washington State are the other programs showing the most interest right now. After his date at NU on June 11, he’ll go out to WSU on June 18. He also has late June stops at Northern Illinois and Boise State planned.

Genatone added he doesn’t have a timeline on when he hopes to have his recruiting process wrapped up.

“I am just going to try to do whatever feels right,” Genatone said. “There’s no rush at all.”

After a strong showing at Nebraska’s camp this past Friday, 2023 Grand Island Northwest outside linebacker prospect Victor Isele will be going back to Lincoln.

Isele told HuskerOnline on Monday he now will attend NU’s second Friday Night Light’s event on June 18, along with the recruit BBQ event in Lincoln that same day.

“They invited me back,” Isele said. “It was a good feeling. I just have stay calm and keep working and get better.

“I think Nebraska kind of wants to get to know me more and see more of me. They want to see more of the moves I’ve got and learn more.

The camp at Nebraska was the first one Isele has taken part in on a college campus.

During the spring, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Isele ran a time of 11.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash on the track and qualified for state wrestling.

He also took part in the Rivals Camp Series event in Indianapolis this past May.

Following his workout at Nebraska, Isele said he got some very good feedback from the Husker coaching staff.

“They told me they want me to work on my deacceleration and making that big tackle for a sack,” Isele said. “They said I have good speed, great explosiveness, hands and movement.

“I love the outside linebacker position in their defense. I think it’s my position in college. I love being able to rush the passer.”

2022 Aurora outside linebacker Mack Owens held his private workout with Nebraska this past Friday.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Owens said he’s being recruited differently by just about every team right now.

Some see him as an outside linebacker, others as an inside backer, while he’s even been talked to about playing more of a hybrid linebacker position.

“It was a good experience,” Owens said of his NU private workout. “I learned a lot. I liked being with Barrett Ruud and just being with the whole staff. There were also a ton of other recruits with me. It wasn’t like Wyoming where I was by myself.

“There were a lot of drills that we did. A lot of outside linebacker drills. I was pretty comfortable with that because I have been working on that with my trainers. There were a few things I need to work on, and I got that positive feedback. I’m glad that I got that, and it’s definitely something I’ll be working on for my next camp and during the season.”

Owens has already worked out for the Cowboys and Huskers, and will also camp at Northern Illinois and Vanderbilt.

NIU and Wyoming are probably the two schools recruiting him the hardest right now.

***GI Northwest linebacker Aidan Davies took part in the Lindenwood Camp this weekend. Later this month he will camp at Kansas State (June 10), South Dakota State (June 14), Nebraska (June 18), Northern Iowa (June 20) and North Dakota State (June 25-27).

***Columbus Lakeview head coach Kurt Frenzen had a quick turnaround.

He took his team to a Shrine Bowl victory in Kearney on Saturday and was leading Lakeview in practice on Monday at the GI Football Jamboree.

***14 different programs took part in this year’s Grand Island Football Jamboree – GI Northwest, Bennington, Bridgeport, Columbus Lakeview, Kearney Catholic, North Platte, Valentine, Holdrege, Grand Island, McCook, Aurora, Wood River-Shelton, Crete and South Sioux City.