Cornell has been recruiting Long Island at a highly successful clip going back 50+ plus years. During the recruiting ranking era, it hasn’t really mattered if those prospects are highly touted or not; a ton of them tend to pan out. Right now, the Big Red faithful might be sounding the alarms about striking out on some Top 100 prospects compared to Ivy rivals, but there’s no sense in fretting, at least in my opinion. In this case, players like Madden are worth getting excited about. He can sometimes look like he’s gliding and kick things into another gear in impressive fashion. The slide can come, but it’s often a non-factor, because he’s created so much separation to the point that it’s easy for him to get his hands free. I love the amount of fluidity and deception in his game, whether it’s a head-and-shoulder fake or a nifty box fake, and he’s creative as a passer and has different slots from which to choose to send a no-look pinpoint pass to a teammate. At all times, his three-sport background is evident, and Madden is so tough and unfazed that he has no problem making plays with guys draped all over him.

I developed an even greater appreciation for Madden’s game this past week. He’s a relentless dodger who consistently applies pressure to the opposition, whether he’s attacking downhill, sweeping across the top, or creating from behind the cage. Often demanding a longpole matchup, he also does a great job taking advantage when matched up with a shorty, and his first step and shake have proven to be tough for them to handle. Madden is a heady player who makes the right decision every time, and he’s exceptional when dodging to feed as well. His rollback is difficult to stop, and he has a knack for getting back to the middle to get his hands free and for knifing through defenses for hard-nosed goals. Plus, he’s a tough customer when he’s stuck on the defensive end and can provide the clamps there if need be. I have a feeling that he’ll find a nice home this fall, as he checks a lot of boxes in terms of what coaches look for in offensive weapons.