For the Cincinnati Elder standout, the competition was good, but only Ohio State commit Jonathan Cooper gave him a run for his money.
“Some of the competition is what I was used to, but Jonathan Cooper was on a whole different level,” said Kraemer. “I wasn’t used to that level of competition, but I felt I handled him pretty well. I am going to keep working, so I am used to the bump up in competition.”
The reps against Cooper provide Kraemer with some valuable experience and a good judgment on what he needs to work on this summer.
“I think I am going to keep working on my speed and get a little faster,” he explained. “My speed was the only problem I had with Cooper. I felt good in the other aspects and held my line well. It was my quickness in my feet that will be need to get a little bit quicker.”
The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder also got a chance to simply bond with other top prospects that have gone through the recruiting process.
Also on Sunday, it was quite noticeable Kraemer had done some trimming down. Kraemer definitely has kept his imposing frame, but it seems he is transitioning from a high school lineman to a college lineman.
“I am not purposely trying to drop weight right now,” he said. “I tweaked my nutrition a little bit and cut back on all the crap. I guess that is the reason I dropped down a little bit. No more Price Hill chili or Skyline chili for me anymore.”
For Kraemer, the camp was about competing and earning The Opening invite, but he also wanted to do some recruiting for Notre Dame on 2017 Indiana quarterback Hunter Johnson.
“I didn’t get a chance to speak to Hunter today and I was kind of disappointed,” stated Kraemer. “At the end, it was crazy with media after I got The Opening invite. I know he will be at the Irish Invasion camp, so I will definitely get to speak to him there. Hopefully, we can get another good quarterback.”
Up next for Kraemer will be a return to South Bend in June for a set of camps. He will compete in one, but the other he will serve as recruiter and presence on campus for his 2016 class.