A Division I prospect for his blocking, Naperville North tight end Aiden Trasatt aims to be ‘dual threat’

There are two reasons why high school football fans and college scouts are going to see a lot more of Naperville North tight end Aiden Trasatt this season.

The first is because there is a lot more of Trasatt. The 6-foot-4 senior bulked up 40 pounds in the offseason and weighs 220.

The second is because Trasatt will have a much larger role following the graduation of Air Force recruit Finn Bretag.

“He’s going to do a lot of stuff for us,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said of Trasatt. “He’s a Swiss Army knife, a do-everything player.

“He’s a big target, a good physical player, and he’s worked really hard to get where he’s at.”

That was by design.

“I’ve been really focused on the weight room, gaining weight, trying to build that tight end physique as well as working on my routes, my feet and my footwork,” Trasatt said. “I’m trying to become a dual threat, a blocker and a pass catcher.

“I was mostly a blocker last year. I was trying to find as many ways as possible to get on the field, and I could use blocking as way to get on the field.”

College coaches have taken notice of Trasatt’s blocking prowess. He has offers from Army, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Cornell, Southeastern Missouri State and Lindenwood.

“They love my hard-nosed ability to get in the trenches and get the block,” Trasatt said. “A main thing for them is when they come out and see me in the camps, they want to see me run routes and catch passes.

“I didn’t get as much of that last year. They already know that I can block. They’re looking forward to seeing the future of my route running.”

So is Naperville North senior quarterback Dante Colasante.

“I like his size, of course,” Colasante said. “He’s a very long target. He’s big as well, so I know if I can fit it in a little window, he can take a little hit, maybe get some extra yards.”

That will be vital to the offense, which needs to improve if the Huskies (6-4) hope to win a playoff game for the first time since 2010. They lost 17-7 to eventual Class 8A state runner-up Oswego in the first round last season, their 11th consecutive postseason defeat.

Naperville North opened the season with a 45-13 loss to New Trier and will try to rebound when it hosts Libertyville on Friday.

“I think we’ll have a lot of success, especially running the ball,” Colasante said. “We’ve got a great group of experienced guys. We’ve got some good receivers coming back, and that’s always nice.”

The offer from Army is particularly nice for Trasatt.

“It means a lot,” he said. “Thinking about my future, I know it would set me up for great success.

“One of their big selling points is becoming a better human being and taking that next step into business and the job market. That’s a big thing for me is allowing football to take me to a place that academics couldn’t have gotten to.”

Trasatt has a 3.6 GPA and hopes to raise that by taking several Advanced Placement classes this school year. His recruiting profile will be raised by his increased role in the passing game after being an understudy to Bretag last season.

“He was my teacher,” Trasatt said. “He was kind of my role model last year. I’ve kind of learned to stay levelheaded and pick my teammates up when times are getting tough, to persevere and make it through.

“After just getting voted as a captain a couple weeks ago by my fellow teammates, I’m excited to take more of a leadership position and be able to really help boost this team to some playoff wins and hopefully a championship.”