Look up the word versatile in the dictionary and you might find a picture of Lafayette senior Robby Preckel by the definition.
Preckel plays wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, defensive end and strong safety for the Lafayette Lancers.
"Tight end is his main position, but we spread him out too as a receiver," said longtime Lafayette coach Boyd Manne. "It depends on what personnel group we have on the field. For us this year, he'll play tight end and wide receiver. He'll play some linebacker and strong safety.
"He's just very versatile. We like having him out there on the field for us. He doesn't have an off switch when it comes to football."
Preckel is one of the area’s elite talents in the class of 2025 and the 6-foot-3, 220-pound receiver is the No. 24 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top senior college football prospects.
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He's ready to hit the gridiron for his third year of starting on the varsity squad.
"I'm super excited," said Preckel, who also competes in track and field and has played basketball. "I can't wait for the season to start. It's better than Christmas. We have a good team and a good coaching staff. I think we will make a deep playoff run."
Preckel committed to play football in college at Northwestern. Preckel was offered by the Wildcats on June 19 after starring in their one-day camp a few days before. He then committed four days later over nine other offers, including Air Force, Navy and North Dakota State.
"It's been my dream to play Big Ten football since I was in middle school," Preckel said. "It's really amazing to finally get the chance to do it. I won't let it slip away or anything, I'm going to do my best to be the best player I can be."
He broke out as a junior when he caught 55 passes for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns. Preckel averaged 18.9 yards per grab with seven touchdowns for Lancers, who finished 8-2. He also rushed for 48 yards on 12 carries.
He accomplished that despite missing two games.
"I got injured the week before the season started. I didn’t come back until after Week 2," Preckel said. "I had a kidney laceration and a collapsed lung."
It was a quirky injury, he said.
"We were doing some walkthroughs and I dove over the middle and landed on a guy's knee," Preckel said. "I went for two hours with it before I realized we needed to go to the hospital.
"It was just a freak thing. I didn't need surgery. Just time to heal."
Manne was not surprised.
"He just loves to compete," Manne said. "He competes in PE (physical education) basketball. It's just his makeup, the way he's wired. The way he goes about everything is incredible to watch.
"And he's so humble. He doesn't say much. He just goes about his business. It's just how he is."
His junior numbers showed he became more involved in the offense. As a sophomore, Preckel had 23 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown.
Preckel puts in the time get better. He does not coast on his talent, Manne said. He gives whatever he's doing his best effort.
"The No. 1 thing Robby does extremely well is he works hard. His work ethic is second to none," Manne said. "He pays attention to detail. He has an overall commitment to making himself the best athlete and football player he can be.
"He doesn't miss a workout. His workout intensity is the best I've been around in 25 years as a head football coach."
While the team comes first for Preckel, he has an individual goal for himself.
"I guess I will try and go over 1,500 receiving yards," Preckel said. "Mainly, I want to stay healthy."
It doesn't make any difference where he plays on offense or defense. Preckel wants to be on the field.
Tight end or receiver? It makes no difference to him. Each position has positives for him.
"I like going for the ball and scoring touchdowns," Preckel said. "At tight end, I love putting people in the dirt. I like to get them going down to the ground and then I go and bury the next man."
He knows the ins and outs of both positions.
"Personally, I don't have to make that many adjustments when I play them," Preckel said. "I know the whole playbook, every position. The only thing that is a little different is you're blocking a bigger dude at tight end.
"If I'm down in the dirt at tight end, then I just try to bury them."
Manne likes how Preckel approaches each position.
"As a receiver, he runs great disciplined routes," Manne said. "He has great hands. He can block well. He can get out into space. I've seen him make great one-handed catches. He can make acrobatic catches. He's a complete receiver.
"As a tight end, he's improving on his blocking skill set. We'll use him with his hand on the ground. We can line him up as a running back."
Senior Jack Behl, who lives two houses from Preckel, likes having a receiver who gets the job done.
Last season, Behl completed 187 of 294 passes for 2,584 yards. He had 26 touchdown passes.
Preckel was his favorite target.
"I would say I have a lot of confidence in Robby," Behl said. "I've played with him all my life. I trust him like a brother.
"He's made some crazy catches that I hadn't seen before. A good receiver is a quarterback's best friend and he's my best friend for sure and not just in football."
The two are among the four captains for the Lancers. No junior had ever been a captain for Manne before until Preckel and Behl earned the honor.
"He's a good team leader. He does everything right on the field and off the field," Behl said.
"I would say football is life. I'm not saying he doesn't have any social life, but we throw three or four times a week. We'll do lifting and running workouts.
"Overall, he's a great person to be around. He makes my job easier."
Preckel said the two are "always thinking football." They work on routes with each other. They are in synch when it comes to knowing what each will do in a situation.
"Jack's got an amazing arm. He'll have a really big season for us," Preckel said. "I would say I'm good at tracking the ball and trying to get to it as best I can. If you need a jump ball, I can go get it. I can make a tough catch."
On defense, Preckel will play at outside linebacker.
"I'll play a little defensive end and strong safety this season, too," Preckel said. "Linebacker is more covering zone and at end it's all about getting to the quarterback. I like coming off the edge and hitting a quarterback as hard as I can."
Having a player like Preckel on his team helps make everyone pick it up a notch, Manne said.
"We’re really proud of what he’s done. He sets the bar," Manne said. "If you're keeping up with Robby as a teammate, you're doing the right thing. He's one of the first ones there at a workout or practice and he's the last to leave."
Preckel went to numerous college camps over the summer. He learned about different ways to become a better receiver.
After the Northwestern camp, he knew where he wanted to go. The Wildcats' coaching staff played a "big part" in choosing to play there.
Wildcats head coach David Braun and tight end coach Paul Creighton impressed Preckel. They told Preckel they want him as a tight end but they can split him outside or pull him to the backfield where he can be used as a fullback.
"It's top competition at Northwestern," Preckel said. "The dream was playing in the Big Ten and against high level schools was what I wanted. The Big Ten has amazing schools and teams. I'll be able to face the best of the best at Northwestern."
After football this fall, Preckel said he's thinking of going back out to play basketball for the Lancers.
Preckel may return to the track team if he does not graduate early and head to college for the spring semester.
He finished fourth as a junior in the Missouri Class 5 javelin final with a throw of 171 feet, 11 inches. He won district and sectional titles with throws of 177-11 and 177-6, respectively. He eclipsed 47 feet several times last spring in the shot. He also posted a 145-8 discus throw.
"I was fourth, so I made all-state," Preckel said. "I wasn't really happy though. I was hoping to get first. My personal best throw is 182 feet.
"I feel like I have unfinished business. If I don't decide to graduate early, I'll do track. I'll try to go for first place in the state."
Manne called Preckel "a great kid" who has been coachable since he first saw him on the field.
"What's so great about Robby, is he is very humble. He's fun to watch," Manne said. "He's very well respected by his teammates, classmates and teachers. He does it all the right way."
These are the top high school football players in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region.