Mr. Football Watchlist (2019)

High school football in Minnesota always has plenty of talent, and the 2019 season will be no different. There are plenty of contenders for this years Mr. Football award. I think there are five players that stand out among the rest. &nbsp; In no particular order, these are five of the top seniors that I believe have a chance to follow Jason Williamson as this years Mr. Football. &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_7301" align="alignleft" width="203"] <em>Photo from: @jAmann_12 on twitter.</em>[/caption] <strong>Johnathan Mann, WR, Rosemount</strong> Mann is one of the most explosive athletes in the state. He currently is in the middle of his track season at Rosemount. Where he competes in the 100m dash, 110m and 300m hurdles, long jump, as well as being part of the 4x100 and 4x400 teams. He also has been a strong part of the Rosemount basketball team in the winter. &nbsp; Jonathan's all-state level athleticism has not yet transferred to insane production on the field like other people on this list, but it has lead to a commitment to play football at the University of Minnesota. I expect Mann's athleticism to lead to his most productive season yet, on the gridiron. &nbsp; <strong>TK Marshall, RB, Minneapolis Southwest</strong> TK Marshall is an unbelievably explosive running back. Last season as a Junior he ran for 1043 yards on 128 carries (8.1 yards per carry), to go along with 11 touchdowns. He also was a threat outside of the backfield having 114 receiving yards on only 6 catches which gave him an insane 19 yards per reception. &nbsp; TK turned his strong Junior season into offers from North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota State. Marshall has shown he is one of the most explosive players in Minnesota, and I expect a monster senior season, which could lead to a run at Mr. Football. &nbsp; <strong>Kaden Johnson, LB/TE, SMB</strong> Kaden Johnson is the highest ranked recruit in all of Minnesota. He is ranked 128th Nationally by 247 sports in the 2020 class. Last season Johnson was the heart and sole of the 5A State Champion SMB's defense. The strength of Kaden's game is his pass rush, he outworks opposing offensive tackles every time he steps on the field, w<span style="font-size: 1rem">hich led to 8 sacks last season for the Wolfpack.</span> &nbsp; Johnson also brings production to the offensive side of the ball. Last season he is one of the best red zone threats in all of Minnesota, given his size of 6'4" 2020 pounds, which led to 5 touchdowns for the state champs. Before Johnson picks where he will attend college out of 12 power 5 offers. <span style="font-size: 1rem">I expect him to make some noise in the race for Mr. Football.</span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_6513" align="alignright" width="193"] <em>Photo from: startribune.com</em>[/caption] <strong>Aidan Bouman, QB, Buffalo</strong> Bouman will have the chance to have one of the best statistical seasons in the history of Minnesota high school football. Buffalo has been one of the most prolific offenses in the state ever since he has been starting for them. Bouman led the state in passing yards, last season as a Junior, and the year before as a Sophomore. He has one of the smoothest throwing motions in the state, he just screams quarterback standing at 6'5" and throwing a tight "lefty" spiral every time he lets it go. &nbsp; Aidan is currently verbally committed to Iowa State, and is clearly one of the best quarterbacks to come through Minnesota in recent years. Buffalo's air raid attack will definitely give Bouman all of the opportunities to make his case as the best senior in Minnesota. &nbsp; <strong>Jalen Suggs, QB/DB, SMB</strong> [caption id="attachment_6511" align="alignleft" width="251"] <em>Photo from: startribune.com</em>[/caption] Jalen is obviously going to be a basketball player, but I think he still has some noise to make before he fully commits to the hardwood. Last season Jalen's football season started a little late due to a knee injury he suffered during his AAU season, but once he got started he showed people why he has the chance to be one of the greatest athletes ever from Minnesota. After he returned from injury Jalen had 2,196 total yards as well as 21 total touchdowns in just 10 games, while leading SMB to a class 5A state championship. &nbsp; If Jalen still decides to play football in his senior season he has a great chance to add to a historic high school athletics career in Minnesota, with winning Mr. Football.