Transfer and Prep School Updates: MN Preps

Even if a kid from Minnesota leaves the state for whatever reason and continues playing high school football somewhere else, PrepRedzoneMN will always show love. COVID forced the transfers of multiple heavy-hitters from Minnesota in 2020 to South Dakota and Arizona, and St. Paul native [player_tooltip player_id="50019" first="Trevon" last="Howard"] left for Florida last year, so combined with the three Prep School c/o 2021 prospects there are significant names to check in on. A lot of the kids who have left have have been killin it’ this season and have been offered by and/or committed to high-profile programs since leaving the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and a few still have some big decisions ahead of them. Let’s check in on these eight MN natives and find out what’s going on with them in 2020. Thanks for reading! Transfers [player_tooltip player_id="18038" first="Josh" last="Buri"] (Stewartville -> Brookings, SD) RB. 5’11, 210 lbs. Helped lead the Bobcats to a 11AA state runner-up finish in South Dakota in-route to winning the Midco Class 11AA Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year in SD, and All-State honors after rushing for more than 1,500 yards on 11.4 YPC to go along with 30 total TDs. Having came into the 2020 holding only DII offers, Buri earned Missouri Valley scholarship’s from South Dakota and South Dakota State. Interestingly, after grabbing his Coyotes offer he first received a PWO from the Jackrabbits and then saw them elevate it to a full scholarship, which he happily accepted. I’m doubtful that he would have earned these offers if he had stayed in Minnesota, so I think the transfer was truly the best move for him and he worked his butt off to go D1. I’m excited to see what he continues to accomplish in the city of Brookings! [player_tooltip player_id="18133" first="Parker" last="Theobald"] (Stewartville -> Brookings, SD) DL. 6’2, 240 lbs. Named BrookingsRegister All-State as DL after logging 63 tackles, 24 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, and 3 FF. Also played guard on an offense that totaled 4,357 yards of offense with 3,355 rushing yards. Was a devastating as a puller on the OL and occasionally unblockable on the defensive line for the Bobcats. Shows a really nice use of his hands and is a strong and well-built kid. He holds offers from Black Hills State, Southwest Minnesota State, and Northern State, and recently visited Aberdeen and the NSU Wolves. He’d be a great addition to a strong 2021 Northern State commitment class. [player_tooltip player_id="18032" first="Dorian" last="Singer"] (Tartan -> Pinnacle, AZ) WR. 6’2, 180 lbs. The former #1 wide receiver in the state of Minnesota reeled in 37 catches for 889 and 14 TDs in the high-powered Pinnacle offense, showcasing incredible leaping and ball-tracking abilities with a knack for tough, contested, and game-changing plays. He is a great natural separator and high-points the football with the best of them. He also looks like he grew while in Arizona and has picked up his top-end speed. He played against some of the top competition in Arizona, including nationally ranked Top-5 opponent Chandler, and impressed enough on the West Coast to earn offers from Northern Arizona and PAC12 competitor Utah. There is a very slim chance that Singer would have earned a PAC12 offer if he stayed in MN, simply for the fact that the PAC12’s don’t recruit Minnesota very often, so much like Buri I think the move paid off to be the best decision for him. I’m excited to see where he ends up and enjoyed watching him as a PrepRedzoneAZ standout. [player_tooltip player_id="50019" first="Trevon" last="Howard"] (SMB -> IMG Academy, FL) 2022. DB. 6’2, 200 lbs. Playing on and starting for IMG’s premier and highest rated team the former SMB Wolfpack stud showed some off impressive range and physicality for IMG and has a great frame with a ton of room to add more weight. He’s a nationally ranked safety prospect and holds offers from Oregon State, Louisville, Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, and was offered by Iowa State and Minnesota prior to transferring to IMG. He’s a big name to keep an eye on and will have a lot of options for college programs as his decision day approaches. Prep School Kham Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman (Robbinsdale Armstrong -> St. Thomas More, CT) WR. 6’2, 190 lbs. The #2 ranked Prep School recruit in the entire 2021 recruiting class is former Armstrong Falcon Kham Thai Bowman. The brother of former Breck Mustang standout and current Northwestern WR1 Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman just finished his prep season at the prestigious St. Thomas More and in five games recorded 20 catches for 425 yards and 5 TDs and made some electric catches in his recent Hudl. He’s a great route-runner with tremendous burst, and has FBS prospect written all over him. He’s an exciting playmaker with a great build and is a special type of athlete. Prior to enrolling at St. Thomas More he held offers from Northern Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota State, Eastern Illinois, Ball State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, and FAU and was reoffered by FAU upon signing at a Prep School, as well as earned scholarships from South Florida and UMass. Someone is going to land a stud! [player_tooltip player_id="10964" first="Tommy" last="Brandt"] (St. Thomas Academy -> St. Thomas More, CT) OL. 6’5, 290 lbs. The former Kansas and Air Force commit from St. Thomas Academy joined Chiaokhiao-Bowman at St. Thomas More after injuries threw off his senior football season last year, but he found his way onto the OL at STM and looked powerful in pass-pro with a great punch and overall technique and has a great build and an awesome base for the position. I really hope a D1 scholarship programs takes a flyer on him, he’s got a huge upside and just needs a place to call home. Aidan Pearce-Lowery (SMB -> Bridgton Academy) OT. 6’7, 340 lbs. The massive offensive tackle prospect has played at almost too many places to count, but he’s ended up at a Prep School in Maine. He’s a massive offensive lineman who is hard to move and keeps his hands active. No news on the recruiting front for Pearce-Lowery. Israel Mondragon (Eden Prairie -> St. Thomas More, CT) 5’10, 170 lbs. Played DB for STM and displayed some nice footwork and an ability to get in and out of his breaks quickly. He plays with some awesome technique and is fast enough to cover deep routes over the top and quick enough to take away shorter 3-step routes. No recruiting news for Mondragon at this point in time.