Minnesota 2023 Rankings Update: Small-School Sophomores

PrepRedzoneMN is going to keep the ball rolling with 2023 content and move on from our "Highest Debuts" feature to a special article near and dear to our hearts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but we here at PRzMN love, enjoy, and want to improve in our ability to bring exposure to outstate, small-school MN prospects that normally have a harder time getting college attention. With that intention in mind, I thought it would be interesting to bring to our subscribers an article highlighting the small-school sophomores that were recently named to our 2023 rankings update, so I took another look at our Top-100 and picked out some smaller school athletes to make our list. We have a lot of preps from Southern Minnesota, as well as a few athletes from up North, and even a couple Western MN natives highlighted, and we’ll make sure to breakdown their film and any other information we have available about them. Thanks for reading! *enrollment numbers based on more recent info available* #11: [player_tooltip player_id="112046" first="Wes" last="Overton"] (Rockford) TE. 6’2, 195 lbs. School size: 494 students Check out what I had to say about our #11 overall ranked prospect in yesterday’s "Highest Debuts" feature: "I was not ready for the Rockford products sophomore tape. Although undersized to play TE in college, Overton’s tape really shines in the physicality category, and in particular as an OLB. The first play of his sophomore tape he trucks not one but two defenders to get himself into the endzone, and he follows it up with a tough catch over the middle that required a lot of concentration and a really sticky single hand. His athleticism is off the charts, and looks like a really natural football on film. In 2020 he totaled 23 receptions, 485 yards and 7 TDs as well as 67 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 INT, and 2 FFs. At 55 seconds into his tape it looks like he almost kills a kid on a blindside block, and the hard hits keep coming as you move further through his tape. He also lined up all over the field and did a variety of things for Rockford on both offense and defense. I’m very intrigued to see how he keeps progressing as a prospect." #12: [player_tooltip player_id="112047" first="Sam" last="Backer"] (Chatfield) RB. 5’11, 190 lbs. School size: 407 students Check out what I had to say about our #11 overall ranked prospect in yesterday’s "Highest Debuts" feature: "Man, I’m happy I kept my ears to the ground and got Backer on my radar thanks to his selection as a First Team All-Area pick from the Post Bulletin All-Area 2020 football team after he put up a really impressive fall season this past year that saw him rush for 782 yards and 10 TDs in five games. Of all of the All-Area teams I could find after the season concluded, I believe Backer was the only sophomore named, and his talent and tape match the accolades as he is a powerfully built RB who has excellent balance through contact and is nice combination of speed and size. He has an effective spin-move and also possesses the power to run through weaker tackles even when it looks like he’s all wrapped-up. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield and run the alley like a natural as a DB on defense. He’s a nice looking small-school prospect who will hopefully have a ton of coaches coming through Chatfield to check him out." #15: [player_tooltip player_id="112049" first="Tyson" last="Cooreman"] (Randolph) WR/ATH. 6’4, 190 lbs. School size: 291 students Check out what I had to say about our #11 overall ranked prospect in yesterday’s "Highest Debuts" feature: "I can’t lie, I’m really excited about the Randolph Rocket ’23er and his absurd potential. I was told about Cooreman on twitter, and then went on to find out he’s already an accomplished basketball player and an experienced varsity football player for the Rockets. Then I found out about his size, and at a legit 6’4, 190 I was more than ready to check out his film. With long-strides, long arms, a smooth gait, he’s a good looking athlete on film who can start, stop, and cut well and has great hands and a great vertical. Honestly, I was not expecting to like his OLB film as much as I did. He read the QBs eyes well and was patient and reactive to WRs routes, and triggered on the ball impressively. He played all over the field on both sides of the ball in 2020, and could project as either a TE/WR or OLB at the next level if he can keep adding strength. We at PrepRedzoneMN always want to do a better job of bringing exposure to Outstate prospects, and every year I find a kid with a ton of potential and athleticism who deserves to be looked at by scholarship programs. For 2023, this prospect is Cooreman. Keep your eyes out for him!" #20: [player_tooltip player_id="22946" first="Karson" last="Lindsay"] (Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton) 6’1, 200 lbs. ATH. School size: 329 students I gave a quick synopsis of Lindsay and his game in yesterday’s "Highest Debuts" feature, but since that time I received a more detailed timeline of Lindsay’s high school football experience, so I’ll give you the updated version here, as well as breakdown his sophomore film a little deeper. As an 8th grader, Lindsay was the starting signal-caller for the 9man Cleveland Clippers, and started the last six games and threw 15 TDs. Going into his freshman season he decided to transfer to JWP to play 11man ball, and due to the Bulldogs having an experienced senior QB he moved to WR and started there. He also started at CB, where he played this year, so I was wrong in my statement yesterday that he played some LB already. It looks like he’s played both CB and safety, and this season he took things to a new level and started at both QB and CB, where he played through a tough ankle injury but never missed a practice and never missed a game. Although his QB film is fun to watch, and it’s obvious he’s a well-built, athletic QB with a strong arm who is actually a confident passer despite the danger he presents as a runner, his CB film is what I really want to dig into. To start, he’s a strong tackler who can be an asset in run support, but I also see a lot I like from his coverage skills, including an ability to get his eyes around and find the ball once in-phase, and the ability to play the ball in the air at its highest point. I think he projects as a safety or LB in college still, but there’s a lot of athleticism in the 6’1, 200 lb. small-school frame. Don’t sleep on the JWP Bulldogs! #43: [player_tooltip player_id="112071" first="Isaac" last="Dearborn"] (Byron) ATH. School size: 584 students Also a standout basketball player for the Byron Bears, Dearborn is coming from a great program in Byron - whose football program will always make me think of the great [player_tooltip player_id="1574" first="Michael" last="Coble"] - that is becoming a growing hotbed for talent in Southeast MN. Dearborn had a nice looking pick-6 as his first play of his sophomore tape where he showed off some nifty moves when returning the INT, but what I really like from him is his versatility and tackling-ability. He’s a strong thumper, and also lined up all over the field on offense and defense for the Bears as only a sophomore. He can stick his foot in the ground and get going without any wasted steps, and that same ability also helps him when pursuing ball-carriers, play angles well, and in coverage to boot. #47: [player_tooltip player_id="112075" first="Andrew" last="Phillips"] (New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) RB. School size: 499 students I mostly know of conglomerate NRHEG from my high school wrestling days, but the high school only 25 minutes North of Albert Lea is putting out some football players in the next couple classes that are really grabbing my attention. Phillips attended our January PrepRedzoneMN Showcase in Savage, and he caught my attention as well as that of my coworker Nate Wahl. He tested really well, is a nice sized kid, and especially showed out during the competition portion of the event, where he ran crispy routes and showed off some noteworthy hands. His tape is really fun to see as well, as he made some tough and impressive plays that translated to the skill-set we saw in person at the Showcase. In addition to some of the crazy catches he recorded in 2020, Phillips showed that he can make people miss with both efficient cuts and a strong lower-body, which combine for a fun running style to watch. He runs through weaker tackle attempts and sees defenders bounce off his legs, and he also knows when to cut and is anticipatory at cutting at the right time. I hope he works on his speed a little more, but overall there’s a lot to like. #48: [player_tooltip player_id="112076" first="Noah" last="Strickfaden"] (Norwood Young America) QB. 6’3, 180 lbs. School size: 346 students The NYA gunslinger has good size for his age, can put some touch on his deep ball, and is particularly dangerous when rolling out and looking for receivers on the run. He’s a pass-first QB which is nice to see, and he always keeps his eyes downfield when on the run. He showed that he could a good variety of throws as only a sophomore, and if he can work on his velocity and timing a little bit I think we got our next great small-school QB prospect in the state of Minnesota. #56: [player_tooltip player_id="112083" first="Brandon" last="Riddle"] (Spectrum) TE/DE. 6’3, 225 lbs. School size: 438 students Already showing scholarship TE size, the sophomore TE Riddle recorded 22 for 282 and 2 TDs in 2020 and lined up as a wideout or an in-line TE. He’s a strong kid who can catch balls in traffic and has soft hands for his size who will lay out and make tough catches, as well as hurt teams after the catch with a powerful truck-stick and his big frame. He’s also a willing blocker with good technique, leg-drive, and upper-body strength, and he’s also a productive DE who can help out in the run and pass game. With his completeness at the TE position and frame as only a sophomore, he’s got the makings to climb up these rankings once we update again. #57: [player_tooltip player_id="112084" first="Ryan" last="Bengtson"] (Becker) QB. School size: 890 students Although a bigger school in-terms of this list, Becker is still a small-school program that should be well on the radar of MN high school fans for their year-by-year tradition of having some of the most productive and talented players in the state. It looks the c/o 2023’s best and brightest may have already revealed himself, as the Bulldogs started a sophomore QB this past season in [player_tooltip player_id="112084" first="Ryan" last="Bengston"]. He looks like he’s an athletic player for the position, and I really like his accuracy from the pocket or on the move. He can throw balls at all three levels of the field accurately, with a smooth back-shoulder fade and some really money throws in the redzone. Although he’s athletic and looks like he can navigate the pocket, he’s a pass-first QB prospect and has a strong arm for his size. I hope I get a chance to see him play live next season! #58: [player_tooltip player_id="112085" first="Clayton" last="Kosel"] (Lakeview) RB. School size: 304 students Only has game by game highlights, but I watched all four available games and I really like Kosel’s burst and vision from the RB position. He can set up defenders well and does a great job of bouncing things to the outside once the hole gets too congested, and also possesses an effective stiff-arm. He’s got a good frame runs strong for his size, with no aversion to contact and the ability to run through weaker tackle attempts. He already looks like an experienced and natural ball-carrier who you can give the rock to 35 times a game and he’ll get you where you need to go. I’ll be keeping my eye on him forsure. #62: [player_tooltip player_id="112088" first="Joseph" last="Forsberg"] (Martin County West) ATH. School size: 725 students Another attendee of our inaugural PrepRedzoneMN Showcase, I was pumped to see Forsberg in-person because he was a well put together and cut up sophomore with a ton of muscle on his lower and upper body. He’s an experienced wrestler, and that toughness shows up on his sophomore film, as he’s a powerful runner as a RB and has a great break on the ball as a DB. One of the words that comes to mind when thinkings of Forsberg as a prospect is missile, and he really puts that to good use as a RB, as he has a great get-off and a speedy jump cut that helps him find a sliver of daylight to explode through. He can also take a hit and continue running without losing his momentum thanks to his lower-body, and he never shies away from contact. He’ll bounce right back up if he gets a big hit laid on him, and I really like that toughness and think that’s a rarer trait to find in a young buck. He’s worth taking a look at forusre. #63: [player_tooltip player_id="112089" first="Brock" last="Lutterman"] (Fairmont) DB. School size: 830 students Fairmont is loaded in their ’22, ’23, and even the younger grades as of right now, and Lutterman is a nice looking sophomore DB prospect as his 5 game sophomore tape showed off a really balanced WR and CB prospect with good concentration and footwork as a WR and a nice ability to diagnose and burst once he has read the play as a CB. He can also block, and although he had some nice plays as a WR last season I think he has a really bright future as a CB. The way he triggers on the ball is impressive and then some, and he’s a strong tackler with good feet. #77: [player_tooltip player_id="112102" first="Tyler" last="Fox"] (Byron) ATH. School size: 584 students Another Byron Bear to make the list, Fox shows on his tape that he can make an impact as a RB or on special teams as a kick and punt returner, and his speed and toughness when running the football stand out to me from his sophomore tape. #81: [player_tooltip player_id="112106" first="Gage" last="McManemy"] (Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial) OL. 6’4, 250 lbs. School size: 915 students I was so used to hearing the Xcel Energy Center state wrestling tournament announcer say the words "Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial" so often that the school has been permanently imprinted into my brain. Not that I’m complaining, as the school has some really talented ’22s and ’23s on their roster at this point in time. McManemy possesses great size and is a strong run-blocker who I wish I had more film available on his Hudl. #84: [player_tooltip player_id="112109" first="Ryder" last="Thissen"] (JWP) LB. 6’ 175 lbs. School size: 329 students The second JWP Bulldog to crack the Top-100, Thissen can get himself into passing lanes and is a willing tackler, but has to add some more weight in order to become more of the "hammer" instead of the "nail" when hitting ball-carriers. He’s already got a load of experience and has some good football in-front of him. #98: [player_tooltip player_id="112129" first="Dylan" last="Weber"] (Becker) LB. 6’1, 185 lbs. School size: 890 students Lacking in film, Dylan is the younger brother of NDSU LB signee [player_tooltip player_id="18049" first="Brayden" last="Weber"] (6’2, 225 lbs.) and has good size for his age already. A lot of promise in the younger Weber. #100: [player_tooltip player_id="112131" first="Albert" last="Rundell"] (Watertown-Mayer) QB. School size: 488 students Also lacking in film, I believe Rundell at least took varsity reps as Watertown-Mayer’s varsity signal-caller and has good size for his age.