Minnesota 2024 Rankings Feature: #11-25 Film Evaluation

If you haven’t heard already, PrepRedzoneMN released our c/o 2023 Rankings update today, and it is a total heater. Before we start diving into content there however, let’s finish up our reports on the freshman class and wrap things up by breaking down the film and information available from the final 15 preps wrapping up our initial Top-25 rankings for the class of 2024. There’s a lot to like from the #11-#25 ranked preps and a lot of potential with these recruits, so let’s get right to it. Check it out and thanks for reading! #11: [player_tooltip player_id="105380" first="Darius" last="Jordan"] (Rochester John Marshall) QB. 5’10, 150 lbs. Jordan is a prime example of having to get creative and keep your ears to the ground when scouting prospects, and in particular scouting underclassmen. Although Jordan only has a game of film on Hudl - which is promising don’t get me wrong - I got my eyes/ears on him from reading smaller newspaper clippings from local journalists highlights area football games. A reporter in the Rochester area covered a RJM game and saw Jordan come in at the end of the game for relief duties and really liked what he saw. To paraphrase, he basically said that it was a good glimpse of RJM’s next signal-caller, and also noted he made impressive plays with both his feet and his arms. Because it’s hard to cover an entire state, I personally think it’s important to trust and use local journalism to get ahead on locating talent you may have missed. From what you can see on film it’s also obvious that Jordan is athletic and dangerous as a runner and passer - as noted before - so I think there’s a lot of potential in the John Marshall Rockets future gunslinger. #12: [player_tooltip player_id="105381" first="DaShaun" last="Hill"] (MPLS North) QB. Another athlete who is lacking in film, Hill was an athlete I was lucky enough to see play in-person this past Fall, and he did not shy away from the spotlight of the varsity QB position against a tough, hard-hitting, and experienced defense from MPLS city rival Southwest. He navigated the pocket well and threw a quick and accurate ball, and was also a promising athlete who could shake tackle attempts and make defenders miss. The fact that he was trust enough to play as a freshman, not to mention that he plays at one of the pound for pound most talented rosters in the entire state, gave me more than enough to put Hill at the #12 spot. The Polars had a few athletes named in the Top-16, so stay tuned on news from their talented 2024 class. #13: [player_tooltip player_id="105374" first="Maxwell" last="Woods"] (Chanhassen) RB. 5’10, 165 lbs. On frosh/JV ball this past season he showed off good vision and the ability to get to the edge and take the ball to the crib with his special speed as a RB. Also played some safety and made an impressive one-handed INT and a good ability to start and stop. He shines as a RB though and his vision and overall speed are noteworthy as a prospect. #14: [player_tooltip player_id="105375" first="DJ" last="Pegues Jr"]. (Holy Family) RB. 5’9, 190 lbs. Played varsity as a freshman and was a force on special teams and in particular KO. He was also a gunner on Punt and showed that he can tackle in space and has some nice strength for a freshman. As a RB he’s got a powerful lower-body and runs hard, and has some good contact balance and overall strength for his age. One could argue that he should be even higher in the rankings right now, and honestly I’m inclined to agree. He’s got a lot going for him at this stage in the game, and Holy Family has quietly produced some really talented high school football prospects over the years. Peagues Jr. is next in line! #15: [player_tooltip player_id="105393" first="James" last="Mankaka"] (Rochester Mayo) DB. Lacking in film but comes from a really talented family and his brother - a 2022 prospect at Mayo - is a D1 talent. The talent is there from what I’ve heard as well. #16: [player_tooltip player_id="105385" first="Azrie" last="Yeager"] (MPLS North) OL. The last of the heralded Polars freshman trio in the Top-25, Azrie’s older brother is PrepRedzoneMN top prospect and North Carolina A&T quarterback signee [player_tooltip player_id="18066" first="Zach" last="Yeager"], and younger bro Azrie moves really well for his size and is a strong and explosive freshman who still needs to grow into his body a little bit. #17: [player_tooltip player_id="105391" first="Will" last="Sather"] (Eden Prairie) DL. 6’, 255 lbs. Sather makes me very excited as a prospect, and he’s got some really high upside and the potential to skyrocket up the rankings come next update. He’s got great size for his age, and his freshman/JV film is really exciting as he is an especially explosive interior DL prospect who has a great get-off and gets to the backfield in a hurry. One blocker couldn’t hold him, and he had a good rep where he retraced on a screen to track down the ball-carrier that showed he could move pretty well for his size. He was also an explosive OL who had a lot of pop at the LOS. In the football factory that is Eden Prairie I think he’s going to develop really nicely and he has a very high ceiling given some of the lineman the Eagles have pumped out over the years. #18: [player_tooltip player_id="105389" first="Timmy" last="Ball"] (Centennial) LB. 6’ 185 lbs.. The Centennial Cougars freshman class is deep, and they also did a great job of marketing themselves and getting themselves on Twitter early. Of the many Cougs I came across I really liked the tape of Ball, as he played two-ways last season but was particularly impressive as a LB. He’s got a long, lean frame and has no problem bringing the boom as a defender, as he showed he’s capable of meeting RBs in the hole and taking on lead-blockers. He swallowed up ball-carriers on the frosh/JV level, and can flow from gap-to-gap or sideline-to-sideline smoothly. He’s by far most impressive at the point of contact though, and you can tell he really relishes hitting and enjoys the contact of football. I’m excited to see him continue to grow! #19: [player_tooltip player_id="105390" first="Dominic" last="Heim"] (Wayzata) LB. 5’10, 200 lbs. A thumper of a LB, Heim identifies and triggers on the ball really well and can tackle in space. He’s got a compact frame and is a strong tackler as well, but I really like how he gets to the ball and diagnoses the play. #20: [player_tooltip player_id="105382" first="Jack" last="Simon"] (Wayzata) QB. 6’3, 195 lbs. Already in possession of great size for a freshman, Simon is a strong looking pocket-passer who can throw the deep ball, gets the ball out of his hand quickly, and will hang in the pocket to deliver a strike with a defender bearing down on him. I also saw him look off a safety once or twice in his film, so overall there’s a lot to like about his potential. Have we found the next Trojans signal-caller? Only time will tell, but I like the skill-set of the freshman. #21: [player_tooltip player_id="105369" first="Sam" last="Macy"] (Chanhassen) OLB. 6’3, 175 lbs. A menace off the edge as a standup OLB, Macy can get after the QB and is an effective blitzer capable of running through blockers, getting to the toes of the ball-carriers, and finishing the hit with authority. He was a really dangerous defensive presence last season, and he has a long and excellent frame that is going to hold more weight and muscle really well. I’m excited for hit future and to watch him whack more QBs, as he did a lot of it at the JV/freshman level this past season. #22: [player_tooltip player_id="105376" first="Josh" last="Burns"] (Prior Lake) RB. 5’7, 175 lbs. In five games of JV/frosh play the Prior Lake Laker RB recorded 50 carries for 884 yards + 55 tackles, and his film displayed a thick and speedy rusher with good acceleration who can follow his blocks and remain patient before it's time to explode to daylight. He busted off some big runs last season, and beat would-be tacklers with more speed and strength. He's an intriguing one to keep an eye on going forward. #23: [player_tooltip player_id="105383" first="Daylen" last="Cummings"] (Centennial) QB. Another Centennial Cougar from their deep 2024 class, Cummings is a mobile and athletic QB prospect who is a strong runner and has great pocket presence, as well as the ability to extend plays and improvise when things break down. He's more apt to take off and run at this point in his career but you can see that he keeps his eyes downfield when outside the pocket. He's a good athlete overall and could play a variety of positions potentially for Centennial. #24: [player_tooltip player_id="105377" first="Reid" last="Permuth"] (Prior Lake) TE. 6’3, 220 lbs. Has one of the best bodies of any kid on this list already, Permuth was athletic enough to play some wideout for the Lakers last season and make an impact in the passing game. He also played some OLB, and got himself in some passing lanes to disrupt plays. He's also a willing blocker, and his versatility is a big plus when thinking about Permuth as a prospect, as well as Prior Lakes always stead production of scholarship talent. #25: [player_tooltip player_id="105384" first="Jack" last="Wojciak"] (Irondale) QB. The final athlete to round out our Top-25, I've had Wojciak on my radar for a while, and he's coming off his freshman season where he lettered as an Irondale Knight. He was also an attendee of our inaugural PrepRedzoneMN Showcase, and I liked his accuracy and decision-making, as well as footwork in the pocket. He's going to have to hit the weight room hard, but he's going to get a chance to get some varsity snaps soon and I believe he's put in the work in preparation for the opportunity.