2023 Dakotas Ranking Update: The Newcomers, Part Two

<strong>DAKOTAS-- </strong>We dive into part two of our "Newcomers" that were added to our radar in the Class of 2023. We went from 90 names to 160 names in our latest update so there is plenty of prospects to talk about. We look at 18 more names to know here in Part Two! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160914" first="Noah" last="Kleinsasser"] | Running Back | Canistota-Freeman (SD) </strong> To our knowledge, Noah is not related to Viking’s great Jim Kleinsasser, unfortunately. Look for Kleinsasser to be the next man up at tailback for the Pride with [player_tooltip player_id="56280" first="Tyce" last="Ortman"] graduated. Kleinsasser has a solid burst out the gates and can get upfield quite quickly. There is not much film to evaluate yet on this young man, but Kleinsasser shows solid durability in the clips we do have available. He brings a little more size to the position than they have had in years past and also plays linebacker. Once Kleinsasser gets more tape, I see him as a stockriser after the fall season. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2ELKhQ">Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160929" first="Landon" last="Docken"] | Kicker/Punter | Fargo South (SD)</strong> Docken is one of the only specialists I have watched in person as he had a great showing at the National Kicking Rankings camp in St. Cloud, Minn last winter. Despite not getting some of the cleanest snaps on tape, Docken shows a very calm demeanor in his kicking leg when there’s some pressure coming his way. He shows solid hangtime on each kick, and the one kick he had that was nearly 40 yards certainly had room for plenty of more yards to spare. He also punts for the Bruins and has a high rating of hangtime in the tape I watched. Docken is also a high academic kid with a 4.0 GPA.  I ranked Docken the #1 kicker in the Class of 2023 in this most recent update. Tape | <a href="https://twitter.com/DockenLandon">Twitter</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160923" first="Thayne" last="Elshere"] | Athlete | Sturgis Brown (SD)</strong> The first thing that stuck out to me on tape about Elshere is just how much torque he has in his physicality. He’s a prospect that I feel plays a lot bigger than his measurables might read. He also brings that same grit to the offensive side of the ball when he lowers his shoulder when getting contact. This young man is a blow-up tackler and can get even tougher on the football field by plenty of reps in the weight room. He should be an asset to the Scoopers in 2021. Elshere checks inside our top 70 prospects in the Class of 2023. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EQQQN">Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160905" first="Jed" last="Jenson"] | Quarterback | Rapid City Stevens (SD)</strong> Watching Jenson, you see a QB prospect that has some potential but needs time in the pocket to show it off. He shows off a quick release when the play breaks down and has solid footwork when maneuvering around the pocket. He has the legs to evade the pocket at a decent rate. Jenson’s best strengths are his arm strength and his touch on the football, as his arm strength is solid, and he uses the right touch in his throws on the limited clips I have. High academic kid with a 3.7 GPA. I expect the connection between Jenson and WR [player_tooltip player_id="151231" first="Kadin" last="Nelson"] to be one to watch this season for the Raiders. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FEb11">Tape</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/jed_jenson">Twitter</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160922" first="Preston" last="Iverson"] | Athlete | Hot Springs (SD)</strong> Iverson is a prospect that is a solid competitor at both wide receiver and safety. He is certainly not the biggest kid on paper, but he does have some strong wheels out the gates. Iverson shows that he’s a creative route runner and can create his own path with his speed and the flip of his hips. Defensively he has sound footwork on his backpedal and is a solid competitor that can post up on a bigger receiver due to his vertical. Tape <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161213" first="Ty" last="Lovre"] | Defensive Line | Deuel (SD)</strong> Lovre stood out to me to have a solid explosion to the ball off the bulk of the reps I watched of him on film. His ability to crash in beyond the first level or gobble up ball carriers for a very short gain. He has forceful hands to get around the defenders with ease. He certainly will need to add weight to be more dominant, but this young man is scholarship-level material if he can put it all together in the next few years. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EDUqL">Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160908" first="CJ" last="Smith"] | Quarterback | Dell Rapids St. Marys (SD)</strong> The Cardinals are another team on this list that will replace a playmaker in SD 9-Man Player of the Year, [player_tooltip player_id="56330" first="Connor" last="Libis"], and start fresh with [player_tooltip player_id="160908" first="CJ" last="Smith"]. Smith shows some substantial precision in his throwing ability. He also has solid ball placement when he has to throw the ball with more air on it. Smith also has quality mobility with a solid cutting ability to go along with his speed. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EuPju">Tape</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/cjsmith11TD">Twitter</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161869" first="Andrew" last="Arth"] | Running Back | Wyndmere-Lidgerwood (ND)</strong> Arth does good work reading the outside lanes and is a prospect that will grind for extra yards on any given play. Arth has a strong build at 5’10 180 pounds and uses that rugged lower body to flex for extra yards. Arth has some solid flip in his hips and makes defenders miss consistently on his film. Arth, to me, looks like a hidden gem that is way under the radar from small-town North Dakota. Buy stock now. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13235238/5fc0a41b7bdcb508a4930ac1">So Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160932" first="Ethan" last="Bartels"] | Tight End | Winner (SD)</strong> With Bartels, you get a big target that plays big for his size. He appears much more prominent on tape and has solid athleticism if you are looking for a sharp pass catcher over the middle of the field that will pay dividends in the short passing game. If the tight end position doesn’t work out, look at Bartels as a punter as he has shown he can get solid hangtime and distance but can develop even better hangtime. He is also has a solid defensive end when a solid swipe and good shedding ability. Bartels is a versatile prospect that can do a lot of things well. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EVRSd">So Tape</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160916" first="Jackson" last="Jarding"] | Running Back | Hanson (SD)</strong> Hanson has one of my favorite two-way punches in the Dakotas at tailback in 2023, tailbacks [player_tooltip player_id="56559" first="Hadley" last="Wallace"] and [player_tooltip player_id="160916" first="Jackson" last="Jarding"]. I like watching Jarding’s straight-line speed. Jarding is s a downhill runner that also can switch directions with what looks like not much effort. When the Beavers motion Jarding to the back of their formation on a pitch, that is when he’s the got the most force in his step in the transition. Jarding would be an excellent RB1 in most 9-man programs, but Hanson has a blessing with two great ones in the Class of 2023. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EbLEf">Tape</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonJarding">Twitter</a> <strong>Seven More Names to Know in 2023</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160904" first="Owen" last="Cass"] | Quarterback | Sturgis Brown (SD)</strong> Check out my write-up on [player_tooltip player_id="160904" first="Owen" last="Cass"] from watching him live at the SDSU prospect camp <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/07/sdsu-prospect-camp-midwest-standouts-part-v/">here</a>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161250" first="Gracin" last="Schroeder"] | Linebacker | Ray-Powers Lake (ND)</strong> Gracin is the little brother of Minot State commit [player_tooltip player_id="56435" first="Noah" last="Schroeder"]. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161244" first="KJ" last="Redd"] | Linebacker | Sioux Falls Lincoln (SD)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161341" first="RJ" last="Perry"] | Defensive Line | Great Plains Lutheran (SD)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160924" first="Matthew" last="Gray"] | Athlete | Faith (SD)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160928" first="Trevor" last="Paulson"] | Kicker | Yankton (SD)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161303" first="Ty" last="Nelson"] | Quarterback | Valley City (ND)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="161249" first="Booker" last="Schooley"] | Linebacker | Castlewood (SD)</strong> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;