21 of the Fastest Midwest Football Players in 2021

When it really comes down it, the best football players are generally the biggest, fastest, strongest, or a combination of the three. Although things can narrowed down to include metrics such as burst, quickness, vertical potential, change of direction, and other athletic abilities, things really boil down who is the physically largest, who can lift the most weight and push their opponents around, and who can outrun their competition. In my recent Midwest feature for PrepRedzone called "Midwest Giants: 16 XL Lineman and TE Prospects", I took a look at some of the biggest football players I could find from America's Heartland. After the publishing of that a couple of days ago, I got to thinking that maybe I could follow that up and detail some of the fastest football players I could find. After doing some research, I was pleasantly surprised to find that barely any articles existed regarding the topic of the fastest high school football players in the entire U.S., much less the Midwest, so I am quite excited to bring to you guys this special PrepRedzone Midwest feature. Because speed on the gridiron is hard to measure, I took a look at the state track meet times in the Dakotas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin and found 21 high school football standouts who also have put together some impressive track times in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. I organized them by fastest for our lovely readers, and wanted to make a note that I was particularly excited by the overall times I saw posted in Illinois, Kansas, and South Dakota from the 2021. Those states had some burners last spring! Speed shows up a ton of different ways on the gridiron, and below we have 21 great examples of eye-popping high school burners who regularly scorch their competition and leave them in the dust. Check out these speedsters, their track times, and an evaluation of their football game below. Thanks for reading! Midwest Burners Jaren Kanak (Hays High School, Kansas) ATH. 2022. 6'2, 210 lbs. Committed to Clemson One of the fastest kids in the entire country in the 2022 class is a physical freak at 210 lbs. who saw his recruitment blow up after he put up some eye-popping track times such as his verified 10.37 in the 100M dash, 22.06 200M dash, and 51.9 400M. After college staffs realized how fast he was and he posted a 10.6 laser time 100, he grabbed offers from the likes of TCU, Indiana, Penn State, and Akron, and then after posting his 10.37 video he grabbed offers from Wisconsin, Virginia, Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Colorado, USC, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama, Baylor, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma in the course of only seven days! A week later he grabbed that coveted Clemson offer, and committed two months later to the ACC powerhouse. Last spring, he finished second in the 5A 100M dash Kansas state track & field championships with a 10.58, and also finished as the runner-up in the 200M in 5A with a 22.06. I'm pumped to see his senior track campaign and if he can bump those already elite numbers up some more! He's got limited senior highlights updated so far this fall, so I'm excited for when he posts that senior tape and we can see those freaky numbers on the gridirons of Kansas one last time. Devon Jackson (Omaha Burke High School, Nebraska) LB. 2022. 6'2, 200 lbs. Committed to Oregon Despite the state of Nebraska not holding a 2020-21 high school state track and field championship, Omaha native Jackson cemented a name for himself as one of the fastest LBs in the entire class of 2022 as he clocked a crazy 10.54 in the 100 on May 12th at the A-2 District track meet for what finished as the fastest 100m attempt in the Cornhusker State all of last year. He also added a blazing 21.63 in the 200M, and held a boatload of offers from the likes of Auburn, Iowa, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and a host of other suitors, but committed to play some PAC12 football in Eugene next fall. His 2021 film shows an OLB prospect with ridiculous burst and speed who lives in opponents backfields and shoots gaps faster than anyone I can recently remember. He also plays WR and has made some electric plays with the ball in his hands despite things looking like a minimal gain, and his get-up and overall speed is just mesmerizing to watch on film. He's going to be a good one for the Ducks. Hudl: Aidan Laughery (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School, Illinois) RB/S. 2022. 5'11, 185 lbs. Committed to Illinois The Illinois Fighting Illini commit was a big snag for new head coach Bret Bielema and his staff in Champaign-Urbana back in July, as the speedster picked his hometown team (35 minutes away) over offers from Iowa, Washington State, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Rutgers. The senior certified that first class speed back in May on the 24th at the HOIC Quad when he PRed in both the 100M and 200M, clocking a 10.58 and 21.5, respectively. He possesses a great frame that can become stronger and more explosive in a college S&C program, and is a legit two-way player who uses his speed to his advantage when coming downhill as a safety. Unfortunately, he hasn't updated his senior tape, so I look forward to checking out the senior version of the future Illini speedster. Brandon White (Archbishop Moeller High School, Ohio) WR. 2022. 5'9, 165 lbs. Committed to Kentucky. @Bwhite3_ The SEC commit ran a phenomenal 2021 Division 1 Ohio state high school 100M dash final back in June and finished as a runner-up with an impressive 10.64. He lost to a kid that tied the state record with a 10.47, so not too shabby if you ask me. He picked the Wildcats over the likes of West Virginia, Marshall, Akron, and Bowling Green. Sadly, he doesn't have any updated senior film, so stay posted for some lightning fast highlights soon! Reece Young (Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, Illinois) DB. 2022. 6', 170 lbs. No offers.... @reeceyoung22 Despite a fifth place finish in the 100M dash of the Illinois state track and field championships and an All-State nod in the 200, Young is currently offerless as the playoffs in the Land of Lincoln begin this upcoming week. He clocked a blazing 10.69 in the state finals last spring, and has built on his T&F efforts with some strong senior film through seven weeks that display a two-way standout who uses that speed to his advantage as a WR and CB. He is total deep threat who can eat up DB cushions off the LOS or at the top of the route, and that speed also helps him completely blanket wideouts going deep when he's in man coverage. It's very easy for him to stay stride-for-stride with even the fastest wideouts, and can break down and drop his hips to prevent separation as well. He's also got instincts, can force turnovers, track the football, and get out of his breaks quickly, and there's a ton to like on film before you even hear of his prolific track numbers. Someone is going to get an absolute steal with the WWS senior and I hope college staffs start getting in contact soon. Hit this man up!! Hudl: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11148838/6164f943b023830aa490f708">Week 1-7</a> Jaden Guthmiller (Spearfish High School, South Dakota) WR. 2023. 5'10, 165 lbs. No offers. @JadenGuthmiller One of the biggest surprises when writing this PrepRedzone feature came when I checked out the 2021 South Dakota Class AA 100m results. Talk about speed! With three seniors ahead of him the then-sophomore ran a 10.69 to place fourth in the state and introduce himself as one of the fastest boys in the entire state. Although he's lacking in football film, he did post a game highlight against Sturgis Brown a month ago, so I think it's fair to include him in this piece. The time speaks for itself! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13220797/6147b590dfd8b40460eb3a12">vs. Sturgis Brown</a> Tyrell Reed (Highland Park High School, Kansas) RB. 2023. 5'9, 185 lbs. No offers.... @TbirdReed Somehow the legit speedster remains without an offer towards the end of his junior year football season despite some electric film and verified track speed that saw him place third in the 100M Kansas state track & field outdoor championships with a 10.74 as a sophomore in a loaded Class 5A bracket. It looks he was running for Topeka West High School, but as a junior Highland Park High School RB he has been a playmaking machine whose track speed shows up on film in an explosive way. If he sees daylight he is gone, and can scorch by angles out on the edge and can turn what looks like a routine play into a long TD. He also shows balance, vision, and quick feet in his junior film so far, and can shake defenders in the open field or run through weaker tackle attempts at his lower body. He can of has a bouncy, shifty gait that helps him to naturally set up opponents in the open field or distract them away from the hole he is set to burst through. I love watching him run the rock, but he also has some game as a LB and it's awesome to watch that track speed translate to the gridiron. Offers should be coming! Hudl: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13405137/6145f6c0664b2d0bc01507f6">Week 1-3</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13405137/616c696ff56aeb039cddb130">vs. Washburn Rural</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13405137/616233ca90ef3209f8189939">vs. Topeka West</a> Jeremiyah Love (Christian Brothers College High School, Missouri) ATH. 6'1, 190 lbs. 2023. Offers from Kansas, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Missouri, Eastern Illinois. @JeremiyahLove At an impressively built 6'1, 190-195 lbs. as a junior at powerhouse CBC in Missouri, it should come as no surprise that the junior is already a P5 recruit. However, when you add in the youngins' track times it's honestly a bit of a surprise that his offer list isn't a bit more substantial. Love won the Class 5 Missouri state high school 100M championship last spring as a sophomore with an impressive 10.76, almost a full second faster than the state runner-up. His junior film displays a long-legged, well-built athlete who primarily plays RB and shows off a ton of speed and quickness that defends his impressive track times. He keeps his feet very active as a ball-carrier and can start and stop on a dime, which makes for some impressive cuts and jukes near the LOS and in the open field. He does a good job of setting up defenders for shifty, last-second cuts that leave them in his dust, and his vision helps him create big gains out of seemingly small holes and opportunities. He's also strong and physical, and can break tackles on his lower body and throw an aggressive block when his teammate is running the ball as well. Overall, he's a smooth and fluid athlete that is fun to watch, and who makes his impressive track times look easy on the gridiron. There's a lot of good football in his future. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13030353/615bcd762aa64705c80f6c29">highlights</a> Titus Christiansen (Southeast Polk High School, Iowa) RB. 2022. 5'10, 175 lbs. Offered by NDSU (PWO), UMD, Bemidji St. @TitusLC2 One of the fastest sprinters in the entire state in the class of 2022, Christiansen comes out of big school powerhouse Southeast Polk that is locked and loaded for a state championship run in 2021 after losing in the finals last year. Running against some of the best competition in the state last spring, he clocked a 10.83 in Class 4A prelims and went onto place third in the finals to cap off his junior campaign. Despite only a couple of updated game tapes from this fall of '21, season, you can still see on tape that Christiansen has speed, strength, and vision, as he does a great job of following his blocks and allowing the play to develop, and when he sees a hole he can get upfield quickly and has a strong lower body for his size that can bounce weaker tackle attempts off him. He also runs behind his pads and shows a little bit of shake in the open field, and possesses big play potential when given the opportunity. I like his offer list so far, and his stock should only continue to rise as SEP marches towards a big school state title in 2021. Keep it up, Titus! Hudl: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10061828/6140c2a09675ee091c97685a">vs. Waukee NW HS</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10061828/61352e36a681770624a3b936">vs. Valley HS</a> Nelson Wright (Sioux Falls-Roosevelt High School, South Dakota) RB. 2023. 5'8, 195 lbs. No offers. @NelsonWright34 Another speedster out of the Mount Rushmore state, Wright finished fifth in the South Dakota big school 100M state final against a talented field after he posted a 10.84. With a powerful build and that noteworthy speed, Wright is also hard-nosed and physical, and presents a tough tackling assignment for opponents. He also is very impressive in pass pro from the RB position, and has solid contact for his size and can bounce weaker tackle attempts off his thigh pads like they're a mosquito on an afternoon walk. He's got a pretty balanced skillset for a RB and is a definite name to know out of South Dakota and the talent-rich Sioux Falls area. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13248804/614d2c569a912008c02543a2">First 4 JR year</a> Corey Royster (Dakota High School, Michigan) RB/WR. 2023. 5'9, 165 lbs. No offers..... @CoreyRoyster1 Already an accomplished track and field athlete who has visited Michigan with their T&F team, Royster ended the junior Olympics last August as a 4x1 All-American and a Junior Olympic National Champion in the 100M for 15-16 years old after he posted a 10.85 to beat Kansas burner Jeremiah Smith in the finals. In the preliminary heats of that tournament he clocked an outstanding 10.63 in the 100 as well. He also finished as the Lower Peninsula Division 1 third place finisher in the 100 last spring as only a sophomore. His junior tape displays an athlete with a ton of offensive versatility, as he can play RB or WR and can return kicks and punts as well. He shows solid burst when the football is in his hand and he's got a strong lower body for his size that helps absorb and deliver contact. Only a few weeks of film from this season but more will hopefully be coming! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13246807/613e303d5ef7770348b70850">Weeks 1-3 2021</a> Tony Phillips Jr. (Bishop McNamara High School, Illinois) RB. 2024. 5'7, 175 lbs. Offered by Tennessee, Syracuse, Florida Atlantic. Phillips Jr. introduced himself to the Illinois T&F scene as well as the P5 recruitment stage after winning both the 100M dash and 200M dash for Class 1A with a 10.87 in the 100 and a 22.31 in the 200. Not bad for a 15-year old! He also reported to run a 10.3 in the 100 on May 6th, but had already earned his FAU and Syracuse offers by then. He's also unofficially visited Illinois and Central Michigan this fall. His sophomore tape is unfortunately set to private by his high school coaches, so I can't give an accurate or up-to-date evaluation on the Land of Lincoln prep, but he has posted multiple 200-yard+ rushing performances this year and should finish with some impressive stats. More offers should be coming his way soon! Carson Hegerle (West Fargo High School, North Dakota) WR. 2022. 6'3, 180 lbs. Committed to North Dakota State @CarsonHegerle Our #1 ranked player in North Dakota and #2 player in all of the Dakotas, Hegerle was a major land for the FCS powerhouse Bison as he decided to stay in Fargo over offers from UNLV, Wyoming, Toledo, Utah State, Army, Nevada, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The well-built wideout also was prolific on the rubber of North Dakota's tracks, as he clocked the third fastest 100m dash time in ND with a 10.85 in the prelims of the state track meet. He then went onto finish second in the state with a time of 10.95 in the finals, and also finished second in the state 200M dash with a 21.67. In both of those events he lost to a blazing fast senior who is running track at NDSU, so he's a potential favorite for both sprinting events in the 2022 state meet. I'm still waiting for him to post some senior film, but I hope things are going well for the son of Fargo this fall. Max Grand (Ellsworth High School, Wisconsin) RB. 2022. 5'10, 190 lbs. Offered by Minnesota (PWO), UMD, Northern State. Visited Illinois The PrepRedzoneWI and PrepRedzoneMN Showcase standout out of Wisconsin border town Ellsworth is one of my favorite players in the Badger State and the undisputed #1 RB who remains underrecruited as he leads his Panthers into the state playoffs and a legit Division 4 state title winning opportunity. He built on his athletic profile in the spring and took advantage of the track and field outdoor season by recording a 10.88 at a conference track meet last spring. He backed it up with by clocking a laser-verified 4.57 40-yard dash at the CreamCityCombines event in Iowa. He's a menacing combination of speed and strength who can bully defenses between the tackles or take the rock out to the edge and beat you with his speed. Grady O'Neill (St. Thomas Academy, Minnesota) RB. 2022. 5'10, 165 lbs. Offers from Bemidji State and Concordia-St. Paul. @gradyoneill7 The senior playmaker for the St. Thomas Academy Cadets was running in the low 10.8s in the 100M dash before unfortunately getting disqualified at the state meet in the 100. He's aiming towards a 10.5 for this upcoming spring, and it sure looks like he could potentially be that fast on his senior tape. Also ran a 22.25 in the 200 which was good for third in the state for Minnesota's Class AA. I'm very much looking forward to his track times this upcoming spring. More Speedsters... Tre Richardson (Highland Park High School, Kansas) RB. 2023. 5'10, 160 lbs. Holds offers from Washburn, Missouri Western. @Trerich20 Placed fourth in the 5A state 200M finals with a 22.37. Carson Sipple (Kaukauna High School, Wisconsin) WR. 2022. 6', 180 lbs. @_carsonsippel 22.27 in the Division 1 200M for third in the state last spring. Recently earned his first D1 scholarship opportunities from Central Michigan and Northern Iowa. Also a PrepRedzoneWI Showcase standout with a very complete and balanced game at the WR position. Elliott Lowney (Shawano Community High School, Wisconsin) WR. 2022. 5'11, 170 lbs. Offered by St. Norbert's College. @_Elliott_Lo13 Placed second in the state of Wisconsin in the Division 1 200M dash with a 22.16. Shamar Heard (Clinton Township High School, Michigan) ATH. 2024. 5'9, 150 lbs. Holds an offer from Syracuse. @heard_shamar The sophomore was a Junior Olympic national champion in the 200M with a scorching 21.06. Also won the long jump with a 23.9 foot hop. Has posted a 10.64 in the 100M dash, and finished fourth in the 2021 spring Michigan state track and field championships in the 200 as just a freshman. Also finished fifth in the 100 as a first-year. Ryan Wingo (St. Louis University High School, Missouri) WR. 2024. 6'2, 200 lbs. Offers from Miami (OH), Minnesota, Florida, Notre Dame, Illinois, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, UCF, Missouri. @_Ryanwingo1 Placed sixth in the Missouri Class 5 state 100M dash final with a 11 flat as only a freshman! Also posted a 21.94 in the 200M final, which was good for third place. Sanjay Redd (SMB, Minnesota) RB. 2022. 5'10, 165 lbs. Offers from St. Thomas, Concordia-St. Paul, Bemidji State, UMary, MSU-Mankato. @ReddSanjay The 4x Junior Olympic All-American in the 100 and 200 placed second in the Class A 100M dash finals and also took fifth in the 200M as well.