2023 PRzMN Rankings Update: 15 Returning Ballhawks

As a former DB, I can’t say there is a more exciting play in football than an interception. Whether it’s a safety bursting out of nowhere to snag a ball right out of the hands of the receiver over the middle, a corner high-pointing the football up in the air down the sideline, or a tipped pass up for grabs around the LOS, an interception simply gets the crowd fired up and has the change to completely turn the tide of the game. I did take a little dive into the interception numbers back to 2016 on MNFootballHub and noticed that were an unusually high amount of interceptions last fall, mostly in terms of the volume of players at the top end. There were three players with eight interceptions, five with seven, six with six, four with five, and a boatload of players hanging around with four. Upon further inspection, a significant amount of these ballhawks were 2023 and even 2024 returners, and some of these prospects have made their way onto our rankings updates over the past couple of months. For the players that aren’t currently ranked, it won’t be long until they see themselves ranked in the great state of Minnesota. To get the lowdown on some of these returning interception machines, check out this new PrepRedzoneMN feature! Thanks for reading. [player_tooltip player_id="295970" first="Tayvion" last="McCoy"] (Simley) CB. 5’11, 170 lbs. 8 interceptions in 2021. @TayvionMccoy The returning interception leader comes out of the St. Paul suburbs and Simley Spartan CB and WR [player_tooltip player_id="295970" first="Tayvion" last="McCoy"]. A quick-footed wideout with some shiftiness out of his releases as well as after the catch, McCoy did a great job of taking advantage of errant throws and favorable bounces as a cornerback but can also accelerate out of his breaks in a noteworthy fashion. He also is very dangerous with the ball in his hands and has real YAC ability as well as the ability to cut tackle and bite the ankles of ball carriers out in space. Needs to work on catching the ball with his thumbs and forefingers but still has good hands and is an impact player on both sides of the ball. Has room to move up the 2023 rankings and I think he projects very well to the cornerback position in college. Has a little bit of former Hill-Murray great and St. Thomas All-American Michael Alada in his game if you guys like comparisons at all. Hasn’t reported any interest or offers at this point. Coaches: get at him! Brayden Hofer (Wheaton/Herman-Norcross) Safety. 5’9, 160 lbs. 7 interceptions in 2021 An unranked, small-town athlete whose junior year production will surely help him find the 2023 rankings upon the next update, Hofer is sadly lacking in highlights but from what I can gather on film he does a little bit of everything for the Warriors and plays multiple positions on both sides of the ball. From his FS spot, he can read the eyes of the QB and undercut throws and shows off some soft hands as well. Threat as a RB, WR, and defensive back and a classic undersized but tough, experienced, and athletic country boy from outstate Minnesota. You also have to possess some instincts if you pick off seven passes over the course of the season. Don’t sleep on the 9man kids! [player_tooltip player_id="112046" first="Wes" last="Overton"] (Rockford) Linebacker. 6’3, 215 lbs. 7 interceptions in 2021 I’ve broken down the film of Rockford playmaking machine plenty in the past couple of years and have loved doing it. He’s had some of the most exciting and dynamic tapes of any 2023er in the class and is a recruit I really wish I could see in person. As the only LB to make the list, I still wanted to give a shoutout to the long, instinctive, and athletic prospect once again but primarily in the context of his coverage ability. You rarely see linebackers with that kind of interception production, and it looks like Overton has an instinctive ability to identify passing lanes, flip his hips, and drop quickly to where receivers are heading. He also does a great job of reading the eyes of QBs and triggering on the football at the top of his drop as well. The skillset he displays as a TE also shows ball skills, speed, and hands, and I think it’s safe to say he also possesses instincts and a natural playmaking ability that you can’t coach. At 6’3, 215 pounds it’s hard for me to not think he may be a major steal at whatever level he ends up. No reported interest or offers! [player_tooltip player_id="237907" first="Jake" last="Borman"] (St. Thomas Academy) Free Safety. 6’1, 175 lbs. 6 interceptions in 2021 I was quite impressed after watching the tape of St. Thomas Academy FS [player_tooltip player_id="237907" first="Jake" last="Borman"] for the recently updated 2023 rankings, especially considering their tradition of standout DBs over the past decade+. With good size for the position, Borman posted 38 total tackles and six interceptions in 2021 and showed off an affinity for tackling in space as well as the ability to capitalize on overthrows and miscues from opposing QBs while patrolling the deep halves of the field. He can also get to hash well to make plays on good throws by quarterbacks and had his best games against the Cadet’s best opponents last fall, which can’t be taught. Balanced skill set for the position and far from done growing. No reported interest or offers! Max Rost (Minneota) Class of 2024. 6’, 165 lbs. 6 interceptions in 2021 Sadly, the sophomore doesn’t have any available football film but is a two-sport standout for one of Minnesota’s small school powerhouses and is getting varsity starting experience as an underclassman, which is always a good sign. Name to stay aware of. Sam Pidde (Springfield) C/o 2024. DB. 6 interceptions in 2021. @PiddeSam Springfield was far from short of stat monsters in 2021, as QB [player_tooltip player_id="192923" first="Brendon" last="Buerkle"] was the state’s leading passer in 2021 with 3,082 yards and 43 TDs and was second in MN with 204 completions and his favorite wideout, Carter Olson led the state with 90 receptions and was second in yards with 1,238. They also had a defensive athlete high up the statistical leaderboards in sophomore DB Sam Pidde, who posted six interceptions in his second season playing high school ball. Unfortunately, Pidde hasn’t updated his Hudl so I can’t give you guys an honest evaluation of his game. Still a ballhawk! Logan Jans (St. Michael-Albertville) Safety. 6’4, 200 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. @jans_logan A classic example of a Minnesota prep prospect who considers themselves a basketball prospect first but who - in my opinion - has a higher ceiling on the gridiron, Jans is a 6’4 safety playing for one of the strongest and most consistent programs in the state in St. Michael-Albertville. With intriguing size for the position and a notable four interceptions in 2021, I really wish Jans would update his Hudl soon. It could pay off, sir! Kale Mensink (Kingsland) Corner. 6’, 180 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. @KaleMensink 9man program Kingsland has some legit recruits in their 2023 class and CB Mensink is a standout at 6’, 180 pounds with speed, burst, and ball skills. He closes on the football well and shows zero hesitation when coming up and laying a hit on a RB in run support. Also athletic enough to play quarterback for his Knights squad and posted 41 tackles in 2021 to earn an All-Conference Honorable Mention nod. Has earned junior day invites from MSU-Moorhead, UW-River Falls, and Concordia-Moorhead, and a prospect camp invite from Montana. [player_tooltip player_id="245765" first="Damian" last="Riewe"] (Mankato West) Safety. 5’10, 165 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. @DamianRiewe2 I became a fan of Mankato West Scarlet defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="245765" first="Damian" last="Riewe"] after watching his tape for the 2023 update and was happy to see his 2021 production match the skills I saw on film. He tallied 52 tackles, 4 TFLs, 4 INTs, and a sack from his safety position and was all over the field as he plays with a tremendous of speed from whatever position he lines up at. Whatever he is doing, he is doing it fast, and I loved watching him come downhill from the safety spot to make plays on the ball behind the LOS. He also uses that speed to block punts on special teams and create momentum to cut tackle larger ball carriers and halt them in their tracks. I also like how he undercuts receivers when breaking on the ball and it’s nice to see him produce on the offensive side of the ball, as he added 19 rushes for 113 yards and 2 TDs as a RB for the 5A state champions. Big senior year coming, Damian! [player_tooltip player_id="112139" first="Jackson" last="Powers"] (Maple Grove) Cornerback. 6’, 180 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. @jacksonpowers20 My biggest miss of the recent PRzMN 2023 rankings update may come out of 2021 6A runner-up Maple Grove and their well-built cornerback [player_tooltip player_id="112139" first="Jackson" last="Powers"]. Fresh off D1 offers from UConn and Morgan State, Powers is on a college tour that has included stops at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and North Carolina and has been picking up steam on the recruiting trail which doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He posted four interceptions through the regular season and added two in the playoffs and also led the state in PBUs from his CB position. He’s comfortable and aggressive in press-man and has loose hips and quick feet that are able to react and adjust to receivers releases and routes with solid balance and body control. He’s consistent in getting a hand on wideouts to throw them off their marks and can play the safety spot where he displays a little bit of range and ability to run the alley. Fluid athlete playing defensive back who is going to significantly climb the rankings soon. Keep it up, Jackson! [player_tooltip player_id="287256" first="Najee" last="Nelson"] (Lakeville North) CB. 5’11, 165 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. @najee_nelson The highest rated prospect on this list, Nelson is coming off a noteworthy North Dakota State Bison offer, where his older brother Raja Nelson plays his college ball at. Younger brother Najee has a junior tape filled mostly with physical and eye-popping hits from the CB position, but it’s quite obvious that he’s a great athlete possessing burst, body control, speed, and a fearless, competitive attitude on the gridiron. When he sticks his cleat in the ground and accelerates downhill or laterally he does so with force and power, a characteristic that translates well to breaking on the football on shorter and more intermediate routes throughout the field. That, combined with the speed to stay on top of wideouts downfield make him arguably the most physically gifted DB in the state and a dominant presence out on the edge of the Lakeville North Panthers defense. Would love to see this kid up in Fargo with his brother. Evan Bennerotte (Randolph) CB. 6’1, 165 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. Thanks to some connections in the 507 from my college days, I was able to get the 411 on just how overlooked and talented the Randolph Rockets program had become in Southern Minnesota. With current seniors [player_tooltip player_id="116484" first="Clay" last="Nielsen"], Jacob Weckop, and Nathan Weckop igniting the recruiting fires for the Rockets 2023 class, prospects like [player_tooltip player_id="112049" first="Tyson" last="Cooreman"], Ruben Kriesel, Quinn Sabilla, and Evan Bennerotte now have the chance to be seen by even more college coaches and recruiters. Today we’ll be discussing rising senior ballhawk Evan Bennerotte, who picked off four passes last fall and showed off the mental aptitude and competitiveness to make big plays in clutch situations and soft hands that helped him on both sides of the ball. I would need more tape to evaluate to make a full writeup on the senior but the size and production are worth taking note of for college recruiters. Landon Neiman (Eden Valley-Watkins) Class of 2024. 4 interceptions in 2021. Is sadly lacking in film but put up some good statistics as a sophomore in the EVW program and also stars on the basketball team despite being an underclassman. Another name to keep note of. Ethan Williams (Deer River) Safety. 6’3, 165 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. A small-town safety prospect with nice size for the position, production in his junior season, and accolades on the basketball court that would lend itself to success on the gridiron. Only has basketball tape on his Hudl account. Ade Batz-Rogers (Minneapolis Southwest) CB. 5'8, 150 lbs. 4 interceptions in 2021. The final defensive standout to make my list comes out of my alma mater Minneapolis Southwest and their sticky rising senior Ade Batz-Rogers. The 5'8, 150 pounder recorded 22 tackles, 7 PBUs, 4 INTs, including one he returned for a TD, and a TFL from his cornerback spot and looks like smooth and natural in coverage both in man and zone coverage. He's got loose hips, soft hands, and can play the ball while it's in the air. He's got the speed to make up for mistakes in coverage and can get himself back in the receivers pocket before or at the time to make a play on the ball. I'm looking forward to seeing his senior tape once the time comes.