14 Minnesota Prospects on the Cusp of a FCS/FBS/P5 Offer

With the conclusion of the opening Minnesota Golden Gophers prospect camp last Sunday, I feel like I can officially say that camp season is fully underway for Minnesota’s prep football prospects for the summer of 2022. Whether it’s a 1,000+ kid mega-camp, a college or university prospect camp, a team camp, a satellite camp, or even a high school practice/fall camp, this is the time recruiting really swings into gear and comes to the forefront of the high school and college football space. I’m kicking myself a little bit, as I didn’t find the time to publish a MN feature focusing on sleeper/high potential article after the class of 2023 update, but didn’t end up getting going on it, so I’ve revived and reverted the idea to highlight 14 Minnesota Prospects on the Cusp of an FCS/FBS/P5 Offer during this important June of camp szn. We already saw the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="287257" first="Alex" last="Elliott"], [player_tooltip player_id="112125" first="Sam" last="Peters"], and [player_tooltip player_id="105367" first="Daniel" last="Freitag"] earn their major offer, let’s see who is next. I’m very interested to see what college coaches are going to think once they get their eyes on these 14 Minnesota athletes. Thanks for reading! 14 Minnesota Prospects on the Cusp of a Major Offer [player_tooltip player_id="245772" first="Sawyer" last="Tordsen"] (Fairmont) OT/DE. 6’6, 290 lbs. Class of 2023 When I mentioned that I had missed a window to publish sleepers and prospects with high potential, one of the big headliners was the Fairmont 2023 lineman [player_tooltip player_id="245772" first="Sawyer" last="Tordsen"], who originally caught my attention during the ’23 update a few months back. I was stoked to see that 24/7Sports Midwest Director Allen Trieu gave him a shoutout after they both attended the Golden Gophers prospect camp on June 5th. I desperately wish I could have attended that camp, but it’s a big deal to have Trieu come in the first place and solidify some of the thoughts and opinions we have about our local recruits. Tordsen sports a big frame that moves well at that size and could potentially grow a monstrous frame once he’s a few years into a college strength and conditioning program. He’s also added 25 pounds since his junior season. As noted by Trieu: he could also play either OL or DL at the next level Currently, he’s holding two DII offers, but after a tour of some Missouri Valley camps I think he’s got a chance to earn his way into some FCS offers and opportunities. The Gophers also extended a PWO to a Fairmont athlete in 2022 (Zach Jorgensen), so they may be back for some more action in ’23. Garrison Monroe (Shakopee) Safety. 6’, 190 lbs. Class of 2023 Besides the players that earned offers at the Gophers game, it sounds like Shako’s Garrison Monroe had himself the best day of any prospect in attendance, as noted by Trieu and GopherIllustrated’s Ryan Burns. His testing numbers, fluidity, and performance during competition portions sent him up the charts of the Gopher’s safety board, and it sounds like he’s on the cusp of a hometown B1G offer from Minnesota. I love his range in both coverage and run support, physicality, and overall athleticism from the safety position. He already holds four FCS offers from Missouri Valley institutions, but look for him to potentially be the nexin-statete prospect to catapult into the P5 ranks. He’s also camping with North Dakota, NDSU, and Iowa this month, according to Ryan Burns. [player_tooltip player_id="112078" first="Bryce" last="Hawthorne"] (Osseo) DE. 6’3, 245 lbs. Class of 2023 The younger brother of Winona State linebacker Myles and the son of former Golden Gopher Ed Hawthorne, Bryce is already having a successful camp season and has leveled up his recruiting stock from DII offers into the FCS ranks as his camp performance in Brookings earned him a Missouri Valley scholarship offer from South Dakota State. He also added a UST opportunity. Every offseason he has added good weight and is now up to 6’3, 245. Additionally, he’s well-coached and experienced from a good Osseo program, and is strong at the point of contact. He’s also got a solid first step and is mobile enough to contribute as a blocking and pass-catching TE on offense. Not sure how high he could continue to raise his stock, but I think he’s a name to keep an eye on this summer. He’s got some good things going for him. [player_tooltip player_id="112086" first="Chiddi" last="Obiazor"] (Eden Prairie) DE/TE. 6’6, 245 lbs. Class of 2023 Coming out of one of 6A’s strongest programs, with length, athleticism, and explosiveness is usually a good recipe for success, and I like what I see in those departments from Eden Prairie Eagle 6’6, 245 lber. [player_tooltip player_id="112086" first="Chiddi" last="Obiazor"]. There is always a premium for pass rushers and edge defenders, and we’ve seen DEs with this kind of physical build and athletic profile find great success at the college level coming out of MN. It’s also not as big of a deal as it used to be on the lighter, leaner side as a prep edge presence, but that’s not as much of an issue anymore as Obiazor has put on 25-30 pounds this offseason. Obiazor holds FBS offers from Ohio, Tulane, and Akron, as well as an FCS offer from Incarnate World, but I could see him bumping up his recruiting stuff into the big G5 or P5 range. Certainly, a name to keep an eye on. [player_tooltip player_id="112106" first="Gage" last="McManemy"] (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) OL/DL. 6’4, 250 lbs. Class of 2023 A three-sport standout from small-town Lake Crystal down in Blue Earth county, McManemy is most intriguing as a defensive lineman, where the 6’4, 250 lber. flies around like a LB and shows off some active hands, a strong punch, some good movement skills, and the ability to break down and tackle in space. He’s disruptive in run support, pass rushing, and getting his hands up into passing lanes. There have been a heck of a lot of small school Minnesotans who look, play, and measure in like McManemy, so we’ll see what college coaches think once they get some eyes on him. As of right now, McManemy doesn’t hold a college offer at any level. He’s easily a DII prospect with FCS potential depending on how he moves and runs in person. Good luck this summer, Gage! [player_tooltip player_id="112137" first="Devin" last="Jordan"] (Eden Prairie) Safety. 6’2, 185 lbs. Class of 2023 Earned an ultra-impressive 34 on the ACT and sports great size and a great frame to play safety at the next level. He’s got a great junior tape that originally landed him on my sleeper/high potential recruit list after the 2023s, and coming out of powerhouse Eden Prairie you already know he’s a high IQ, well coached defensive back who is unafraid of competition. He can blitz, tackle in space, defend a half of the field, and/or get off blocks and contribute around the LOS. His tape is full of him making plays, which is a key attribute for a safety, and seeing him do so many things on tape is definitely a good sign. Jordan holds FBS opportunities from military academies Air Force and Army, as well as FCS offers and roster spots from Northern Iowa and Princeton, respectively. I would not be surprised to see him work his way to a FBS scholarship opportunity. [player_tooltip player_id="112101" first="Chuck" last="Gilbert"] (Holy Angels) WR. 6’2, 180 lbs. Class of 2023 Holy Angels has had some good wide receivers come out of their program over the years, and next up is the nice sized [player_tooltip player_id="112101" first="Chuck" last="Gilbert"], who has had an interesting recruitment up until this point in time. Starting off strong with a FBS scholarship offer from Central Michigan in April of last year, Gilbert then added a UNI offer during the season last fall, and then a DII offer from MSU-Mankato - his dad’s alma mater - but things have been quiet on the D1 front since the season ended and he is by far one of the recruits with the most to prove & gain with a strong summer/senior season. It looks like he has the juice to do it, as 247’s Trieu and Burns noted his fluidity and how he "caught the ball well away from his body", so it seems like some of the physical skills and abilities you can see on his short junior film are present in person and just waiting to get noticed by some more staffs. I’m not positive if that CMU offer is committable still, so I think Gilbert is right on the cusp of solidifying himself as a FBS wideout. Stay tuned. [player_tooltip player_id="112142" first="Aidan" last="Boehle"] (Minnetonka) DE. 6’5, 205 lbs. Class of 2023 Boehle has seen his stock rise since he published some good junior reps after ’21 ended, and has been flirted with by the Gophers to the tune of multiple campus visits as well junior day stops to NDSU, UNI, and South Dakota State. He left all of those stops without an offer however, but that does not mean those windows are closed, as none of the aforementioned programs besides the U have seen him in pads yet. It sounds like he shines when the pads are on, as he earned a shoutout from 247Sports for his frame and physicality. It’s especially good to hear about the physicality, as he needs to continue adding muscle and strength in the weight room to continue upping his game and stock. That length and size is really hard for college coaches to ignore, and Boehle seems to be doing a great job of rising to the occasion once the lights come on. Although he only holds DII offers and a Pioneer League roster spot, the film, physical tools and skills, and in-person performance all lead me to believe he’s nearing a FCS or even FBS scholarship offer. Especially if ’Tonka finds some major 6A success this season. Trevion ’Tre’ Mack (Irondale) OL. 6’6, 295 lbs. Class of 2023 Last year, we saw ’Tonka’s WR Cade Conzemius come into camp and tear up 1-on-1s so well that he left Dinkytown with a PWO from his dad’s alma mater and hometown team, bursting onto the recruiting scene in Minnesota before quickly shutting things down and committing. Although this year’s version of Conzemius isn’t a Lake Conference product or Gopher legacy, we did see a recruit who was relatively unknown coming into the camp perform so well he left with a PWO: Irondale’s Tre Mack. With good size and lateral agility at his height/weight, Mack reported to only give up one sack on 91 reps of pass pro in ’21, and on tape, the massive OG shows off a solid pad level for a bigger lineman, good leg drive, and is punishing in single blocking situations. He’s got some solid pop and also looks like he can work to the second level and take on faster and quicker LBs in space. He’ll be a nice, highly-ranked addition to the 2023 rankings in our summer update. Now that his first offer is on the board - and it’s a good one - I think eyes will start to open, and if he tests and performs as well as he did in Dinkytown last Sunday, I think it’d be hard for FCS and maybe even FBS programs to pass up on. We shall see. Jaylen Peterson (Holy Angels) DB. 6’3, 175 lbs. @JaylenBoehmP This one was all Allen Trieu and 24/7Sports. The Holy Angels DB - who possesses impressive and eye-popping size - was not on anybody’s radar going into the day but apparently crushed it in his individual performance at the camp. I did write about Peterson a few weeks ago, but that was at WR, so I can’t sit here and try to take credit. With that coveted size that gets DB coaches salivating, and the athleticism to back it up, FCS and potentially FBS suitors should come running, especially with how under the radar he is right now. He’s got no offers right now but will compete at Iowa State’s prospect camp tomorrow. Emmanuel Karmo (Cooper) LB. 6’3, 205 lbs. Class of 2025 I believe the rising sophomore is the first 2025er in Minnesota to earn a D1 offer, or any offer for that matter, and he started things off with a bang as his camp tour has resulted in offers from Southern Illinois and East Carolina in the past week. Although his freshman year highlights are short, he did get varsity reps, and on film you can see a tall, long ILB with nice change of direction skills, some twitch and lateral agility, solid speed, and good hip flexibility in coverage. There are some already stud ’25s in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but Karmo has already established himself as a high-profile, future P5 prospect. Cooper is a must-stop for college recruiters and coaches and Karmo will see those offers ramp up sooner rather than later. [player_tooltip player_id="242494" first="Dylan" last="Gross"] (Brainerd) LB. 6’2, 220 lbs. Class of 2024 Now that the class of 2024 is starting to establish themselves on the recruiting scene, with Zolnosky, Gilmore, Carrier, and Freitag all on the board with FBS and/or P5 offers, I wanted to try and think of who could be next. After some thought and consideration to the likes of Max Woods from Chan and [player_tooltip player_id="105392" first="Zashon" last="Rich"] from North, I think I have to go with Brainerd’s impressive 6’2, 220 lb. thumper of a 2024 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="242494" first="Dylan" last="Gross"]. Along with his prowess as a hitter, Gross has noticeable closing and pursuit speed for a big-bodied rising junior, and with last recruiting cycle being a lighter one for Midwest LBs, I think he’s got the possibility to get high on ’24 LB boards prior to his junior season starting. Additionally, Brainerd just recently put out a very athletic LB prospect in Nathaniel Staehling, who tested very well for his size going into his senior season, so I think their weight program backs up the athleticism shown on tape, at least for LBs. That first offer is coming, and it’s going to be a good one. [player_tooltip player_id="105391" first="Will" last="Sather"] (Eden Prairie) iOL. 6’1.5, 265 lbs. Class of 2024 In what may be a talented crop of ’24 offensive lineman, there isn’t a OL prospect with the athletic background and pedigree of Eden Prairie’s iOL [player_tooltip player_id="105391" first="Will" last="Sather"], who is coming off a 3A state heavyweight wrestling championship last March and is a Top-10 nationally ranked heavyweight in his class for the entire United States. Now, it’s easy to say he’s going to wrestle in college, and although that may be true, you would be a fool to deny that wrestling - especially among lineman- is an absolute awesome way to sharpen your skills on the gridiron and the tools you learn from wrestling translate directly and impactfully to the trenches on the gridiron. Sather came in at 6’1.75 at the Gophers camp on Sunday, and although he may have some freestyle and/or Greco wrestling to do this summer and things may not be 100% football his pad level, hand fighting skills, understanding of leverage, and toughness would no doubt shine at a mega-camp or any other derivative. He also has maxed out at two reps at 315 on the bench press, so the verified numbers definitely help his case. Just something to be aware of, in my opinion. [player_tooltip player_id="224134" first="Nick" last="Kinsey"] QB. 6’2, 180 lbs. Class of 2026 In today’s day and age, middle schoolers are being offered at a never-before-seen rate, and I was pumped to see a Minnesotan get in on the mix. Kinsey became the first 2026er in the state to earn a D1 offer as FBS UConn pulled the trigger in May. It’s still early, so I don’t want to get too much into evaluations, but the physical tools and arm talent must have been there for the Huskies staff. Let’s see what’s next! --