Preseason Film Review: 14 Must-Know Outstate Studs

Happy Friday, everyone! With the anticipation of Friday Night Lights on the forefront of everyone's minds, I wanted to take the time to fit in an article capitalizing on the amount of film I watched for the Preseason All-State series and that had some shelf life through the weekend and hopefully stand as something people will still want to read once their game is done tonight. Additionally, PrepRedzoneMN is always here to bring exposure and attention to under-the-radar prospects of Minnesota's gridirons. A lot of the time that means we can venture to the Outstate ranks, and I'm excited to bring to our lovely subscribers 12 smaller schools, Outstate studs that I think our going to ball out in 2022. It's a mix of 2023s, and 2024s, and contains standouts from all over the gridiron from Faribault, up to Hawley, over to Duluth, and everywhere in between! Get to know these ballers below and thanks for reading.   14 Must-Know, Outstate Preseason All-State Standouts   [player_tooltip player_id='348767' first='Francis' last='O'Malley'] (Montevideo) RB. 6', 235 lbs. 2024. @francisomalley6   Lord have mercy am I excited to talk about this kid and this will not be the last time you hear about Mr. O'Malley from PrepRedzoneMN. The Class AAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and First Team RB sits at a rock solid 235 pounds he's gotta be the least fun RB in the state to tackle and has more truck sticks in his sophomore highlights than most RBs have in their entire careers. Don't get it twisted either, he can scoot, and reports a 4.7 40 that I could possibly see on film given some of the breakaways and angles he burned in his sophomore tape. I'm very excited to see how he builds on that sophomore tape I've hinted at a few times, as I hope he can convert more of his punishing 15-20 yard runs into homeruns. Take a look at his highlights if you haven't had a chance already: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13235707/61b8dc415b3ca9047849c913">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13235707/61b8dc415b3ca9047849c913</a>   Austan Orvedahl (Duluth East) RB. 5'11, 205 lbs. 2023. @AustanOrvedahl   A First Team 5A Preseason All-State RB, Orvedahl was named his conference player of the year in 2021 and earned All-Conference and All-Section honors for his efforts, and boy oh boy does his tape pop. In his junior campaign that saw him rush for 1,630 yards, 240 receiving yards, and 199 return yards as well as 24 TDs, he is powerful and strategic in his cuts and has excellent contact balance that helps him shed tackle attempts with scary ease. You can see some obvious hesitancy in the defenses trying to corral him on film last season and in most of his highlights he just looks like he's on another level than all the other players on the field. He's earned a hometown offer from UMD and visited the U of M, South Dakota State, and Minnesota State University-Moorhead this past spring. He's going to put up some gaudy numbers up in 2022 up near the North Shore.   [player_tooltip player_id='313165' first='Adam' last='Johnstone'] (North Branch) TE/DE. 6'4, 235 lbs. 2023. @AdamGJohnstone   The only Class 4A Preseason First Team All-State TE, the well-built Viking TE visited MSU-Mankato in April and UW-Platteville in June but generally enters his senior season quiet on the recruiting front and ready to make some noise as a blocker, pass catcher, and defensive end. I really like how he can run at his size and watching him pursue ball carriers out to the edge, as well as get his hand on the ball and into the turf, is fun & impressive to watch, and offensively he is nasty and determined at the point of attack as a blocker and a productive and sneaky pass catcher in the red zone specifically. With that versatility at his size, he's got the makings of a standout college player in a year and change. Coaches: get to know him now!   [player_tooltip player_id='348808' first='Jackson' last='Stewart'] (Delano) TE/DE. 6'5, 235 lbs. 2023. @jacksonstew35   The Second Team pick for 4A's Preseason All-State TE group, 6'5, 235 pound Stewart is also a distinguished student-athlete who holds a 3.66 GPA and 31 ACT but holds zero reported college offers or recruiting interest. The two-way TE and DE is long, and offensively can line up at multiple receiver spots and run routes out on the perimeter and in the middle of the field and be counted on as sure-handed and more than just a situational weapon. His concentration and toughness help him make catches through contact and with bodies bearing down on him. As a DE he's got a good get-off and the motor and speed to run down ball carriers behind the LOS and out on the edge, and Stewart also possesses a great frame capable of filling in really nicely in a college S&C program. College coaches should be all over this dude in no time.   [player_tooltip player_id='306620' first='Zach' last='Bentler'] (Two Harbors) DE/LB/TE. 6'4, 230 lbs. 2024. @BentlerZach   The Class AAA First Team TE and LB are already somewhat known in the more hardcore MN recruiting circles as a potential Golden Gopher target, but I wanted to once again remind our readers of the massive and hard-hitting 6'4, 230-pounder from the Duluth area. He's earned game-day invites from Nebraska, Iowa State, Minnesota, NDSU, North Dakota, and Miami (OH) since the dead period was lifted on September 1st and for good reason, as his sophomore tape shows off a thunderous hitter who lined up all around the LOS defensively and asserted himself as a QB nightmare who sent signal-callers flying after Bentler quickly closed on them. His heavy hands lend themselves well to his dominance as a run blocker from a FB or TE spot, and he's also got big play capability in the passing game when his number is called. On a smaller scale, he's a very tough blocking assignment and his physicality can help him shed multiple blocking attempts in one play. He's a defensive recruit all the way in my mind and I'm interested to see how things continue to develop. His 2021 stats included 39 tackles, 16 TFLs, 2 fumbles, and 1.5 sacks.   Koi Perich (Esko) ATH. 6'2, 180 lbs. 2024. @koiperich3   If you read my PrepRedzoneMN feature from yesterday predicting the 2022 state champions from 9man to 6A, you'll remember my 4A pick came out of the Duluth area and the Esko Eskimos. Highlighted by depth and playmaking ability, the team is led by the next two studs, beginning with junior, do-it-all projected safety Koi Perich. After the dead period was lifted on the first, he heard from NDSU, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa State, and Miami (OH), backing up the flashes and skills I see on film in his sophomore tape. He's got burst, slipperiness, strength when running through tackles, and top-end speed to finish big plays. He's also explosive out of his stance and through contact as a defender and laid some big hits last season, and is a smooth operator around the LOS who can slide into zones and passing lanes to pick off passes and finish tackles behind the line. I see a lot of Robbie Grimsley - a former Mr. Football winner and standout NDSU safety - and I'm psyched to begin devouring his junior tape. All of the makings for a potential star safety are in play, including his multi-sport accolades like his 27-a-game average on the hardcourt and a 1st place finish in Class A's Long Jump last spring. He's also clocked a 10.4 broad jump and multiple 4.5 40s throughout the camp season. Get at this kid!   [player_tooltip player_id='300355' first='Javontae' last='Gregory'] (Esko) DB. 6', 180 lbs. 2023. @JavontaeG4   Before I introduce the second Esko standout who I think our subscribers need to be aware of, it's important to remember that the Eskimos produced a heckuva DB turned college LB in Jaxson Turner, an athletic and talented prep DB who earned just about every award possible as a prep back in the early 2010s. They now have another DB with scholarship potential if the in-person game matches with what I see on film, and that man is the 6', 180-pound [player_tooltip player_id='300355' first='Javontae' last='Gregory']. A senior who is receiving NSIC attention but no offers to date, Gregory is a good-sized CB with a smooth backpedal and a ton of physicality for the position. He can wreck lead blocks, cut tackle RBs into the air, and is more than willing to press WRs at the LOS and press them deep past the sideline and into their bench. I really like watching him tackle, and although I think he's a safety or possibly LB at the next level I think he's going to be an impactful prep DB as a senior on this hopeful 4A state title run.   [player_tooltip player_id='348652' first='Dylan' last='Klancher'] (Crosby-Ironton) LB/TE. 6'3, 230 lbs. 2023. @DylanK2005 Committed to UMD   Crosby-Ironton has had some defensive DOGS the past few years, and DII University of Minnesota-Duluth wasted no time in locking down the commitment of one of my favorite seniors I watched in the entire Preseason All-State film series. At a hulking 6'3, 230, [player_tooltip player_id='348652' first='Dylan' last='Klancher'] crumpled a ball carrier so hard in the opening play of his junior highlights that I thought he killed him, and the massive LB moves great for his size and moonlights as a Mack Truck of a QB/RB/FB/TE for the Rangers offense. D-side is where he makes his money though, and as a testament to that statement he has a play nearly a minute into his tape where he eliminates three blocking attempts as a OLB/DE and completes a strong TFL with a TE and OT still holding on for dear life. Klancher is a bowling ball on wood pins as a two-way player and I would not want to be on the receiving end of one of his hits. Keep an eye out for the thumper out of Crosby-Ironton this fall!   Derek Tibbetts (Hawley) LB/RB. 6'2, 210 lbs. 2023. @Derek_Tibbetts   The Nuggets senior comes into his last year of high school football with a DII, DIII, and NAIA offer as Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Concordia-Moorhead, and the University of Jamestown have all reached out to the 6'2, 210 lb. classic Northern MN product who was named Second Team Preseason All-State at LB for Class AA. A long RB and LB with good vision as a ball carrier who covers a solid amount of ground with each step, Tibbetts eats contact well and has a mean stiff arm when running the rock. Defensively, he reads his keys and tracks the football well with those long steps. I have a feeling his best football is in front of him, and as a fan of XL RBs it makes sense why Tibbetts made this list. Don't sleep on the Nuggets!   Charlie King (Bethlehem Academy) TE. 6'6, 225 lbs. 2023.   A classic MN TE prospect who is a big-bodied and accomplished hooper on the basketball court, Bethlehem Academy's Charlie King is a massive 6'6, 225-pound pass catcher with excellent ball skills and a knack for winning 50/50 contested catches through contact and with DBs draped all over him. He was in hot consideration for Class A offensive POY this season and earned a First Team Preseason All-State pick as a TE, and can play as an inline TE or flex out and do damage on out-breaking routes on all three levels of the field. King translates his playmaking ability to the defensive side of the ball as well, where he picked off passes and laid the wood in the run game. Athletic TEs are always at a premium in the recruiting world and year after year the state of Minnesota has incredibly underrated prospects at that position that you don't find very often. I think King is one of - if not thee - 2022 version of this tradition. He doesn't have a Twitter that I can find so I don't know what is going on with his recruitment in either sport.   [player_tooltip player_id='438724' first='Hunter' last='Kallstrom'] (Kerkhoven-Murdock Sunburg) FB/LB. 6'4, 205 lbs. 2024. @kallstromhunter   A First Team Class A Preseason All-State selection at fullback, Kallstrom has one of the higher ceilings of anyone on this list and is off to a hot start in his 2022 junior season as he posted 4 TDs, 2 sacks, and 2 TFls last Friday against BBE! Interestingly, he didn't report any college contact since September 1st, but that will surely change soon as his sophomore tape from last year shows a great-sized 6'4, frame with a ton of room to fill in and a menace after the catch after his HB spot. He's lacking in a condensed sophomore tape but was dynamic, athletic, and showed a knack for the big play in his game tape from 2021. Could be a big-time dark horse in the recruiting ranks out of Class A. Now you know!   [player_tooltip player_id='368526' first='Noah' last='Behning'] (Lester Prairie) LB. 6'3, 225 lbs. 2024. @NoahBehning   This isn't my first time mentioning the younger Behning brother out of Lester Prairie, who weighs in at an intimidating 6'3, 225 pound linebacker and was an easy choice for Preseason First Team All-State at the position. With a 225 lb. power clean easily hit in June, his explosiveness is evident in his game film as well, yet somehow he didn't report any college interest since September 1st has come and gone. One of the reasons I'm big on the junior has already been mentioned, and that is his older brother. An XL wide receiver who signed with UM-Morris last year and moved very well at a legit 6'4, 195+, younger brother Noah embodies a lot of those same characteristics and got a ton of penetration against opposing offenses last season as a LB and sometimes DL. He can cover a good amount of ground when uninhibited and is also smooth at executing stunts and getting around the arch when rushing an OT. I'll be keeping a very close eye on Behning throughout 2022 and beyond.   [player_tooltip player_id='313151' first='Landen' last='Merseth'] (Minnesota Valley Lutheran) LB. 6'2, 205 lbs. 2023.   Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School enrolls a little over 200 students in New Ulm and competes at the Class AA level, and in 2022 they have a loaded defensive crew headed by two fantastic small school prep LBs in [player_tooltip player_id='313151' first='Landen' last='Merseth'] and Malachi B Kohls. The former, who we'll be talking about right now, tallied a very impressive 127 tackles, 37 TFLs (!!), and 4 sacks in 2021 for some eye-popping numbers and a ton of action behind the LOS. He identifies, locates, and destroys the football quickly, seeks out and enjoys contact, and is big and strong enough to easily blow through weaker block attempts. You'll be seeing his name near the top of the tackle leaderboards in 2022. Also, I don't think he has a Twitter and thus, I don't know where he's at with recruiting.   [player_tooltip player_id='313150' first='Malachi' last='Kohls'] (Minnesota Valley Lutheran) LB. 6'3, 230 lbs. 2023. @kohls_malachi   Eye-catching size for a prep LB and started his season off well in Week 1 as he posted 11 tackles, 3 TFLs, an INT, and a FR against Dawson-Boyd last Friday. With a good first step and the ability to find space when blitzing and penetrating the backfield, he can move and maintain solid body position for a kid of his size and was dominant defensively as well as when he'd clock in as an OT. He'll be one of the best and biggest run stuffers in Class AA this season. No reported interest or offers at this time either!

Happy Friday, everyone! With the anticipation of Friday Night Lights on the forefront of everyone's minds, I wanted to take the time to fit in an article capitalizing on the amount of film I watched for the Preseason All-State series and that had some shelf life through the weekend and hopefully stand as something people will still want to read once their game is done tonight. Additionally, PrepRedzoneMN is always here to bring exposure and attention to under-the-radar prospects of Minnesota's gridirons. A lot of the time that means we can venture to the Outstate ranks, and I'm excited to bring to our lovely subscribers 12 smaller schools, Outstate studs that I think our going to ball out in 2022. It's a mix of 2023s, and 2024s, and contains standouts from all over the gridiron from Faribault, up to Hawley, over to Duluth, and everywhere in between! Get to know these ballers below and thanks for reading.