Nate's Big Dogs of the Game: Maple Grove Crimson

MAPLE GROVE-- As most of our Prep Redzone Minnesota subscribers know by now, that Sunday is my favorite day to grind the tape from what I saw on Friday night and accumulate my notes for my Big Dogs of the Game for each team, in which I always start with the team that was victorious in the winning column. Maple Grove certainly has a ton of Big Dogs that were named from Friday night, and the number of prospects the Crimson has that will be playing on Saturdays is highly significant. Of course, these Crimson players are chasing to get back to US Bank Stadium as currently the #1 ranked team in 6A, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this is probably the first time in several years of scouting for PRZ that I have scouted that has prospects that have already committed to play at the next level, or all will be playing at the next level as we look into 2023 in my eyes. The term "loaded" is an understatement for the Crimson as far as college prospects go, as we hand out my Big Dogs of the Game from their 30-0 rout of St. Michael-Albertville.   Connor Fournier, Kicker, Maple Grove (2023)   <ul><li>Connor showed off a bulk of clutch traits on Friday night, contributing to almost 1/3 of the Crimson's scoring on Friday night, with 9 of their 30 points coming from the kicking game.</li><li>None of his kicks were extremely long, but Connor fielded some great hangtime on his kicks and plenty of extra distance in his leg to give him some wiggle room with the wind direction and wind speed we had under the Friday night lights at St. Michael-Albertville.</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='112141' first='Jordan' last='Olagbaju'], RB, Maple Grove (2023)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/10/Jordan-O-rotated-crop-480x316-1665941419.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-479092" width="322" height="211"/></figure>   <ul><li>It was not necessarily the yards Jordan had on Friday night that caught my eye; it was the blue-collar team first work ethic he brought to the table against the Knights that paid dividends for the Crimson offense being so electric against STMA.</li><li>On his inside runs, he was able to show off some strong durability in his 5'11 205 pound running back frame to use his lower body to extend for a few extra yards off of contact on multiple reps I got to watch from Jordan.</li><li>He had by far the block of the game directly in front of me, where he got early out in front of QB [player_tooltip player_id='112054' first='Jacob' last='Kilzer'] and, with his grown momentum, pad-level, and driving feet showed off what a terrific blocker he is in the backfield, and one that will utilize his athletic skillsets to block until that whistle blows which should resonate to gauge for interest with college coaches throughout the Midwest. He took a game day visit to St. Thomas on Saturday, which I think would be a good fit for Jordan's football talents in the upcoming future.</li><li>There are no offers for Jordan as of yet, but I see him gauging much more interest as we get deeper into the fall and the offseason. He has a good burst in the open field and has that explosion that pops out once he uses his vision at the second level, which sells well for his game to play on Saturdays.</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='323780' first='Tanner' last='Albeck'], ATH, Maple Grove (2023)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/85-Tanner-Albeck-1024x784.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-330710" width="293" height="224"/></figure>   <ul><li>Tanner's versatility has stuck out to me for a while now, but it came yet again full throttle on Friday night on both sides of the ball.</li><li>He shows some elusive footwork as a designed fullback at 6'0, 200 pound, and also runs with a chip on his shoulder and from a blocking perspective.</li><li>Although he lines up as an athlete, the linebacker spot is the best-fitted position for Tanner when we look at the next level. His elevated physicality he showed on Friday night, and from his Week 1-5 tape shows a ton of versatility, and I like his vision from the linebacker spot, as his football IQ pops out well with his positioning on where he believes the play is going to go.</li><li>He also has some solid skillsets when you see him on short routes in pass coverage which have paid good dividends for the Crimson in their 7-0 season thus far. I have to say, with everything I saw this summer from this summer on the 7v7 circuit; I am surprised he doesn't have an offer yet as he's certainly a next-level prospect in my eyes with all the skillsets he can bring to the table from all sides of the ball.</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='310762' first='Jacob' last='Anderson'], DB/WR, Maple Grove (2023)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/106-Jacob-Anderson-crop-2978x1956-1665942249.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-479104" width="305" height="200"/></figure>   <ul><li>One of the big things I love about this Maple Grove Crimson team is just how much versatility they preach for their players to have, as [player_tooltip player_id='310762' first='Jacob' last='Anderson'] was another versatile weapon Maple Grove had on Friday night on both sides of the ball.</li><li>Jacob's skillsets from the wide receiver position have a strong presence on intermediate routes. His ability to use his vision with his smooth cutting paves a steady path as a next-level prospect. </li><li>Jacob also shows a quick trigger as a deep safety as multiple times on Friday night, he positioned himself deeply but used that fleeting speed and footwork to become a natural tackler clinching in from the third level deep into the second level to go make a play with a consistent contact base he showed off.</li><li>Jacob has two NSIC offers thus far from SMSU and Bemidji State, and I expect more NSIC attention coming his way in the next month or less for sure, as his versatility will become an asset at the next level</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='300072' first='Cayden' last='Vokal'], LB, Maple Grove (2023)   <ul><li>Cayden was a tackling machine last Friday night at STMA, logging nearly ten tackles to his resume and showing that knockback tackling ability in his 6'0 190 pound frame.</li><li>He shows off some good flip in his hips with his change of direction, as his crossover run ability at the linebacker position shows off some smooth movement when he gets to the ball, which he has gotten to the ball a lot faster and has become more dynamic in his senior season.</li><li>I would love to see Cayden put up more tape from his senior season, as I believe his senior season has been trending upwards, and if he wants to get more opportunities to play on Saturdays, he'll need to get more tape out there for the college coaches to see that growing progression.</li><li>I see Cayden as a solid Division III prospect, as he's gauged a handful of interest from the UMAC amongst other Division III conferences throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Another Crimson prospect on this list of Big Dogs of the Game from Friday doesn't have an offer yet but is trending upwards to get more attention deeper in the season.</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='112054' first='Jacob' last='Kilzer'], QB, Maple Grove (2023)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/10/Kilzer-rotated-crop-480x316-1665941313.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-479090" width="320" height="210"/></figure>   <ul><li>The Preseason All-Metro first-teamer in [player_tooltip player_id='112054' first='Jacob' last='Kilzer'] sure as heck looked like it on Friday night against STMA, as he showed such an elusive presence running the football out of the gun with ease.</li><li>Jacob shows a fearless demeanor, and his ability to extend the play with his legs which have 4.5 speed, might I add (seen it in person), give him the edgy versatility I want in a Division I level quarterback at the next level.</li><li>I have evaluated Jacob a handful of times now, and his development just keeps getting better as far as his feel for the quarterback position and his sneaky running ability inside some tight windows with his durable frame to take the heat with durability just adds to his game, as he also has some of the best spins I have seen amongst Minnesota prospects on his ball with his throwing ability.</li><li>I cannot lie; I thought Jacob reminded me a lot of Johnny Manziel from his Texas A&M days on Friday night, as his slippery ability to run between the tackles and then use that speed to the outside to finish his runs showed off that Division I dual-threat much more Division I schools should be looking at as [player_tooltip player_id='112054' first='Jacob' last='Kilzer'] is severely under-recruited at the FCS and FBS levels for being our QB1 in our 2023 Prep Redzone Minnesota rankings.</li></ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='112139' first='Jackson' last='Powers'], DB, Maple Grove (2023)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/10/JAckson-Powers-rotated-crop-480x316-1665941277.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-479089" width="338" height="222"/></figure>   <ul><li>Jackson has shown me time and time against that he is one of the best man cornerbacks in Minnesota, and he showed that yet again on Friday night against the STMA Knights, where he logged two interceptions and nearly had a third, along with five tackles to his resume.</li><li>I said it on Friday night, I have seen Jackson's ball-tracking ability grow a TON since I even got to watch him last summer as he shows fluid contention with the wide receiver he goes up against with consistent vision to the ball and a very high football IQ that PJ Fleck and Minnesota should have to love to get on campus as a preferred walk-on in 2023.</li><li>He has also grown in his flying speed ability to the ball from a speed perspective when you watch his recent tape from midseason.</li><li>Over the summer, Jackson was one of the only defensive backs that held his own against one of the best WRs in the country in a long day of scouting defensive back prospects that went up against Malachi Coleman out of Lincoln, NE which just shows just how much competitive balance Jackson has seen develop in his game over the last several months.</li><li>I would not be surprised once Jackson gets on campus in Dinkytown if he earns an offer from the Gophers earlier than expected for PWOs, as this young man is has a workhorse of a work ethic and has excellent skills as a team leader and just has A+ character across the board.</li></ul>   More Notable Big Dogs from Maple Grove:   Henry Stang, DB, Maple Grove (2024)   [player_tooltip player_id='348666' first='Max' last='Anderson'], LB, Maple Grove (2023)

MAPLE GROVE-- As most of our Prep Redzone Minnesota subscribers know by now, that Sunday is my favorite day to grind the tape from what I saw on Friday night and accumulate my notes for my Big Dogs of the Game for each team, in which I always start with the team that was victorious in the winning column. Maple Grove certainly has a ton of Big Dogs that were named from Friday night, and the number of prospects the Crimson has that will be playing on Saturdays is highly significant. Of course, these Crimson players are chasing to get back to US Bank Stadium as currently the #1 ranked team in 6A, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this is probably the first time in several years of scouting for PRZ that I have scouted that has prospects that have already committed to play at the next level, or all will be playing at the next level as we look into 2023 in my eyes. The term "loaded" is an understatement for the Crimson as far as college prospects go, as we hand out my Big Dogs of the Game from their 30-0 rout of St. Michael-Albertville.