Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: Hog Molly Standouts

ABERDEEN, SD-- We stay on the offensive side of the ball and head into the trenches to evaluate the best of the best of the Hog Mollies at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. I had a conversation with someone the other day about how much in our time with Prep Redzone in the Dakotas on how underrated the offensive line talent in the Dakotas is. That is the truth, but I got great news: this Class of 2024 and 2025 talent we had at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase might be the best crop I have seen in either of our two Dakotas Showcases we have had and that paints a pretty future for North Dakota and South Dakota in the trenches in my eyes as I know there is more O-Line talent out there that we are just waiting to see show out. Let's look at the "nasty nine" in the offensive trenches from Aberdeen!   [player_tooltip player_id='447258' first='Coy' last='Okeson'], OL, Minot Bishop Ryan (ND) 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Coy-Okeson-crop-4480x2942-1670304582.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-536038" width="382" height="251" /></figure>   It was a joy to watch our Offensive Line MVP [player_tooltip player_id='447258' first='Coy' last='Okeson'] in person at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in Aberdeen. He showed exceptional pad level with the reps I watched, and his leverage go to work heavily, even against similar framed offensive linemen prospects. I don't put too much weight in testing numbers when evaluating offensive linemen, but watching Coy stride with his change of direction in the shuttle with a 4.81 shows how vicious this young man is as a pull blocker when he gets off the line to wreak havoc on the other side of the offensive line. Coy showed some smooth footwork and a fluid finishing ability in Aberdeen. He has so much strength in his punch, even when he fires away quickly off just barely out of his stance. Coy got a recent Nebraska offer from the former Huskers staff, and I am sure Matt Rhule and the current Huskers staff will be re-offering him ASAP. However, you can bet that won't be his only option in the Big Te,n as Coy has Power 5 football written all over him and will be a menace to watch in the Big Ten. I am excited to see his recruiting trail heat up in the coming months, as I would expect high-level FCS and Power 5 schools to flock to the city of Minot to get this young man.   [player_tooltip player_id='351556' first='Hudson' last='Arbach'], OL, Sioux Falls Washington (SD) 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Hudson-Arbach-crop-4480x2942-1670313099.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-536246" width="398" height="261" /></figure>   Getting to watch Hudson for the first time in person on Sunday, I would happily say that my fellow Prep Redzone Dakotas scout Jake Evans and I were shocked with the skill level this young man plays at for his age, as he is just wrapping up his sophomore year. Another hog molly on this list that has a growing foot drive based on what we watched in 1v1 drills on Sunday at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. He does an excellent job with his finishing ability and has that fire with his strength to seal off the defender quite early in his reps. Rolling his tape, you say the early shades of what he can do as a pull-blocker as that crisp pad-level smacks right on cue versus his defender, and there still is some development to be seen with this young man for TWO more years with the Sioux Falls Washington Warriors. by our spring Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, I would certainly believe this young man would be on my 1st Team All-Camp team for offensive linemen. It might be early; however, I believe Hudson has a Division I ceiling based on what I saw on Sunday, and growing his agility with his footwork will only continue to improve going into his junior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='472843' first='Israel' last='Ouverson'], OL, Madison (SD) 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Israel-Ouverson-crop-4480x2942-1670308726.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-536169" width="404" height="265" /></figure>   When I keep grazing my notes, I am blown away by the amount of talent amongst the Hog Mollies at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in Aberdeen, and here we turn to another stellar OL prospect with a bulk of upside brewing in Madison's [player_tooltip player_id='472843' first='Israel' last='Ouverson']. This list of hog mollies has a lot of sizeable young men that can finish, but I was attached to what I saw in-person versus tape, as Israel owns his finish to the core and angles to his defender like a bully on the playground. With his 500-pound squat, Israel gates significant leverage with his lower body to drive block into the second level. He's got some development to grow on with the backpedal of his footwork, however similar to Hudson above, he has the grace of having two more years to continue to take his game to the next level, and based on what I have watched the Madison Bulldogs do with their offensive line over the last few years, I will be tracking this young man a bunch over the coming years to watch his progressions. Another 2025 OL prospect I can easily say, will be playing scholarship-level football on Saturdays in the near future.   [player_tooltip player_id='397692' first='Jack' last='Tews'], OL, Brandon Valley (SD) 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Jack-Tews-crop-4480x2942-1670312724.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-536244" width="413" height="271" /></figure>   I said it on Sunday, but there is no doubt that Brandon Valley will bring back in their 2024 class the best offensive line unit in South Dakota, which includes Brandon Valley's, [player_tooltip player_id='397692' first='Jack' last='Tews']. Jack showed off the strength of a boulder on Sunday at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in Aberdeen as his 6'4 295 pound frame showed off some good technique in the trenches. A development for Jack to grow on in the coming seasons would be growing his hand placement and speed and depending less on his overall strength to get his leverage. Jack is a prospect I would grade as an ideal fit for the NSIC; as heavily as the Brandon Valley Lynx get recruited out of there, I would expect MN and Dakotas schools to strongly evaluate the first few weeks of his senior tape to get a bigger grasp of what he brings to the table on Saturdays.   [player_tooltip player_id='210636' first='Connor' last='Harrison'], OL, Lead-Deadwood (SD) 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/94-Connor-Harrison-crop-3361x2207-1670550782.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-541016" width="420" height="276" /></figure>   Connor was a West River OL prospect on my radar, but his coming to the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase showed off some skillsets I needed to see in person. What impressed me most about Connor was the athletic ability he used by showing off his long reach to attain a significant grip on his defender, going up in individual coaching drills. He showed to be a lot longer and has grown up his strength a ton since I first evaluated him well before the 2022 season was in play. Connor is on my 2025 Watch List and will certainly be a ranked prospect in our next update coming later in December. His sophomore tape shows off great versatility on both sides of the line. There is some longevity in Connor's vision on both sides of the ball; however, I feel the development has some upside to grow offensively over the next few years for the Golddiggers. We should see Connor playing on Saturdays.   [player_tooltip player_id='447235' first='Easton' last='Poppe'], OL, Brandon Valley (SD) 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Easton-Poppe-crop-4480x2942-1670312546.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-536242" width="413" height="271" /></figure>   Another mauler from Brandon Valley that was First-Team All Camp Team earlier this week was the presence of [player_tooltip player_id='447235' first='Easton' last='Poppe']. He shows great athleticism with his stance and had one of the top two firings out of his stance in the offensive line group, from my eyes, and guess what? It can only get better with more reps this offseason. Get this young man to the second level on tape and watch his downhill presence go to work like the hard stomping of a bug you don't want in your house. The physicality of his hands was something I was watching in Aberdeen, and I felt he passed the eye test to the core of it. I would have to go back to my notes from 2020-2021 on this, but Brandon Valley should have TWO hog mollies playing Division I football in their 2024 class which I can't wait to see that play out over the next several months.   [player_tooltip player_id='477589' first='Hudson' last='Hodous'], OL, Devils Lake (ND) 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Hudson-Hobach-crop-4480x2942-1670550883.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-541017" width="413" height="271" /></figure>   I was intrigued watching Hudson this weekend with his work ethic on all his reps. This young man had a primary focus on getting better in Aberdeen, and by the end of the showcase, based on what I got to watch from him, he did just that, as we placed him on our 3rd Team for All-Camp Team as this young man seems like an OL prospect that has his football IQ developed well. From a technique perspective, Hudson excels with his run-blocking and can add more strength to his angle-blocking ability in pass pro. Hudson shows versatility on the offensive line as you will see him in multiple spots for the Firebirds when the tape gets rolled up. Personally, I believe his best position is at center as the anchor of the O-Line, as that built-up football IQ I mentioned paints a great picture for his football future, and he has those pent-up quick instincts in his physicality to ensure his running backs up the A-Gap with success. Hudson is a 2024 prospect; I expect to grow as a stockriser over the next few rankings updates.   [player_tooltip player_id='351548' first='Carson' last='Hughes'], OL, Sioux Falls Jefferson (SD) 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/carson-hughes.jpg?w=675" alt="" class="wp-image-541018" width="306" height="306" /></figure>   He might have been undersized; however, that didn't stop [player_tooltip player_id='351548' first='Carson' last='Hughes'] from showing off his well-noted athleticism with his excellent footwork and downhill mobility going up against the cream of the crop at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. Carson was a durable competitor in Aberdeen and excelled with a feisty motor being one of his top skill sets from our Dakotas Showcase. Carson is another OL prospect that excels with his pad level and contact in the A-Gap and has the pull-blocking speed to cause trouble for defensive linemen in the B-gap as well. I also was intrigued by Carson's balance on Sunday as he showed off a level with his lower body that was easily controlled. You don't start as a freshman at the 11AAA level in South Dakota without those skillsets I mentioned, and Carson is on a similar path to playing at the next level as his brother was two years ago. Bright future for this young from Jefferson Cavaliers as look for him to be one of their leaders up front in 2023.   [player_tooltip player_id='447254' first='Brock' last='Jungels'], OL, Carrington (ND) 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/4-Brock-Jungels-crop-3829x2514-1670551093.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-541021" width="430" height="282" /></figure>   Brock was another offensive lineman on this list with sufficient athleticism that he showed off on his reps on Sunday at our Prep Redzone Dakotas. Brock was the smallest of the offensive linemen, but this kid didn't go without a fight against guys that were 50-100 pounds bigger. As a small school prospect, Brock carries his strength with a good pad in his hands and his ability to tap and proceed to the next man when you turn the tape on from his junior season. I love watching young men looking for more as they advance to the second level and Brock sure fits that narrative. There is some organic development Brock needs to work thru by improving his strength in the weight room this offseason. There is something to like about Brock's agility in the trenches, but adding that 15-20 pounds will only pay off dividends in this young man's future.

ABERDEEN, SD-- We stay on the offensive side of the ball and head into the trenches to evaluate the best of the best of the Hog Mollies at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. I had a conversation with someone the other day about how much in our time with Prep Redzone in the Dakotas on how underrated the offensive line talent in the Dakotas is. That is the truth, but I got great news: this Class of 2024 and 2025 talent we had at the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase might be the best crop I have seen in either of our two Dakotas Showcases we have had and that paints a pretty future for North Dakota and South Dakota in the trenches in my eyes as I know there is more O-Line talent out there that we are just waiting to see show out. Let's look at the "nasty nine" in the offensive trenches from Aberdeen!