Prep RedzoneMN Showcase Gamechangers: The Gunslingers

MINNETONKA, MINN– This content series is sponsored by GameChanger– The Official Scorekeeping, Stats, Team Management & Technology Partner of Prep Redzone.

Anyone who understands and evaluates the game of football knows that the biggest game-changers come from the quarterback position, as they can make or break you offensively and control the tempo of any football game anywhere. Lucky enough for this group of Gunslingers from the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase, they came into our “make” category for their performances at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase as we took our scouting talents back to the Tonka Dome to see who rose to the occasion in Minnetonka. This list of QBs won’t be the only list I talk about, as I’ll have the rest of my standouts posting all week, but let’s get a good start on who was the best of the best gunslingers at the Tonka Dome!

Ky Kelvie Ky Kelvie 5'8" | 160 lbs | QB Buffalo | 2024 State MN , QB, Buffalo (MN) 2024

Holy cow, could this young man hit his marks on Sunday afternoon at the Tonka Dome. My colleague Hayden Lindquist and I were so locked on this young man’s ball placement as despite being one of the smaller quarterbacks from a measurable standpoint Ky was extremely efficient with his precision on his short and intermediate routes. Ky shows off a fluid, quick release that fires out swiftly regardless if he is making it from the run or in the pocket, as he has that superb athletic instinct built into his football IQ. He also points some firm touch with his deeper routes by catching his wide receiver in stride around the edges of the field with solid mechanics built into his throwing motion. Ky also has developed awareness when going up against a bigger defensive line, as that football IQ I mentioned takes him even further with his game tape, as I love his ability to adjust his arm to suit the best throw available he can make with what he’s given as you will not see this young man make costly mistakes regardless from the run or in the pocket. Small school college football future for Ky, in my eyes. Twitter & Tape

Brady Kittleson, QB, Blooming Prairie (MN) 2025

Brady showed off some impressive testing numbers in Minnetonka for his age and size, hitting his 40-yard dash at a 4.7, an impressive 9’5 broad jump, and a 7.21 in the L-Drill. Watching Brady on tape, these numbers fire off a lot of what we saw in Minnetonka, as he has elusive footwork for his age with his agility and has a powerful burst coming out of the gates in the backfield, and can make a lot of plays with his legs with some small windows to work with. Much like his brother Drew Kittleson a Mankato recruit, he shows off his upside with his throwing mechanics throwing from the run, and he is only just scratching the surface with those skillsets as just an incoming junior for the Awesome Blossoms as I thought what I saw in individual drills also show good growth from what I saw on his sophomore tape. His work ethic and finish he has for every yard with his durability is worth mentioning as well, as I cannot wait to see this young man blossom (no pun intended) his game over the coming years as he certainly looks like a prospect due to play on Saturdays already with his skillsets. Twitter & Tape

Austin Randall Austin Randall 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Waconia | 2024 State MN , QB, Waconia (MN) 2024

Watching Austin’s development has been a joy to watch over the last couple years. The poise this young man has grown inside the pocket is miles ahead from when I watched Austin almost two years ago, and his mechanics have certainly grown too. Austin doesn’t get enough credit for how elusive he is inside and outside of the pocket, as he ran a 4.5 shuttle at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase on Sunday. His throws, I caught individual drills and on tape with his intermediate routes, show off great composure and persistent ball placement; he has the strength to throw those deep routes with growing precision to allow his wide receiver to go get it every time that ball is thrown near the end zone. He also has grown with the grit I love evaluating with my quarterbacks by sticking the ball he throws in some tight windows between the linebacker and defensive backs with ease and composure. Austin is another prospect that should be playing on Saturdays in the near future. Twitter & Tape

Ryan Warford Ryan Warford 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Cretin-Derham Hall | 2023 MN , QB, Cretin Derham-Hall (MN) 2023

For a QB prospect that can be called a swiss-army knife within the Raider’s offense, I was quite impressed with how mechanically sound Ryan was at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase on Sunday. He displayed solid polish with his throwing mechanics, and it started for me in my evaluation of his with his touch throwing ability, especially on intermediate routes in which he showed poise in the pocket that has a ton of upside to grow with at the next level. The drop of his ball shows off-developed consistency regardless of the route he is throwing on. Ryan is also a pretty solid route runner from the senior tape I watched, and one that doesn’t have the big measurables; however, has a solid reach and length that goes beyond his size. Ryan was another prospect that strived at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase with his precision as the clips and what I saw in person passed my eye test to get more opportunities to play on Saturdays at the next level. Twitter & Tape

Merrick Woods Merrick Woods 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB Minnehaha Academy | 2024 MN , QB, SMB (MN) 2024

I love watching young men develop from their high school season to the offseason, and it was clear to me from what I saw on Sunday, SMB QB Merrick Woods Merrick Woods 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB Minnehaha Academy | 2024 MN has done that since I watched him midseason this 2022 football season. Since I have been watching Merrick since his freshmen year, I have enjoyed watching his balance and feel for the quarterback position grow steadily over the last few years as he’s created a more elusive throwing release over that time including what I saw on Sunday at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase and with his more developed vision on multiple reads. With some development with more consistent footwork on his intermediate and deep routes, Merrick is another prospect that should have e a college football future. Twitter & Tape

Cole Heilbrun Cole Heilbrun 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Wayzata | 2024 State MN , QB, Wayzata (MN) 2024

It took nearly no time for me to figure out who the best QB in the Tonka Dome was on Sunday afternoon: Wayzata quarterback Cole Heilbrun Cole Heilbrun 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Wayzata | 2024 State MN , our Prep Redzone Minnesota QB MVP. Every time Cole fired that ball in individual drills showing off that consistent pop he had with his arm strength with well-developed mechanics and finished off his throw with it crisp and right in the sweet spot of the quarterback he was throwing with. I’ll repeat it until the wheels fall off, consistency is key, and Cole brought that mindset and polished demeanor into 1v1s as I enjoyed not just watching his throwing mechanics at work, I also loved watching the attention to detail he showed off with his footwork as his feet were angled perfectly with where that ball was going just about every rep I got to watch in Minnetonka on Sunday. Cole shows off a fiery quick release and has that gamer poise I look for when evaluating quarterbacks for the next level, in which, might I add, I am quite surprised Cole doesn’t have an offer yet but is a QB I could see having a BIG summer on the college camp circuit throughout the Midwest. Twitter & Tape