PrepRedzoneMN Showcase: Nate's Defensive Standouts

MINNETONKA, MN-- We move to the defensive side of the ball at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase from a couple of weekends ago and take a look at some of the top defensive prospects that filled up my hefty notepad from the Tonka Dome in our second straight year in Minnetonka. I can easily say this list of seven prospects will either play scholarship-level football in the future or are working towards that goal even from the 2025 or 2026 Class. My list consists of two DLs, three linebackers, and two defensive backs that generated my attention from our Minnesota Showcase. Who are they? Let's say NW Minnesota, the NW Metro, and NE Wisconsin dominated our list.   Defensive Linemen:   [player_tooltip player_id='368528' first='Justin' last='Jacobson'], DL, Pelican Rapids (MN) 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/Justin_J67">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2K5UDw">Tape</a>   I was quite impressed watching Justin's fluidity in the trenches to get off his blocker and get home while showing superb vision getting there, along with the amount of burst he possessed at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. He also showed a longer reach than you would see with his measurables (6'1 250), and it makes a ton of sense when you draw thru his junior tape how much there is within his upper body. Justin does an excellent job on tape using his leverage and athleticism in some very tight windows in the trenches to find the ball carrier within his reach with a good physicality level. He also excels with his pad level as you seldom on tape see him get too high on the defender he's fighting against. It might be hard to see when you watch the tape, but his dexterity with his hand speed shows off some smooth yet developing traits when he enters into his senior year. In my eyes, Justin looks like a prospect that could play on either side of the line on Saturdays in the near future, as I am very intrigued with the talent of this 2024 class from NW Minnesota. He shows off a high motor as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='270655' first='Andrew' last='Baumgart'], DL, West De Pere (WI) 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/BaumgartAndrew/media">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Jt5TB">Tape</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/65-Andrew-Baumgart.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557402" width="378" height="252" /></figure>   I could not get enough of watching Andrew's highly elevated motor at work during our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase a couple of Sundays ago. His ability to quickly snap off with his speed, athleticism, and effective use of his feisty quick hands to get into the backfield with finesse was a blast to watch in person. Andrew also owned it on his balance and control, as he carried his physicality strongly but never lost sight of his vision with his goal in mind to terrorize thru into the backfield. What did I love about Andrew's tape? The motor prevails yet again, even up the field well beyond the trenches, as he chases a ball carrier down out of nowhere. You do not have to worry about this young man's contact level with college coaches, as Andrew shows an electric hip drive as a knockback tackler. I expect Andrew to have a massive summer on the prospect camp circuit across the Midwest, as there are a lot of skillsets to love about this young man. Would be a really solid FCS prospect in my eyes with all he brings to the table.   Linebackers:   [player_tooltip player_id='551335' first='Charlie' last='Zok'], LB, Detroit Lakes (MN) (2024) <a href="https://twitter.com/Czok47">Twitter </a>& <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JpmSf">Tape</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/191-Charlie-Zok.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557519" width="374" height="249" /></figure>   I got my first look at Charlie in person at the massive NDSU overnight camp this summer, and with as massive as the NDSU camp is, if you can find a way to stand out there, you are on the right track to playing college football in which he proved that theory again a couple of Sundays ago at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. Charlie showed off that aggressive pop out of his stance that sets a gravitating tone for the duration of his reps. His stance screams out next-level linebacker in my eyes, and his vision to get to the ball has some really strong football IQ traits in his DNA. He also is a pulverizer when he makes contact with the ball carrier, as his physicality looks like a body slam to the turf from a WWE wrestler. Charlie also does a great job with his balance, as even if he gets slightly drawn off the ball, he has such promising strength he'll knock back into the play super quick with his instinctive motor for where the football is. I do not know what kind of water these Detroit Lakes Lakers 2024 linebackers are drinking, but whatever it is, it makes me want some of it because they have one of my favorite linebacker trios in the state right now in [player_tooltip player_id='551335' first='Charlie' last='Zok'], [player_tooltip player_id='242442' first='Will' last='Martin'], and Minnesota commit [player_tooltip player_id='242433' first='Mason' last='Carrier'].   [player_tooltip player_id='551385' first='Luke' last='Burmis'], LB, Rogers (MN) (2026) <a href="https://twitter.com/burmis_luke">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/121-Luke-Burmis.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557453" width="372" height="248" /></figure>   Luke was a younger linebacker I was intrigued with at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase. First of all, despite his age, this young man has a well-developed frame for the linebacker position at 5'9 190 pounds, and I am sure he's going to have more growth coming his way over the next 3-4 years with the Rogers Royals. What else I liked in person about Luke was how he started his 1v1 reps with his flowing speed and burst once he hit the corner to get home into the backfield. He also showed well-developed footwork with his crossover running ability in the later drills, as he ran with fluidity and finish, and there is still a higher ceiling he can attain with this skillset over the offseason and the coming years. I wasn't able to track down Luke's tape from his freshmen year at Rogers, but I look forward to tracking this local prospect to me for the years to come, as I feel Luke is another prospect that has a higher game speed than you will see in his testing numbers thus far just based on my eye test.   [player_tooltip player_id='242442' first='Will' last='Martin'], LB, Detroit Lakes (MN) 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/Will_Martin44">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JyqJc">Tape</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/214-Will-Martin.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557537" width="375" height="250" /></figure>   I mentioned his name in the above evaluation as we have another trembling linebacker from Detroit Lakes to evaluate in [player_tooltip player_id='242442' first='Will' last='Martin']. I love the versatility this young man offers at the linebacker spot, as he shows off the athletic traits to be a bull rusher on the front lines or a linebacker that can cover in space with his pass coverage. He showed off a catchy pull-off with his change of direction at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase, and I believe there is plenty of technique to be grown with that versatility I mentioned that will raise this young man's ceiling even higher this offseason as we get closer to the fall. Will also brings elite vision anywhere he lines up, as he has one of the biggest motors of my defensive standouts on this list. He shows off as a nasty finisher as well on the offensive side of the ball and one that will drive that defender into the second level of the field with all of his 6'1 220 pounds worth of strength. I also loved on tape when Will gets double-teamed; he shows off that significant composure and keeps his hands and base level to bust thru the middle of two offensive linemen versus taking the easier route around the edges of them, which shows how outstanding this young man's work ethic really is. Will looks like a scholarship-level linebacker to me at the next level and could also become an EDGE rusher with the frame he already has and looks like you could even add more size to him in a college football weight room. With a very high 4.0 GPA, those high academic scholarship football programs should take watch too.   Defensive Backs:   [player_tooltip player_id='551299' first='Aaron' last='Briggs'], DB, Brooklyn Center (2025) <a href="https://twitter.com/aaron_briggs0">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JCxHC">Tape</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/102-Aaron-Briggs.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557435" width="385" height="256" /></figure>   Aaron was another younger DB that came to play at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase, especially when I watched him in our 1v1 reps. He showed off a plethora of skill sets, starting with catching my eyes with his solid technique with his ball-tracking ability, and was one of the more physical defensive backs I got to watch a couple of Sundays ago in the DB group. His tapes are still pretty raw without a sophomore reel up yet, but just watching the game tape on Aaron, you can see how twitchy he shows off to be when pulling off his defender to win the inside battle and make a play before the wide receiver can get there. He shows a good football IQ even when he plays super deep at cornerback; he can still pull up into the next level and ignite the first contact on the ball carrier with his quick trigger. I would expect a significant jump for Aaron this offseason with his DB play with his 7v7 play with Minnesota Elite 7v7, as he'll get a ton of reps to grow his game even stronger going into his junior season with the Centaurs.   [player_tooltip player_id='551450' first='Zack' last='Carr'], DB, Park of Cottage Grove (2026) <a href="https://twitter.com/zackcarr02">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/17750653/6361f7f264ea3413b0db3302">Tape</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/99-Zack-Carr.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-557432" width="400" height="266" /></figure>   I didn't catch Zack in the testing sessions; however, what he showed off in 1v1s was intriguing for a DB prospect that is just a freshman for the Wolfpack. He showed off locked-in vision within the reps I got to watch and took it up a notch with how much flexibility he had in his change of direction with his athletic movement on his reps. That vision instinct I saw shows some truth when you turn on his tape; as his first play he turned his head quickly on a swivel before the wide receiver knew it, went up, and used his fluid change of direction to get the interception for a pick-six. As a free safety, this kid might not be the biggest you will ever see, but the range he shows off in pass coverage is going to be delightful for me to continue to track over his next few seasons with the Wolfpack. He also has a long stretch in his frame than you would expect, as he has a ton more game speed that his testing numbers show off and plays a lot bigger than the measurables show. Zack is one to know in the 2026 class.

MINNETONKA, MN-- We move to the defensive side of the ball at the Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase from a couple of weekends ago and take a look at some of the top defensive prospects that filled up my hefty notepad from the Tonka Dome in our second straight year in Minnetonka. I can easily say this list of seven prospects will either play scholarship-level football in the future or are working towards that goal even from the 2025 or 2026 Class. My list consists of two DLs, three linebackers, and two defensive backs that generated my attention from our Minnesota Showcase. Who are they? Let's say NW Minnesota, the NW Metro, and NE Wisconsin dominated our list.