Midwest Miners Tryout: Top Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SIOUX FALLS-- </strong>A couple of Sunday nights ago, we traveled back to Sioux Falls for our second tryout evaluation of the winter, teaming up with the <a href="https://twitter.com/midwest_miners">Midwest Miners</a> this time to watch all the prospects at their tryout, which had a significant amount of talent in attendance. I can easily say, with this list of the top standouts I watched at the tryout, that ALL of them will or should be playing college football in my eyes in the future, which is not something I say consistently with every group, but from the Division I FBS level to the small schools, this is a great list to pick from if you are recruiting South Dakota or Iowa. Let's take a look to see who balled out in Sioux Falls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["205260"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":621735,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Sam showed off not only a quick rhythm with his mechanics, but a ton of fluidity within his throwing ability as you can tell just how well-balanced he is with his throwing ability with the poise built into it.rnrnHe also really impressed me with his precision as every ball on intermediate routes, allowed his wide receivers to catch and burst out of it as he put it right on the sweet spot with his ball placement.rnrnSam has that fire-pop arm strength you want at the Division I level and shows that off on all three levels of the field within his throws.rnrnAnother skillset I wanted to watch was Sam's mobility, as scouting Sam's big brother Jacob (Minnesota QB) I was always impressed with Jacob's mobility. What did I learn from watching Sam? This young man has those elusive instincts I look for in a Division I level target outside of the pocket and of course with Sam just entering his junior season, plenty of growth left in the tank for this young man.rnrnTo not much surprise, I also loved Sam's character as it certainly looks like there will be another Knuth at quarterback for Harrisburg that will be playing Division I football Saturdays in the coming years.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":621739,"_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Payton Anderson","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"2410","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Baltic","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Payton was a prospect I had on my radar, that blossomed in my first live look at him at the wide receiver position a couple Sundays ago at the Midwest Miners tryout in Sioux Falls.rnrnHe showed some fluidity in his short bursts with his route-running and opened up his hips with a ton of fluidity.rnrnPayton also intrigued me with his vertical and balance as he had the balance and jump to high-top the football with that noticeable good balance to go with it.rnrnPayton seems like a WR/DB prospect that will gauge on college coaches radars at upcoming summer prospect camps, as at the moment he's very under the radar but in my eyes looks like a prospect from his size, hands, and athleticism that should be playing on Saturdays after his upcoming senior season in my eyes.rnrnu0026nbsp;","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["402519"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":621741,"_player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Karsten was one of the few SD prospects off our Prep Redzone Next National 2026 watchlist, and after watching him last year there has been some significant growth to his 8th grade year into his his freshmen season that I could certainly see at the Midwest Miners tryout.rnrnHe showed off a more developed length with his catch radius which had a lot of athletic traits built into it and had that u0022catch and pressu0022 mentality as a WR that I am sure will log plenty of yards after the catch in what is a loaded WR class for Brandon Valley in the 2026 class.rnrnKarsten also impressed me with his terrific hands he showed off as he made his fair share of catches with the smooth balance I look for in the WR position. He also showed off a 6'1 size that can add some muscle in the weight room this offseason to get into a bigger frame for his sophomore year to build more durability for the long haul. Another prospect I believe even though it's early that will play on Saturdays.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":621759,"_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Amanuel Schmaus","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2410","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Sioux Falls Jefferson","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"There was some good twitch and bursty speed coming from Sioux Falls Jefferson's Amanuel Schmaus at the Midwest Miners tryout and as Amanuel is a first look prospect now on my radar from the Cavaliers 2024 receiving core.rnrnI was really intrigued with this young mans hands despite not being the biggest kid out there, he made up for his size certainly from the reps I caught in Sioux Falls a couple of Sundays back.rnrnAmanuel showed what I thought was great vision and composure within his route running as it was clear the athletic skillsets this young man has could take him a long way when getting a chance at the next level.rnrnHis speed to me when watching his tape in the open field shines under the radar and will be a prospect that can hopefully make some noise at summer prospect camps this summer as this late bloomer in 2024 has a great shot of playing college football.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["402517"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":621775,"_player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Some of the route running I saw out of Dveyoun in Sioux Falls a couple Sundays ago,  would have shocked some Division I coaches if they were in the building for it as the plethora in this young man's football ceiling does NOT at all look like a WR prospect that just finished his freshmen year.rnrnDveyoun showed off an excellent mix of agility and next-level speed on every rep I got to watch on Sunday night and showed off a growing well-built frame that you can tell has a ton of durability within his skillsets to take the football the distance off significant contact.rnrnSome of the plays I got to watch from Dveyoun looked they were cut from a Madden video game with the IQ built up, as he made event the difficult high-traffic catches look way too easy and showed off that elite balance that I look for in WRs as Dveyoun is another SD prospect that has Division I FBS talent in my eyes as another SD prospect that was on our 2026 Prep Redzone Next National Watchlist.rnrnIt is crazy to evaluate that this young man has three more years of high school football to play, as I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the earliest Division I offers coming out of this loaded 2026 class in South Dakota. He has that grown man athleticism as well.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["429757"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":621781,"_player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Austin passed my earliest eye test with the dexterity this young man even from the earliest first look I could get on him at the Midwest Miners tryout a couple Sundays ago.rnrnAustin looked to me one of the most impressive defensive backs I watched at the tryout, as his instinctiveness stuck out very early of just how well built this young man's football IQ already is and as a 2025 prospect, has plenty of untapped room to keep growing it out for two more football season for the Roughriders.rnrnHe looks like a prospect in the secondary that can carry his play-making ability as a sideline to sideline tackler that has that quick twitch I want from my defensive backs to get to the football quickly into the next level of the field.rnrnI also was impressed with Austin's ball-tracing skills, as he showed off the elite vision and added physicality to close the roads of a handful of wide receivers routes. Austin is certainly one out of Sioux Falls Roosevelt to watch for in this 2025 class.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["210623"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Every time I have gotten to watch Elijah recently, he keeps filling out that frame even bigger than before as he grew a lot even from watching him at our Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase last Spring and I thought even when I watched him in the 11AA state championship game just two months ago he showed off an even more physical presence.rnrnElijah has developed since last Spring with his balance for sure, as his chiseled size has grown into his body and showed some flowing athleticism as a big pass-catcher on the routes I got to watch.rnrnElijah's tape shows off reps at DE, but I believe he will be a really nice TE in a 7v7 setting as I loved in the 2022 season just how much punch he has within his hands and the placement of them to get leverage and win the rep. He also has the longevity and stamina to carry his frame even outside of the inside box at the defensive end position.rnrnCollege football is certainly in Elijah's future, and if he can keep developing his hands on the offensive side of the ball, he could be up for a BIG summer at prospect camps as there isn't many prospects in SD that are growing like Elijah is with his physicality at a legit 6'2 220 pounds.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":621783,"_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"Solomon Tea","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Sioux Center","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Solomon was an Iowa prospect that made his way to Sioux Falls for the Midwest Miners tryout, and I certainly think it was worth the trip for him as he was one of my favorite running backs in the group as far as his route-running went a couple Sundays ago.rnrnSolomon also showed off some edgy skillsets even in those heavy coverage areas as he showed a boatload of composure reeling in a handful of catches with the pure athlecsm he showed off.rnrnTaking a look at Solomon's junior tape, I love the durability he has in his plethora as he plays well bigger than the 5'9 175 size he shows off, one as a blocker that has loaded physicality and can carry defenders with his lower body for a handful of extra yards after contact. I also love his quick and reactive trigger he shows off at linebacker too as he has great vison to quickly burst into the next level of the field and put a beat down on the opponent's backfield.rnrnWe certainly will be adding Solomon to our upcoming 2024 rankings in the State of Iowa as there is certainly some next-level potential in his overall game as a key asset to both sides of the ball for Sioux Center.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":621789,"_player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"Connor Kamerman","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"Sioux Center","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_8_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Connor was another favorite Iowa prospect of mine, on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker, as I was impressed with the football IQ and liked his work especially in pass coverage as a 6'1 195 pound linebacker as he certainly passed my ole eye test.rnrnYou can tell by watching the tape that Connor has that sideline to sideline dexterity to go the distance way outside the inside box to get his tackle.rnrnHe also has really swift hands off his blocks, as he has that tap and go skillset that college coaches should want from their linebackers when pressing the gas into the next level of the field.rnrnIt's easy to gauge Connor's football IQ just based on what he puts together on tape and he also checks the boxes with his consistent physicality to match. Does a great job with his vision in tight windows by finding the ball carrier with his eyes and should be ANOTHER college prospect that could have a booming summer at prospect camps.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63d542cc08f7d"} /-->