SE Minnesota Prospects to Watch
In this article:
MINNESOTA– Another day of afternoon check ins for me, this time in Southeast Minnesota. With this list I carved out eight prospects to watch from all over the gridiron and what I like about their skillsets. All of which pass…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingMINNESOTA– Another day of afternoon check ins for me, this time in Southeast Minnesota. With this list I carved out eight prospects to watch from all over the gridiron and what I like about their skillsets. All of which pass my “eye test” to as probable college football prospects even stretching as far as the 2026 class.
Beau Wiersma Beau Wiersma 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB Kingsland | 2024 State MN , ATH, Kingsland (2024) Twitter
There is certainly some skillsets to like with Beau’s vision from the inside box as a North-South running back that once he gets downhill, he can certainly finish the job with his athleticism with a consistent burst from start to finish. Consistency is something I always look for in evaluating running backs, and Beau shows a ton of that on tape with his burst from the start of the snap. He also shows some good depth with his agility with in his change of direction and he can flip the field with the instincts he has in the Knights backfield. He also has good durability in his DNA. That vision I mentioned on offense also engages well at the linebacker spot for the Knights as he does a great job of punching right in the hole of the A-Gap and finding the ball carrier with a plethora of physicality on with his hitting ability as he hits much harder than most LB prospects with Beau’s measurables. Beau certainly looks like another prospect in my eyes that will be playing college football once his career as a Knight is a wrap.
Kaaleem Reiland Kaaleem Reiland 5'9" | 180 lbs | RB Kingsland | 2026 State MN , ATH, Kingsland (2026) Twitter
When I first got to watch Kaaleem at the UW-River Falls camp last spring, I was immediately shocked that this young man was not even a freshmen yet, due to his cut up frame and just how much balance he had athletically already with several seasons to develop to an even higher ceiling. His tape from his freshmen season starts off with that bang of speed on kickoff return as Kaaleem used all the burst in his plethora to stretch the field for a touchdown. He also shows a fluid zip throwing the football with good precision on intermediate routes from his tape last season as a left-handed QB. Kaaleem also shows off a quick release as another skillset to add to his resume. He also can get it done with his legs with his extremely athletic mobility and has the eyes to use his agility to make the defender miss. I also like Kaaleem’s football IQ defensively, as in pass coverage he makes the smart football play versus going for the riskier coverage play. It might be early to call, but this 2026 swiss army knife will be another prospect from Kingsland that has college football written all over him.
Lewis Doyle Lewis Doyle 6'0" | 155 lbs | ATH Caledonia | 2024 State MN , QB/ATH, Caledonia (2024) Twitter
Holy moly is this young man’s athleticism fun as ever to watch on tape on both sides of the ball. Lewis shows off some sizable athletic length with his stretch defensively when he uses his vertical to up and get the ball and based on how he finished that play off, you can just gauge the instinct this young man has in his arsenal. I also was really impressed with his second rep on his junior tape, as Lewis somehow found a way to use his incredible durability to go from being nearly taken down to the grass to pulling himself up and accelerated with his burst out of it to find the end zone from around 20 yards out. Cool, calm, and collected are three words I would use to describe Lewis when he throws from the pocket and the ball he throws show off a ton of consistent touch especially on intermediate and deep routes. There also is a ton to like about his ball placement on those throws as the precision shows off tight areas where he can fit the ball to allow only his WR to get it. Between the gridiron and the hardwood, the next-level ceiling shows off in both sports to play at the next-level.
Jordan Tornstrom Jordan Tornstrom 6'2" | 240 lbs | DL Caledonia | 2024 State MN , DL, Caledonia (2024) Twitter
Jordan is another prospect on this list I remember from last summers camp season, from the Winona State camp last summer as back then I was waiting to see his initial tape as I was intriguing by the skillsets he put on the field in Winona. Looking at the 2022 tape, this young man starts off having me intrigued by his athletic bend at the line and he very early on tape shows off that find instinct with his perception. He also shows off a quick twitch off the snap that unwinds on tape with hammer down physicality on the bulk of the tackles I watched him make on tape. I can tell by the tape, that Jordan has been a workhorse since I last evaluated him in Winona and he has a ton of potential to show off as a big time stockriser when college coaches get a look at his at this summer’s prospect camps.
Ronnie Lemon Ronnie Lemon 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Winona | 2024 MN Jr, ATH, Winona (2024) Twitter
Ronnie was another prospect that caught my eyes last summer at the Winona State prospect camp due to his twitch he showed out in the shuttle drill at camp. When I got to watch some of Ronnie’s game tape from 2022, I was intrigued by another skillset I hadn’t seen yet in his plethora of skills which was just how feisty this kid’s physicality was as a run-blocker. I not only liked his pad-level on his blocks, but just the aggression his hands showed off consistently throughout his tape. When Ronnie does get the ball in his hands, there is some of that twitch I saw from camp last summer, but also he shows off some favorable durability in his 5’11 185 pound frame. Positionally, I believe he lines up at linebacker at the next-level due to the physicality he adds from the clips I got to watch from him on the defensive side of the ball. He also carries a heavy motor to run down that ball carrier that’s escaping beyond the second level of the field. A prospect to keep an eye on this summer.
Jaden Blanck Jaden Blanck 5'10" | 185 lbs | ATH Winona | 2025 State MN , ATH, Winona (2025) Twitter
A multi time Prep Redzone Minnesota Showcase alum, Jaden was likely one of the most productive return men in Minnesota in the 2022 season. The athleticism and finished speed Jaden has on kickoff returns is a joy to watch, as you can certainly tell this young man is built to run for the long-haul. He doesn’t just show off high stamina speed either, he has solid athletic balance and agility to change directions with some quite smooth athletic traits. There also is something to be said about the durability Jaden has in the return game, as he shows off growing durability since I last watched his tape from 2021 and can say that each time I have watched him at our Minnesota showcases, that Jaden has trended higher on my radar each time he’s came out and showed off his skills. He also is a prospect with already well-developed character.
Jaden George, LB/RB, La Crescent-Hokah (2024) Twitter
Jaden intrigues me with his skillsets at linebacker, as there is something attractive the way this young man shoots up the gap and shows that knock-back physicality I love watching when evaluating the linebacker position. Jaden also shows off fluid awareness within his vision, making key adjustments with his footwork to get a clear base right over the ball carrier. He portrays what is a sideline to sideline linebacker as Jaden can cover a wide range of the field with his blossoming motor in his 6’0 180 pound frame. That vision I mentioned from Jaden also runs clear from the running back position as well as a two-way threat for Lancers. Jaden also has some consistent pad-level when making his tackles as he hits his defender right on the nose of where you need him to be. Looks like another next-level football prospect from Terry Donovan’s bunch.
AJ Donovan AJ Donovan 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB La Crescent-Hokah | 2024 State MN , QB, La Crescent-Hokah (2024) Twitter
My scouting days are making me age a bit with this evaluation of La Crescent-Hokah All-District and All-Section QB AJ Donovan AJ Donovan 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB La Crescent-Hokah | 2024 State MN as it feels like just yesterday I was scouting AJ’s brother and Bemidji State athlete Matt Donovan. AJ really impresses me with his mobility and shows some great fluidity in his touch balls-especially on his intermediate routes. He remains consistent with those skillsets too throughout the duration of his tape. AJ also has a strong demeanor with his pocket presence and can fire off the ball with quick footwork with also a quick release. He shows off some lengthy strides when he tucks it on the run which is another asset for this 6’0 170 pound QB prospect. He also passes my eye test with his ball placement as there are plenty of reps on tape that AJ knows where he’s placing the football in those tight windows and that precision he has gives his WRs a guaranteed spot that only they make the catch in that window. Certainly looks like another Lancer that I would add to a prospect list to play on Saturdays!