Which High Schools are MN's Historically Best Recruiting Hotbeds?

I'm feeling well acquainted with Minnesota's 2025 class after publishing the updated rankings more than a week ago. Since the update went live, we've broken down the sophomores top stock risers and newcomers as well as almost every position group on the gridiron, highlighting over 100 Minnesota sophomores from the Iron Range to the Iowa border. For the sake of variety, not to mention I've been wanting to do an article like this for a while, PRzMN is switching it up in this special feature taking a broader and more historic look at Minnesota high school recruiting as a whole. Like any prep football fanatic, I'm constantly scouring rosters, recruiting classes, and news clips on past and present players to see who played where, who was good, whose dad/brother/uncle was a stud, etc., and I'll be using all the research I can get my hands on in order to name Minnesota's Best Recruiting Hotbeds. Dating back to 2000, I used the number of high-profile recruits, the number of overall college recruits, their collegiate success, and some contextual factors to name the Top-10 historically strongest high school programs in the state. Hopefully the results surprise you, as contrary to what some may think the top recruiting hotbeds do not all reside in the Metro. Also, this is just a fun little exercise for our enjoyment and I hope people don't take the list too seriously. In a perfect world, I would try to find every college recruit/player every school as ever produced, but time is always of the essence I spent days putting in time to research dozens of programs around the state. Thanks for reading and I hope our readers enjoy the special PRzMN feature. I had a blast putting it together.   --   1) Eden Prairie Eagles   P5/FBS Prospects:   Mark LeVoir - '01. OT. Signed to Notre Dame   Carter Coughlin - '16. LB. Signed to Minnesota.   Willie Mobley - '08. DT. Signed to Ohio State   Justice Sullivan - '21. LB. Signed to Iowa   Nick Davidson - '12. OT. Signed to Stanford   Walker Ashley - '05. DT. Signed to USC   Ryan Orton - '07. OG. Signed to Minnesota   Blake Sorensen - '07. LB. Signed to Wisconsin   Bryce McNaul - '07. LB. Signed to Northwestern   Ryan Grant - '08. LB. Signed to Minnesota   Carter Bykowski - '08. TE. Signed to Minnesota   Corey Frazier - '09. DB. Signed to Rice   Brian Athey - '11. QB. Signed to West Virginia   Grayson Levine - '11. DB. Signed to Minnesota   Drake Michaelson - '11. LB. Signed to Wofford, held 5 FBS offers   Jack Cottrell - '13. LB. Signed to Boston College   Tyson Reinke - '13. DT. Signed to Kent State   JD Spielman - '16. WR. Signed to Nebraska   Benny Sapp - '18. DB. Signed to Minnesota   Cole Kramer - '19. QB. Signed to Minnesota   Trey Bixby - '22. DE. Signed to Minnesota   [player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Chiddi' last='Obiazor'] - '23. DE. Signed to Kansas State   Namdi Obiazor - '20. DB. Signed to Iowa Western and then Texas Christian University   Antonio Montero ''18. LB. Signed to Rice   [player_tooltip player_id='112137' first='Devin' last='Jordan'] - '23. DB. Signed to Air Force   Zach Hovey - '14. TE/OL. Signed to Miami (OH)   Ryan Connelly - '14. LB. Signed to Wisconsin on a PWO before earning a scholarship, All-B10 honors, and a still-ongoing pro career   Anthony Anderson - '14. RB. Signed to Iowa Western and Marshall University   Blake Cashman - '15. LB. Signed to Minnesota on a PWO before earning a scholarship, All-B10 honors, and a still-ongoing pro career   Jermaine Johnson - '17. DE. Independence CC/Georgia/Florida State/New York Jets   [player_tooltip player_id='300636' first='Robert' last='Olson'] - '14. OL. Oregon State   Other Notable Prospects:   Connor Novak-Goar - '16. DL. Iowa Western and Minnesota, Josh Lanasa - '15. TE/OL. UMN-Crookston All-Decade Team, Tommy Fuller - '17. DB. Minnesota/UST, JJ Drew - '17. OL. Harvard, Danny Anderson - '17. LB. Minnesota (PWO), Jackson Zaugg - '17. DE. Michigan lacrosse, Adam Ryski - '17. OL. UMD, Kyle Connelly - '17. ATH. MN/MSU PWOs, Joe Schreiber - '18. OL. NDSU/East Tennessee State, Kyler Kluge - '18. DB. St. Cloud State/Grand View, Mozus Ikuenobe - '12. DB. St. Thomas, Jacob Foss - '17. OL. UW-Stout, Bronson Warner - '19. OL. IWCC/ACU/Bowling Green State, Caden Fey - 19. LB. Minnesota (PWO), Ben Sather - '20. DB. Minnesota T&F, Andrew Larson - '13. RB. Harvard, Forrest Scheel - '21. OL. ICCC/Wyoming, Dan Knudsen - '21. LB. MSU-Mankato/ICCC, Sam Henry - '21. OL. NDSU, Tyee Leske - '21. DB. Iowa State (PWO)/MSU-Mankato, Trent Jones - '21. DE. Iowa State (PWO), [player_tooltip player_id='246030' first='Michael' last='Gross'] - '23. WR. North Dakota, [player_tooltip player_id='295822' first='Jermell' last='Taylor'] - '23. TE. MSU-Mankato   Summary:   The undisputed #1 producer of MN high school talent the last 23 years goes to the Eden Prairie Eagles. I'd hope this shouldn't come as a huge surprise to our readers, and CDH gave the Eagles a run for their money in-terms of top-tier P5 talent, but when you look at the sheer number of P5/FBS commits, not to mention the disparity in years these kids came out of high school, made them a solid and honestly easy choice for the #1 spot, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. The Eagles state championship teams involving Grayson Levine and Andrew Larson are still very much seared into my memory, and EP also has the most state football championships of any program in the entire state of Minnesota. Anyone who is a fan of high school football and recruiting in the state knows of Eden Prairie, and to add another positive element to the Eagles' case for #1, they have recently put a ton of Minnesotans into the NFL, led by Carter Coughlin, Ryan Connely, Blake Cashman, and Jermaine Johnson. Their non-P5 products have also gone on to great success in college, with a large crop of grads finding success at St. Thomas and their offensive lineman scattering to DIII, DIIs, FCS, and FBS schools to continue their careers. Also worth noting, EP has an excellent tradition of PWOs heading to P5 programs, with Minnesota and Iowa State being recent benefactors of their talent. They also have produced some of the most highly-touted JUCO recruits MN has ever seen. Yes, Eden Prairie has been aided by transfers, both from within our state's borders as well as from other parts of the U.S., but that's what happens when you're the big man on campus. The #1 spot is a position EP is quite familiar with holding. Welcome to the list, Eden Prairie High School!   The future is in good hands in the Eden Prairie program. 2024 massive DT [player_tooltip player_id='551395' first='Mo' last='Saine'] already hold four P5 offers from three different conferences, and is joined by fellow juniors [player_tooltip player_id='105391' first='Will' last='Sather'], a 2022 state wrestling champion at heavyweight who is tougher and possessing of a top-tier blocking skillset that college programs should not overlook. 6'7 junior OT [player_tooltip player_id='236482' first='Ethan' last='Sims'] also has D1 potential and is a beast on the edge of the Eagles' LOS, and Wayzata transfer LB Dom Heim presents an interesting multi-sport background and physical build for the Eagles defense. Additionally, Florida transfer [player_tooltip player_id='641134' first='Elijah' last='Rumph'], a 2025 RB with a Central Michigan offer, could be an offensive superstar if he can put up the same kind of film on varsity next season. '24 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1145294' first='Hayden' last='Broich'], '24 6'6, 250 lb. TE Dennis Rahouski, and sophomore 6'3, 200 lber. [player_tooltip player_id='641145' first='James' last='Anderson'] are some other names to know going forward. Go Eagles!   --   2) Wayzata High School Trojans   P5/FBS Prospects:   Dominique Barber - '04. RB. Signed to Minnesota   James Laurinaitis - '05. LB. Signed to Ohio State   Tommy Becker - '06. LB. Signed to Minnesota   Frtiz Rock - '09. ATH. Signed to Illinois   Marion Barber III - 01. RB. Signed to Minnesota   AJ Tarpley - '10. LB. Signed to Stanford   Tobi Okuyemi - '10. DE. Signed to Nebraska   Chris Wipson - '13. LB. Signed to Minnesota   Brandon Lingen - '14. TE. Signed to Minnesota   Tyler Magnuson '21. OT. Signed to Syracuse   Tommy Hamann - '22. LB. Signed to Iowa State   Jeff Borchardt - '13. WR. Signed to Minnesota   Other Notable Prospects:   Drew Greely - '14. DE. North Dakota, Matt Beck - '14. OL. St. Thomas All-American, Jesse Addo - '13. LB. St. Thomas All-American, Foster Conzet - '14. LB. UMD/CSP, Nick Kramer - '16. DE. South Dakota, Andrew Yogei - '19. DL. MSU-Mankato, [player_tooltip player_id='1648543' first='Alex' last='Jensen'] - '17. TE/OL. South Dakota All-MVFC 2nd Team, Billy Riviere - '19. TE. North Dakota/transferred and has started for Washington State, Nicholas Kallerup - '19. TE. PWO turned scholarship and starter at Minnesota, Keaton Heide - '19. QB. South Dakota State, Christian Vasser - '20. RB. MSU-Mankato, Sam Robertson - '20. CB. UND/NIU/IWCC, Joe Demro - '20. DE. Winona State, Loshiaka Roques - '20. LB. North Dakota State, Alec Rasmussen - '21. OL. St. Thomas, Brett Kelzenberg - '22. OL. North Dakota, Drew Berkland - '22. Minnesota baseball, [player_tooltip player_id='246235' first='Keyuandre' last='Watkins'] - '23. DE. Sioux Falls   Summary:   Growing up as a young Southwest Lakers DB in the early 2010 7v7 high school circuit, the sheer size, play swag, and playmaking ability of the Wayzata Trojans is still a vivid and vibrant memory from my developing football days. It's not that the city schools were unfamiliar with our Lake Conference and suburban counterparts, as Southwest used to have to play Hopkins, 'Tonka, and other heavyweight programs during sections before Class 6A was a thing, but there was simply something different about Wayzata. I used to love watching them play too, and their battles with EP late in November during state playoffs and championship were some of the best and most physical football games I've ever seen. Now, I have some research to back up these opinions, as the Trojans come in at #2 when talking Minnesota's historically strongest high school recruiting programs. Two big reasons the Trojans were selected over #3 CDH were as follows. #1: Marion Barber III, AJ Tarpley, and James Laurinaitis' pro careers were all outstanding and some of the best we've seen from MN-born players in the 2000s, and #2: they've put high-end, high-profile recruits much recently than their St. Paul competitors. Wayzata alums have been some of the best high school players the state has ever seen, and when you add in FCS recruits and you have one of the highest total number of D1 recruits in the 2000s. Even their DIII products go on to earn All-American and All-Conference status, and you simply can't talk about MN high school football the past two decades without talking about Wayzata. Welcome to the list, Trojans. The former Lake Conference is represented well.   On the come up, Wayzata prospects future is in good hands. 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='246255' first='Cole' last='Heilbrun'] was the QB MVP at December's PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase, and he's joined by fellow talented '24s such as 6'4, 225 lb. TE [player_tooltip player_id='105382' first='Jack' last='Simon'], a good athlete at his size who is one of the toughest kids in the state and a cancer survivor. 6'2, 265 lb. Dylan Schultz and OT [player_tooltip player_id='551387' first='Manny' last='Wilson'] bring some of that traditional Trojan size and aggression to the trenches, as does DB Gavin Johnstone. There's a deep and loaded 2025 class waiting and working for their chance to bring Wayzata back to the forefront of Class 6A as well.   3) Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders   P5/FBS Prospects:   Seantrel Henderson - '10. OT. Signed to Miami   Michael Floyd - '08. WR. Signed to Notre Dame   Joe Mauer - '01. QB. Signed to Florida State before switching to baseball full-time   Jashon Cornell - '15. DE. Signed to Ohio State   Rafael Eubanks - '05. OG. Signed to Iowa   Ryan Harris - '03. OT. Signed to Notre Dame   Matt Carufel - '06. OT. Signed to Notre Dame   James Onwualu - '13. WR/LB. Signed to Notre Dame   Broderick Binns - '07. DE. Signed to Iowa   Ned Tavale - '05. OG. Signed to Minnesota   Reggie Rock - '05. ATH. Signed to Iowa State   Kim Royston - '06. DB. Signed to Wisconsin   Joe Schafer - '08. OT. Signed to Wisconsin   Shady Salamon - '08. RB. Signed to Minnesota   John Nance - '08. ATH. Signed to Minnesota   Mark Alt - '10. QB. Held offers from UCLA, Iowa, Stanford before choosing hockey   Sam Floysand - '21. OL. Signed to Air Force   Jared Hartman - '11. LS. Signed to Minnesota   Blake Banham - '14. RB. Signed to Eastern Michigan   Conor Rhoda - '13. QB. Signed to Minnesota (PWO)   Akeem Roller - '13. DT. - Two FBS offers, three FCS offers   Connor Udelhoven - '12. LS. Signed to Wisconsin (PWO). Started as PWO, earned scholarship, played in 53 games   Tim Gordon - '14. DB. Signed to Eastern Michigan   Jacob Prince - '18. TE. Signed to Southern Mississippi   Trejuan Holloman - '22. DB. Michigan State basketball. Oregon State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State football offers   Other Notable Prospects:   Tyler Flud - '12. LB. Southwest MN State 2x First Team All-NSIC, Tim McClanahan - '12. LB. St. Thomas, Jonathan Harden - '12. DL. Western Michigan/UMD, Connor Keane - '13. WR. Iowa (PWO), Luke Hamel -'14. WR. Notre Dame (PWO), Ricardo Johnson III - '14. QB. SBVC/ONU/CSP/St. Olaf, Max Jackson - '15. DB. St. John's All-American, Kenneth Udoibok - '16. RB. St. John's, Jack Westafer - '16. LB. Yale, Jake Lacina - '15. OL. Augustana. First Team All-American, Rimington Award winner, All-Region, All-NSIC, Casey O'Brien - '17. QB/ATH. Minnesota (PWO), Kevin Hartman - '16. OL. Augustana. First Team NSIC, Dan Greenheck - '16. OL. St. John's All-American, All-Region, All-MIAC, James Jackson - '17. DE. Youngstown State All-MVFC HM, Nick Neumann - '17. OL. St. John's All-MIAC and All-Region, Peter Udoibok - '19. WR. Minnesota (PWO)/UNI, Abe Schwinn - '19. LB. Arizona State (PWO)/Abilene Christian, Ryan Larson - '18. DB. Wofford basketball, Preston Thelemann - '20. QB. Furman/UST, Durelle Hall - '22. DB. UMD, James Morrison - '22. OL. UST, [player_tooltip player_id='166287' first='Sam' last='Koopmeiners'] - '23. TE. Drake   Summary:   St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall would be the easy #1 choice for Minnesota's top producer of high school football talent if I was writing this in 2010 or even 2015, but the past half decade has be rough for the Raiders, minus a few big boys and one of the best multi-sport athletes we've seen as of late in current Michigan State basketball guard Trejuan Holloman, who is almost more a product of MPLS North than CDH. However, you can't deny that Cretin deserves to be in the top-3 of the state in this regard, having manufactured the nation's top recruit, nearly double-digit blue-chippers, and a few NFLers since the 2000s. Their non-D1 commits have been just as decorated, represented well by Jake Lacina (Augie), Dan Greenheck (SJU), Max Jackson (SJU), and Nick Neumann (SJU) all topping their division's charts as one of the best at their position. The kids they pump out are historically college-ready and athletic, and the volume of their top-end recruits goes unmatched in Minnesota besides in the suburbs at Eden Prairie High School. The only reason they weren't #1 was due to the fact that their P5/FBS recruits have come become slim as of late, but with star graduate and hometown hero Steve Walsh back at the helm as head coach I foresee CDH getting back to its old form sooner rather than later.   I'll be keeping an eye on the CDH underclassmen with great gusto, and they have some potentially heavy hitters on the come up in their '25 and '26 classes. 2025s [player_tooltip player_id='1202046' first='Noah' last='Hayes'] (6'6, 295) and [player_tooltip player_id='641227' first='Geno' last='Bieter'] (6'5, 260) already possess college-ready size and know how to use it, fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='348711' first='Theto' last='Hatley'] just ran in the 4.5s at our latest PRzMN Showcase, and most excitedly come the freshman. WR [player_tooltip player_id='592224' first='Daniel' last='Tolson'] is already a stud, Henry Malloy already possesses promising size at 6'2, 250, and they're backed up by more standouts such as Carl Schilling (DB), Joe Fenlon (ATH), [player_tooltip player_id='592228' first='JaDale' last='Thompson'] (RB), Sammy Rosga (ATH), and [player_tooltip player_id='592229' first='Izaak' last='Johnson'] (QB). Who wouldn't want to play for Steve Walsh?   --   4) Edina Hornets   P5/FBS Prospects:   Quinn Carroll - '19. OT. Signed to Notre Dame   Mike Rallis - '08. LB. Signed to Minnesota   Nick Rallis - '12. DB. Signed to Minnesota   Nate Tice - '07. QB. Signed to UCF   Devin Crawford-Tufts - '11. WR. Signed to Minnesota   Bastian Swinney - '21. OT. Signed to Cal   Tommy Doyle '16. OL. Signed to Miami (OH) and is currently on the Buffalo Bills   Parker Rickert - '17. WR. Iowa State (PWO)   Cavonte Johnson - '12. DB. Signed to Minnesota (PWO)   [player_tooltip player_id='295814' first='Brady' last='Anderson'] - '23. ATH. Signed to Army   Other Notable Prospects:   Anders Lee - '09. QB/ATH. Notre Dame hockey. Was an absolute baller on the gridiron. Marley Allison '13. WR. RCTC/Iowa State, Graham Woodward - '13. WR. Penn State/Drake basketball, Nick Mertes - '14. DE. Montana/Drake, Deon Dorvil - '13. DT. RCTC/Missouri Western State, Colin Ritter - '14. LB. Augustana, Jack Dummer - '14. DB. St. Thomas, Erik Veker - '14. WR. Wheaton, Mark Handberg - '13. QB. St. Thomas baseball, Troy Peterson - '14. ATH. St. Olaf First Team All-MIAC, [player_tooltip player_id='313236' first='Gabe' last='Johnson'] - '14. LB. St. Olaf, Stephen Asp - '10. WR. St. Olaf First and Second Team, Coleman Foley '13. DB. St. Olaf All-MIAC Second Team, Tory Dalbec - '12. LB. NDSU (PWO), Tryg Veker - '12. DL. St. Olaf/Wheaton, Tim Lydon - '13. RB. NDSU (PWO)/St. John's, Francisco Hardacker - '12. RB. NDSU (PWO)/UST, Tom Balke - '12. TE. St. Olaf, Evan Holm - '16. DB. North Dakota All-MVFC Second Team/CFL DB/also a HS rugby AA, Bennett Helgren - '16. OL. North Dakota, Tanner Sparrow - '14. DE. Gustavus Adolphus, Patrick LeCorre - '15. K. Idaho/Montana/Ball State, Devan Hunt - '16. OL. North Dakota, Diondre Green - '12. DB. RCTC/SMSU, Nick Bloom - '18. ATH. Cal rugby, Brock Boltmann - '17. ATH. North Dakota, Luke Glenna - '18. DB. St. Thomas All-Pioneer First Team, Ethan & Brett Hufendick - ATHs. Gustavus Adolphus, Jimmy Connell - '17. TE. Middlebury, Matt Cavanagh - 19. LB. Harvard, Ben Brinkman - '19. DB. Minnesota hockey, Will Davis - '20. DL. Augustana, Jonathan Bunce - '20. LB. St. Thomas First Team All-PFL, Anders Nelson - '18. WR. UST basketball, Hamza Malim - '20. WR. UST/SJU, Jake Boltmann - '20. WR. Notre Dame hockey, Gavin Falk - '22. OL. UST   Summary:   As a young high school freshman in 2009 I still have good memories of me and my fellow freshman Lakers traveling over the border to Edina to watch senior Anders Lee take on our city counterpart Washburn in a much hyped matchup at Kuhlman Stadium on a warm September night. Of all the teams on this list I am the most intimately familiar with the Hornets, due to playing them as an underclassman in non-conference play and the thriving pipeline the former Lake Conference heavyweight had to my alma mater St. Olaf. I played with every Hornet to make that list from the 2010s on, with two of those boys set to stand by my side as groomsman in my upcoming wedding and another a former college roommate. Obviously, I made sure to not have this influence any personal bias, but as mentioned it did give me an up-close-and-personal look at Hornet players and recruits from high school on. Manufacturing top-end talent at the P5 level and more than its fair share of FCS, DII, and DIII studs, I think it's important to note that a large majority of these athlete went onto find legitimate starting and All-Conference success no matter where they went, and I also appreciate the variety of positions that Edina has churned out, with both skill position and big boys heavily represented at the college level. Additionally, Edina has seen some potentially big-time football players decide to play a different sport in college, with hockey, basketball, baseball, and rugby commits going to top-tier programs at their respective sports. The P5 talent has also been well spread out, and when you look at the sheer number of college football commits the Hornets argument for a top producer of MN talent speaks for itself.   This year, [player_tooltip player_id='245652' first='Peyton' last='Himley'] (UST), [player_tooltip player_id='295814' first='Brady' last='Anderson'] (Army), [player_tooltip player_id='295813' first='Liam' last='Cummins'] (Bemidji State), [player_tooltip player_id='192548' first='Parker' last='Durkin'], and [player_tooltip player_id='112140' first='Finn' last='McElroy'] (UW-Platteville) held down the class of top Hornet recruits in 2023. Experienced, physical, and tough, they all showed the trademark characteristics of Hornet products, and the future remains bright to say the least. I think [player_tooltip player_id='234833' first='Meyer' last='Swinney'] (WR/TE - 2025) is a potential P5 TE, with a great last name and special route-running and YAC ability for his size and age. [player_tooltip player_id='592125' first='Mason' last='West'] (QB - 2026) is another high-potential prospect I'll be keeping a close eye on, as he got varsity reps as a freshman gunslinger and has size and arm talent already well above his age's suggestion. Additionally, [player_tooltip player_id='245080' first='Owen' last='Riss'] is coming off a successful underclassman career and could make waves on varsity as a RB, '24 TE/OL [player_tooltip player_id='105368' first='Josh' last='Quirk'] can lay the wood, and the Hornets have some good size on the come-up such as '24 [player_tooltip player_id='466110' first='Cole' last='Slater'] (6'1, 245), Kade Chrysler ('24, 6'3, 225), and Stephen Bunce ('25, 6', 245). Congrats on making the list, Edina High School!   --   5) St. Thomas Academy Cadets   P5/FBS Prospects:   Isaac Hayes - '12. OC. Signed to Minnesota   Christopher Moore - '03. DE. Signed to Duke   Anthony Hayes - '11. DT. Signed to Stanford   Tommy Brandt - '20. OL. Signed to UMass   Pat McFadden - '13. RB. Signed to Stanford (PWO)   Conor McFadden - '10. OL. Signed to Stanford   Sean McFadden - '16. RB. Signed to Boston College (PWO)   Danny McFadden - '21. RB. Signed to Stanford (PWO)   Wyatt Schmidt - '13. LS/PH. Signed to USC (PWO)   Mac Brown - '16. Punter. Signed to Ole Miss (PWO)   Ben Reppenhagen - '20. LB. Signed to TCU (PWO)   Stephen Betts - '20. DB. Signed to Notre Dame (PWO)   [player_tooltip player_id='313277' first='Jackson' last='Smith'] - '20. OL. Signed to Kansas State (PWO)   Garrison Solliday - '21. LB. Signed to Wisconsin (PWO)   Grady O'Neill - '22. DB. Signed to Wisconsin (PWO)   Other Notable Prospects:   Fritz Waldvogel - '08. WR. St. Thomas 2x All-American, Paddy Clancy - '12. DB. Dartmouth, Jon Best - '12. DL. St. Thomas, John Gould - '12. QB. St. Thomas, Ryan McManus - '11. ATH. Dartmouth 2x All-Ivy as a WR and returner, third in career receptions and fourth in yards, Tim McManus '07. WR. Dartmouth 3x captain and 3x All-Ivy as a WR, Will Ratelle - '11. LB. North Dakota 2x All-Big Sky, Danny McManus - '13. DB. Dartmouth All-Ivy Second Team, Parker Chapman - '13. LB. Amherst College, Nick Waldvogel - '13. ATH. St. Thomas All-MIAC Second Team, Mack Marrin - '13. DL. Drake University All-PFL, Danny Baer - '13. DB. Princeton baseball, Anders Raarup - 14. LB. Gustavus Adolphus, Tipton Woodard - '14. LB. John Carroll, Joe Markert - '16. DL. South Dakota/MSU-Mankato, Nate Chaffee - '16. DL. Harvard, Connor Duffy - '15. LB. Pomona, Luke Herzog - '19. LB. North Dakota/UST, Jason Samec - '19. DE. South Dakota, Yenika Fondungallah '21. DB. Benedictine College, Leo Bluhm - '22. OL. Yale, Jamie Smith - '21. LB. St. John's, John Herzog - '20. LB. St. John's, Jack Dzubnar - '22. WR. St. John's   Summary:   Back before I got to watch highlight tapes as a job, I would pass a few hours by excitedly watching film from STA Cadet standouts from over the years. Names like Waldvogel, McManus, and McFadden were at the top of my list, as their undersized but absolute electric playing styles helped pass the hours in what felt like mere minutes. Characterized by family ties and high-academic commits, St. Thomas Academy has been pumping out FBS and FCS talent since the early 2000s, earlier than almost every high school in the state and at a higher volume, leading them to a Top-5 spot on this list and some of the most exciting high school/college tape available in this feature. Some of their best prospects came out of the trenches however, and it's also worth noting that their P5 specialist commits went onto have extremely successful college careers at the highest levels of college football. They've done it a bit more quietly than some of their Metro counterparts as well, and have been more impacted by transfers leaving the school and stud athletes playing other sports in college (most notably hockey) than other programs on this list. Additionally, their top-end recruits have gone on to have successful college careers, and their gridiron alumni list includes world-class private and public schools with names like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Amherst, Dartmouth, Pomona, Boston College, Duke, and Stanford represented in the 2000s and particularly the last decade. It's an illustrious list, and an excellent combination of volume, collegiate success, and academic rigor, and made St. Thomas Academy a firm addition to Minnesota's top producing programs of high school football talent. Welcome to the list, Cadets!   For current STA recruits, senior [player_tooltip player_id='19005' first='Love' last='Adebayo'] is going to make a college program very happy if he decides to play ball in college, as will '23 ballhawk [player_tooltip player_id='237907' first='Jake' last='Borman'] and thumper [player_tooltip player_id='235707' first='Mark' last='Rogalski'], who recently earned a PWO to Vanderbilt. It'll be a tough senior class to replace, but '24 RB [player_tooltip player_id='105372' first='Savion' last='Hart'] is one of the best in the state at his position and will be led by one of the best fullbacks in MN in [player_tooltip player_id='242420' first='Cody' last='Packer']. QB [player_tooltip player_id='607251' first='Maximus' last='Sims'] has a strong arm and I just got to watch him in Florida, and the entire OL returns, led by [player_tooltip player_id='242492' first='Robbie' last='Wollan'] ('24, 6'4, 255), [player_tooltip player_id='242375' first='Teddy' last='Knapp'] ('24, 6'4, 215), [player_tooltip player_id='348666' first='Max' last='Anderson'] ('24, 6'3, 265), and Brendan Gerber ('24, 6'4, 250). Wollan, in particular, has the chance to continue STA's stretch of D1 lineman and he looked very good during December's PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase. The Cadets will more than likely be my pick for 5A state champs in 2023.   --   6) Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks   P5/FBS Prospects:   [player_tooltip player_id='19001' first='Jaxon' last='Howard'] - '23. DL. LSU   Phillip Howard - '16. ATH. Minnesota   Roszell Gayden - '08. OL. College of Sequoias/Auburn   Malik Rucker - '13. DB. Signed to Iowa   Eric Abojei - '17. OL. Wyoming. Held Minnesota/Iowa State offers   Jacob Fahrenkrug - '09. OL. NDSCS/Florida State   Dominic Quewon - '17. DE. Iowa Western/Southern Mississippi   [player_tooltip player_id='362273' first='Emmanuel' last='Karmo'] - '25. LB. Iowa State offer   Eddie Ogamba - '15. K. IWCC/Iowa State   Other Notable Prospects:   Phoenix Sproles - '18. WR. Signed to NDSU, Khayvon Hawkins - '14. WR. NDSU, Ashanti Payne - '13. RB. Southwest MN State, Billy Kellogg - 13. ATH. RCTC, Dashawn Williams - '13. LB. Winona State, LeRoy Taylor Jr. - '13. DB. West Florida, Briceon Scott-Burch - '13. QB. Central Lakes, Taj Rich - '12. LB. North Dakota, Lenzel Koskela - '14. DB. Valley City State, Logan Olesen - '14. DL. Valley City State, Moses Nyangacha - '16. DB. NDSU, Armany Smith - '15. WR. SMSU/Augsburg, Jaylond Johnson - '15. OL. RCTC, Maurice Willis - '14. DB. Central Lakes/Bemidji State, Joe Albert - '15. DE. UW-Eau Claire, Cameron King - '18. QB. UM-Crookston, Nascier Borden - '19. RB. Ellsworth CC, Damien Gordon - '17. WR. Southwest MN State, Jachai McNeal - '16. DB. NDSCS, Alonzo Hollie - '16. LB. NDSCS, Melvin Newbern - '16. WR, Minot State basketball, D'Khari Whitfield - '16. OT. Southwest MN State, Tony Madison - '17. DL. Southwest MN State, Onte Burns - '18. LB. Southwest MN State All-American and 3x First Team All-NISC, Pedro Amoussou - '19. WR. Iowa Western CC, Trashawn McMillian - '19. QB. NDSCS/ELACC, Adrian Adams - '19. WR. NDSU (PWO), Adam Cook - '18. OL. Concordia-St. Paul, Cedric Williams - '19. OL. Southwest MN State, David Connors - '22. WR. Illinois State, Andre Reese - '22. DB. Bemidji State, Ramon Arrigton II - '21. DB. Mayville State, Jermaine Collier - '21. TE. Jamestown, Ayden Davison - '21. LB. Valpo/Waldorf, Joshua Gonleh - '21. LB. M-State, [player_tooltip player_id='19009' first='John' last='Barrow'] III - '23. DL. UMD   Summary:   A must-stop for college coaches and recruiters at all levels the last 5-10 years, Robbinsdale Cooper came on very strong at the end of the 2000s and shows off one of the most spread out crop of high-end talent on this list, not to mention the biggest recruit the state has seen since Seantrel Henderson in 2023 LSU-bound [player_tooltip player_id='19001' first='Jaxon' last='Howard']. The Hawks also add a different kind of successful recruit to the mix. There is a strong argument to be made that finding success out of the JUCO ranks is a harder road than the traditional path other prospects take, and I think it's a testament to the work ethic and downright physical talent that four Cooper grads worked their tails off at different JUCOs to find themselves at FBS/P5 programs, most of which are untraditional recruiters of MN talent. Cooper has also been fertile recruiting grounds for FCS, DII, NAIA, and JUCO programs from all around the region, many of which have had standout collegiate careers, namely Phoenix Sproles, Onte Burns, and Taj Rich. Additionally, they possess the most exciting future crop of prospects of any program on this list besides Eden Prairie, with [player_tooltip player_id='362273' first='Emmanuel' last='Karmo'] (LB, '25) being one of only two sophomores to currently hold a P5 offer and fellow '25er [player_tooltip player_id='551409' first='Randy' last='Smythe'] gaining steam on the trail as well. Volume, variety, top-end talent, collegiate success, and straight-up athleticism are all working in favor of the Hawks and put them just outside the Top-5 of Minnesota's high school recruiting hotbeds from the 2000s.   --   7) Academy of Holy Angels Stars   P5/FBS Prospects:   Larry Fitzgerald - '01. WR. Signed to Pitt   Brandon Brady - '04. RB. Signed to Western Michigan   Rob Hollway - '04. DT. Signed to Wyoming   Brendan Kelly - '08. DE. Signed to Wisconsin   Emmett Johnson - '22. RB. Signed to Nebraska   Jeffrey Robinson II - '21. DB. Signed to Arizona (PWO)   Other Notable Prospects:   Mikias Alipate - '13.LB. South Dakota State, Adam Hoffman - '14. DB. Princeton, Connor McCarthy - '14. LB. MSU-Moorhead, Joe Dembley - '14. Liberty basketball, Sam Keis - 13. QB. UWEC/Augsburg, Joey Myran - '14. LB. UW-Stout, Kevin Kraus - '14. OL. UW-Stout, Anthony Baysah - 13. RB. MSU-Moorhead, Matt Bowlin - '13. DB. Augsburg, Sam Miller - '14. OL. SJU, Anthony Ekholm - '15. ATH. UST track & field, Tommy Fleetham - '15. LB. St. Olaf, Keontay Shorter - '18. DB. Bemidji State, Gerone Hamilton - '18. OL. Howard University, Jack Anderson '18. LB. Western Illinois/SCSU/UW-La Crosse, Ryan Mazurek - '18. TE. South Dakota, Tommy Shelstad - '19. LB. St. Thomas, David Alimo - '17. DB. UMary, Jason Miller '18. OL. Bethel University, Tristin Wiggins - '20. DB. NDSCS, Tommy Mahoney - '20. LB. UST/SJU, Bryce Boyd - '21. WR. St. Thomas, Theo Doran - '21. QB. St. Olaf, Charlie Broveleit - '22. OL. Hamline, Ryan Bercich - '22. LB. SJU   Summary:   Spearheaded by arguably the best Minnesotan to ever play pro football in WR Larry Fitzgerald, the Holy Angels Stars solidified themselves as a member of MN's top producers of high school talent thanks to an ultra-talented run of recruits in the 2000s and the recent P5-status of RB Emmett Johnson, the 2021 Mr. Football in our great state. For a smaller private school, AHA sure knows how to attract talent, as well as develop it, and show off solid depth of top-end talent as well as non-D1 success stories for a school of its size. They were strongly aided by their exciting run of state championship caliber squads in 2013 & 2014, both of which were cut short by another member of this list, and whose teams created a run of college football commits that the younger kids followed and added to. Mikias Alipate was one of the hardest hitters I've ever seen, as was Connor McCarthy, a good friend of mine and another SW MPLS native. Their LBs have been especially talented, with almost all of their commits going on to find a ton of success in college. The bottom line is AHA punches above their weight class in the recruiting department and have put out more top-end talent than schools twice and triple their size. I also love how they've strengthened the MIAC, and I've been lucky enough to play with and against some former Holy Angels standouts at the college level. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Stars. Welcome to the list, Holy Angels!   In 2023, Holy Angels was home to 2023s WR1 in UMD commit [player_tooltip player_id='112101' first='Chuck' last='Gilbert'], who held a Minnesota PWO, and two potentially big-time JUCO prospects in DE [player_tooltip player_id='112068' first='Joe' last='Miller'] IV and the athletic 6'3 DB [player_tooltip player_id='312909' first='Jaylen' last='Boehm-Peterson']. There's also some enticing young bucks on the rise, with 6'3, 200 lb. SS [player_tooltip player_id='1191511' first='Damian' last='Devine'] coming out of the 2025 class and massive 6'6, 280 lb. freshman [player_tooltip player_id='402072' first='Dalton' last='DeBoer'] already having seen varsity action. Fellow freshman [player_tooltip player_id='592223' first='John' last='McCartan'] was also a varsity starter in 2022. With a strong returning OL that includes 2024 Jake Zitek (6'5, 280), 2025 Reese Skelton (6'1, 250), and 2024 Joe Warmka (6', 270), AHA needs some skill position players to step up if they want to get back to the upper-echelon of Class 4A.   --   8) Hutchinson Tigers   P5/FBS Prospects:   Lydon Murtha - '04. OT. Signed to Nebraska   Nathan Swift - '04. WR. Signed to Nebraska   Tony Mortensen - '04. QB. Signed to Minnesota   [player_tooltip player_id='287257' first='Alex' last='Elliott'] - '23. LB. Signed to Minnesota   Russell Corrigan - '20. TE. Signed to Boise State   Other Notable Prospects:   Robbie Grimsley - '15. ATH. Mr. Football. NDSU 3x All-American and 3x All-MVFC First Team, Tory Adams - '14. LB. UMD, Shaun Schindler - '13. LB. MSU-Mankato, Jacob VanderHeiden - '14. OL. South Dakota State, Marcus Hahn - '15. QB. South Dakota State baseball, Adam Elliott - '15. DB. Southwest MN State, Sawyer Witt - '15. OL. MSU-Mankato, Brandon Yira - '19. OL. Southwest MN State, Riese Renville - '19. OL. Ridgewater CC/SJU, Ethan Beffert - '20. DL. UMD, Connor Drahos - '20. DL. UW-River Falls, Jordan Titus - '21. DL. St. Thomas, Tristan Hoppe - '21. LB. Sioux Falls, Colin Nagel - '22. TE. UMD, Simon Broersma - '21. OL. Bethel University, Sam Rensch - '22. WR. Augustana basketball. SDSU and UNI football offers, [player_tooltip player_id='112070' first='Levi' last='Teetzel'] - '23. LB. Augustana   Summary:   The town of a little under 15K is undoubtedly Minnesota's top producer of high school and college football talent from the Outstate and has put out an inordinate amount of talented and high-profile recruits for a Midwestern town of its size. Headlined by that unreal 2004 class, with both Nebraska signees going onto earn All-Big12 distinction, Hutchinson got a big boost in these rankings due to their strong of recent high top-tier prospects during the beginning of the 2020s. I think it's also worth mentioning that the Tigers were fantastic as a program during the time between their P5/FBS commits, winning three state titles and appearing in the state tournament over 10 times as well. They are undoubtedly a perennial name and contender in the MN high school football landscape, and with their intimidating black & gold jerseys and aggressive, massive prospects, have struck fear in the hearts of many during the falls of the 2000s. Robbie Grimsley was one of the most natural and versatile high school players I've ever had the pleasure to watch, and watching him and Tory Adams personally dismantle some of my friends on the Holy Angels 2013-14 squad in the state championship was a wakeup call for a younger Oliver who had yet to realize the type of toughness and physicality the non-Metro manufactures. He also is a good example and representation of his fellow Hutch football grads, who are generally two-way contributors and are physically imposing and dynamic athletes no matter the position. A lot of them have gone onto find a ton of collegiate success as well, and although it's harder to track graduates before Hudl they are put out primarily DII and FCS commits during the 2010s and onward, a trend not shared by many on this list, and this all comes from a school of under 900 students. I'm happy to have Outstate representation on this list and Hutchinson's top-end talent over the years speaks for itself. What exactly is in the water in Hutch?   The Tigers are no doubt graduating some heavy hitters and will greatly miss the talent and experience of Elliott, Teetzel, [player_tooltip player_id='19007' first='Logan' last='Hoppe'] (unsigned), [player_tooltip player_id='383730' first='Kyle' last='Schumann'] (unsigned), and the electric 2022 stat-monster AJ Ladwig (unsigned). However, there are impressive prospects ready to take their turn in the spotlight, namely OL [player_tooltip player_id='242403' first='Anton' last='Kadlec'], a PRzMN Showcase recent standout who is a total mauler in the run game. Additionally, 6'4, QB [player_tooltip player_id='348683' first='Logan' last='Butler'] is a total sleeper in the rising seniors QB class with good junior film and D1 potential, 6'3, 210 lb. Andrew Lipke is yet another Hutchinson two-way standout with great size, and RB Carter Verhasselt is ready to take over as RB1 and has been productive in his budding career so far. Hutch, as they're known to do, has reloaded.   --   9) Breck Mustangs   P5/FBS Prospects:   Bryce McNeal - '09. DB. Signed to Clemson   Brandon Robinson - '04. DB. Signed to Boston College   Dominique Byrd - '02. TE. Signed to USC   Jordon McMichael - '06. TE. Signed to Boston College   Liam O'Hagan - '04. QB. Signed to Harvard. Colorado, Minnesota, Vanderbilt offers   Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman - '16. WR. Signed to Northwestern   David Roddy - '19. QB. Colorado State basketball. Wyoming, NDSU, South Dakota, UNI football offers   Other Notable Prospects   Kwaku Bodom - '15. LB. Carleton College All-MIAC, Graydon Kulick - '15. QB. Davidson College, Karsten Salveson - '15. OL. Williams College, Jorgen & Soren Salveson - WR/OL. St. Olaf College, Elijah Zackery - '19. WR. Rhodes College, Peter Fadlovich - '19. OL. WashU, Charlie Ryks - '22. QB. St. John's, [player_tooltip player_id='312952' first='Waziri' last='Lawal'] - '23. ATH   Summary:   I was embarrassingly unaware of just how big of a hotbed Breck High School was in the 2000s. McNeal, McMichael, and Robinson were 4-star prospects coming out of high school, O'Hagan committed to Harvard over three P5 offers, and Byrd played in the U.S. Army All-American game and was a 3rd round draft pick in the NFL who played for five years. That is some serious high-end talent, especially for a school of around 1,000 most known for their hockey teams. That recruiting prowess during the 2000s was almost incomparable in the state and was a big reason the Mustangs made the list as a Top-10 MN recruiting producer of the 2000s, and their case was only strengthened by Ramaud Chiaokhioa-Bowman's dominance in the early 2010s and the multi-sport monster that was David Roddy. I could go on and on about the amount of gridiron talent the state has lost to basketball over the years, but both Bowman and Roddy were dang good football players and gave the Mustangs the juice during the 2010s that kept them competitive in the recruiting landscape. Additionally, they've put some talented players into highly-touted, high-academic college programs with big names like Carleton, Williams, Rhodes, WashU, and dare I say, St. Olaf. That combination of great schools and top end talent made Breck too hard to ignore when talking MN's top high school football recruiting programs as of late.   The Mustangs have graduated back-to-back ballers in '22 Charlie Ryks (SJU) and still-uncommitted multi-sporter [player_tooltip player_id='312952' first='Waziri' last='Lawal'], so someone is going to have to step up next fall to stay around the .500 mark. However, '24s Nate Miller (5'10, 180), Oliver Kadue (6', 180), and Brady Bjerke (6', 180) are experienced and productive on both sides of the ball, as all three of them were Breck's top tacklers in 2022, and fellow rising senior Nick Berney will be ready to prove himself as a RB in his senior year. Go Mustangs!   --   10) Hopkins Royals   P5/FBS Prospects:   Andre McDonald - '12. WR. Signed to Minnesota   John Carlson - '04. QB. Signed to Minnesota   Harry Momoh - '15. LB. Signed to Wyoming   Boye Mafe - '17. DE. Signed to Minnesota   Fred Schroeder - '14. OL. Signed to Ball State   Joey Mydra - '15. LB. Signed to Minnesota (PWO)   RJ Chakolis - '21. LB. Signed to New Mexico State   Deonte Bryant - '21. DE. Signed to Central Michigan   Lee Hutton - '22. DB. Signed to Wisconsin (PWO)   Other Notable Prospects:   Zac Merie - '13. ATH. St. Thomas, JT DenHartog - '13. QB. UMD/UWEC, David Cliett - '13. RB. Gustavus Adolphus, Ty Johnson - '13. TE. UW-Stout, Terrance Bowers - '14. WR. UMD, Andre Chisley - '14. LB. NDSCS/Bemidji State, Taj Winston - '15. WR. St. Scholastica, Zach Haley - '15. LB. Southwest MN State/2x HS rugby AA, Bill Atkins - '15. DB. UMD Second Team All-NSIC, Zy Mosley - '15. CB. South Dakota State, Tyler Lee - '15. QB. Southwest MN State, Kevion McDonald - '15. WR. UW-Stout First & Second Team All-WIAC, Andy Aune - '16. LB. South Dakota/CSP, Kyle Johnson - '15. DE. MSU-Mankato, Shaheed Hickman - '14. ATH. MSU-Mankato track, Chris Rozek - '13. DE. St. Thomas, DT Williams - '15. RB. Southwest MN State, Dylan Drone - '16. OL. UW-Stout, Webb Bolstad - '15. DL. Southwest MN State, Deyon Campbell - '17. WR. South Dakota State, Malik Lofton - '17. DB. South Dakota State, Bennett Van Dellen - '17. OL. Cornell University, Mannie Kugmeh - '16. WR. Bemidji State, Demarcus Williams - '16. LB. Augsburg, Kyle Miller - '17. OL. St. Scholastica, Andrew Myers - '17. OL. St. Scholastica, Jadon Washington - '19. RB. Iowa Central CC, Jimmy Murphy - '21. TE. VMI, BJ Murff - '20. DB. UMD, James Klecker - '19. LB. St. Thomas, AJ Cambell - '21. LB. Bemidji State, Yakob Ekoue - '19. TE. UW-Eau Claire, Cayden Saxon - '19. DB. St. John's, Aaron Aune - '22. LB. St. John's, [player_tooltip player_id='112051' first='Jai' last='Kalvik'] - '23. OL. UW-River Falls   Summary:   Rounding out the 10 best recruiting programs of the 2000s in Minnesota goes to yet another former Lake Conference competitor in Hopkins High School. It came down to the wire with fellow Lake Conference foe Minnetonka as well as Woodbury High School, who both have had big-time prospects come out of their halls since the turn of the new century, but Hopkins came out ahead due to the quantity, the top-end talent that came out in the 2010, and the freakish athletes that have come out of the high school. Boye Mafe was one of the best athletes MN has ever produced, and I shouldn't have to get too in-depth about the historic legacy of Hopkins' basketball teams and some of the freak athletes that complete their alumni list as well. Yes, this isn't basketball, but even the kids who went to play football at the DIII level were on another plane of athleticism. Minnesota is not generally known for its skill players, but if you're in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and in need of a skill position then Hopkins High School is a must-stop and seemingly always home to a big, fast, and strong prospect ready for the bright lights.   Although Hopkins has began to take some beatings at the 6A level, competitiveness does fluctuate and Hopkins is always home to recruits worth checking out. Next season, '24s Jaxson Evans-Curry (RB, 6', 200), [player_tooltip player_id='105399' first='Maverick' last='Meschke'] (OT, 6'3, 265), and Demarco Pinckney (OL, 6'3, 300) have the size to assert some dominance in the run game, with fellow rising seniors Owen Hall (WR, 6'2, 160), Terrance Smith (QB, 6', 150), and Sean Lucas Brace (WR, 5'10, 150) all hoping to make some waves and showing the means to do it as well. Go Royals!   --   Honorable Mentions   Woodbury Royals   Minnetonka Skippers   Minnehaha Academy/SMB Wolfpack   Minneapolis North Polars   Minneapolis Washburn Millers   Marshall Tigers   Rosemount Irish   Mounds View Mustangs   Delasalle Islanders   Armstrong Falcons

I'm feeling well acquainted with Minnesota's 2025 class after publishing the updated rankings more than a week ago. Since the update went live, we've broken down the sophomores top stock risers and newcomers as well as almost every position group on the gridiron, highlighting over 100 Minnesota sophomores from the Iron Range to the Iowa border. For the sake of variety, not to mention I've been wanting to do an article like this for a while, PRzMN is switching it up in this special feature taking a broader and more historic look at Minnesota high school recruiting as a whole. Like any prep football fanatic, I'm constantly scouring rosters, recruiting classes, and news clips on past and present players to see who played where, who was good, whose dad/brother/uncle was a stud, etc., and I'll be using all the research I can get my hands on in order to name Minnesota's Best Recruiting Hotbeds. Dating back to 2000, I used the number of high-profile recruits, the number of overall college recruits, their collegiate success, and some contextual factors to name the Top-10 historically strongest high school programs in the state. Hopefully the results surprise you, as contrary to what some may think the top recruiting hotbeds do not all reside in the Metro. Also, this is just a fun little exercise for our enjoyment and I hope people don't take the list too seriously. In a perfect world, I would try to find every college recruit/player every school as ever produced, but time is always of the essence I spent days putting in time to research dozens of programs around the state. Thanks for reading and I hope our readers enjoy the special PRzMN feature. I had a blast putting it together.