Freshman Friday | 2026 Players to Watch 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;OscarGalindo30&nbsp;in the coupon code area.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We missed Freshman Friday last week, but we are back with part FIVE of featuring 2025 prospects. Check out these rising underclassmen as they head into their sophomore season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='212372' first='DaShawn' last='Prince'] | 2026 | WR/DB | Omaha Benson | 6"3" 175 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17657220/Dashawn-Prince" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DaShawn1213" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One player that I'm excited to see back on the field in 2023 is Benson WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id='212372' first='DaShawn' last='Prince']. Dashawn was a player riding a nice wave last summer after tearing it up in 7v7 and earning an early offer from Nebraska. However, an injury early in the season sidelined him for the good majority of his freshman campaign. Recently, Dashawn has gone back to showing why he is one of, if not, the top 2026 prospect in the state. He already has the frame and length to dominate at 6'3" with long arms and great hops. He does a great job elevating and is practically automatic in jump ball situations. As a safety, he can cover a lot of ground with his long stride and closing speed. Very impressive prospect that will continue to pick up D1 interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='360014' first='Elijah' last='Mitchell'] | WR/DB | Omaha North | 5'8" 175 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18180740/Elijah-Mitchell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/elimitchell___" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An underrated member of a deep 2026 receiver class. Elijah will have the chance to step into a bigger role in the Vikings offense as a sophomore. Mitchell really impressed me during last summer's Wideouts camp and at NELITE practices. What stands out the most to me is his route running and explosiveness in is breaks. Elijah has developed top-tier footwork and can run some really crisp routes. He has strong hands that are reliable and can hold on through contact. Mitchell has also shown a lot of promise at DB, where he has displayed solid, disciplined coverage skills. Watch out for Elijah to be a carve out a nice role for himself on either side of the ball next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18180740/63750a66a0237c0e0cfceb4e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640bf9c2ebdc2"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='533086' first='Owen' last='Plagge'] | DL/K/P | Elkhorn South | 5'10" 180 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17855380/Owen-Plagge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/plagge_owen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owen was one of the players that submitted his tape for a review in one of my recent tweets so I'll do it on here. Owen was a bit of a utility player for the Storm's freshman team as he played on the defensive line while kicking and punting as well. His high effort really stood out on tape as he was making plays in the backfield and special teams with some blocked kicks. He is still on the smaller end for defensive line, so maybe a move to linebacker could help him stand out at the JV/Varsity level. His extra points looked accurate and seemed to have solid power to them, I'll have to see more clips to see what kind of distance Owen can get with his leg.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17855380/633f859c34491603fc3f5ebc' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640bf9c2ebe0d"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='402163' first='Preston' last='Wagner'] | DL/OL | Fremont | 6'1" 275 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17950397/Preston-Wagner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/PrestonWagner65" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fremont Tigers have a solid group of bigs going into 2023. [player_tooltip player_id='402163' first='Preston' last='Wagner'] looked like a very promising player in the trenches during his freshman season. He plays with good intensity and is explosive out of his stance. One thing I found interesting is that Preston now reports at 275 pounds which will make him even tougher to handle at the line of scrimmage. He already showed good power at the line, but this will give him a boost to win 1v1s more frequently. I'm also expecting to see more of Preston on the offensive line as they see key members graduate this offseason. High upside player that should develop nicely!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17950397/6330a26e19a68004fc70b2fd' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640bf9c2ebe92"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='487565' first='Coy' last='Vrbka'] | RB/DL | Shelby-Rising City | 6'1" 190 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16556316/Coy-Vrbka" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/VrbkaCoy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Shelby-Rising City Huskies fielded a pretty young team that saw several bright spots with the underclassmen. One of them was [player_tooltip player_id='487565' first='Coy' last='Vrbka'] who played on both sides of the ball at fullback and defensive end. Vrbka is a player that already has good size for his age and can continue to add mass and muscle to his frame. He is a tough player with a lot of raw abilities. He didn't carry the ball much, but he did use his physical, gritty play to open run lanes as a blocker. He was used a lot in short down situations and down in the redzone where he ran in 3 touchdowns from inside the five. He showed some nice skills gaining the edge on defense and disrupting opposing rushing attacks. Depending on how he continues to grow, he could be a solid EDGE rusher/OLB. Definitely a player that can develop into a high-caliber producer for the Huskies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16556316/635b3d8aa681451360cc3302' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640bf9c2ebeb9"} /--> <!-- wp:separator {"className":"is-style-wide"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Make sure to follow @PrepRedzoneNE on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all your Nebraska prep recruiting news.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->