PrepRedzoneMN 2024 Rankings Update: 24 Standout Metro Prospects
In this article:
I hope you guys have enjoyed this latest round of PrepRedzoneMN rankings updates. Between the introduction of the 2026 rankings and the updates of the 2025 and 2024 classes, PRzMN has ranked 395 players with an additional 300+ names waiting…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingI hope you guys have enjoyed this latest round of PrepRedzoneMN rankings updates. Between the introduction of the 2026 rankings and the updates of the 2025 and 2024 classes, PRzMN has ranked 395 players with an additional 300+ names waiting in the ranks of the watchlist, and I’ve personally published 18 (soon to be 19) articles since the 2026s rankings went live in mid-January covering the names, game, and recruitments of prospects from Minnesota’s returning graduating classes from the Iron Range to the Iowa border and everywhere in between. We’ve now reached the final feature, and before we dig in I want to take a quick second to remind you guys that the rankings are far from finalized, and we’ll have another micro-update for all classes before the season gets done, so if you’re not happy with your ranking, know someone I missed, or have a question, you can respectfully contact me at: oliver@prepredzone.com! This isn’t just my job, it’s my life, so I’m always thinking about and on the hunt for the next great Minnesota high school football player.
Speaking of great MN prep ballers, the Twin Cities metro is once again stacked with talent, and I’m excited to present 24 new evaluations on standout 2024 Metro recruits from all parts of MPLS, St. Paul, and the surrounding suburbs. A lot of these dudes are newcomers to the rankings or made significant improvements in their skillsets and ranking status, so we have a lot to get to and I won’t waste anymore of y’alls time. Let’s get to know these 24 Standout Metro 2024 prospects below! Thanks for reading.
—
When I was in high school and really beginning to find my footing as an MN prep football recruiting fan, the Stillwater Ponies were best represented in my mind by the likes of Nate Ricci and Brooks Carroll, so the big-school program right on the Wisconsin border has always made me think of offensive weapons and particularly, wide receivers. I’m ecstatic about the crop of 2024 pass catchers the Ponies have on roster this upcoming fall, and the dynamic duo will be led by 6’2, 185 lber. Joe Hoheisel. This dude came into December’s PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase and tore it up, popping off an especially impressive showing during 1-on-1s that helped him earn WR MVP honors from the event. It was a great start to his junior year offseason, and he’s got a plethora of college coaches following him from FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO levels of competition. An All-Conference pick from last season, Hoheisel posted 44 catches for 612 yards and 9 TDs and I really like how he uses that big frame to his advantage. Either from the slot or out on the perimeter, Hoheisel possesses ball skills, contested catch capability, soft hands, and strength after the catch, and that size and strength helps him work through press coverage at the LOS. He opens his tape with a massive truck stick after the catch, and I love how he often he won deep balls through tight coverage in 2022. Also plays basketball and holds a 4.0 GPA!
The proverbial lightning to previously mentioned Hoheisel’s thunder, fellow Stillwater Ponies WR Tanner Schmidt was another All-Conference wideout in 2022 and was a 5’11, 175 lb. big play machine that averaged 20 yards a catch and finished the fall with 39 receptions for 779 yards and 9 TDs. The speedster can take the top off the defense, is quick and balanced after the catch, and shows off impressive body control that allowed him to perfectly play the ball in the air and come down with some highlight-reel catches where he perfectly floats through the air, snags the ball out of the air, and tip-toes inbounds, sometimes through contact. Schmidt, along with his standout physical tools, shows off tremendous concentration and focus, along with soft hands, that help catch anything that comes in his vicinity. Some of his releases at the LOS are eye-catching as well. Schmidt is fresh off his first college offer from MSU-Mankato on the 20th and has also visited SDSU and Winona State this offseason.
Highlights
Another PRzMN Showcase standout from this past December, Mounds View Mustang OLB Evan Hatton had a heckuva personal showing at the Stock-Up event and showed off a muscular 6’1, 205 build, COD skills, and some impressive comfortability in pass coverage. He came in and posted a 4.72 40, 4.44 short-shuttle, 8’11” broad jump, and 7.2 L-drill, and earlier this month the rising senior visited Grand Forks and UND Fighting Hawks for his first college football visit. Hatton also balled out on the gridiron last fall and earned All-Conference and Conference Co-Defensive POY honors while leading the conference in TFLs and sacks (29.5 combined). On tape, he lived in opponents’ backfields and was productive off the edge both unblocked and blocked, and I enjoyed watching him attack blocking attempts with physicality. The TFL and sack numbers were also aided by Hatton’s closing speed and ability to tackle in space and out on the edge, and when he makes contact with opponents he does a good drive of driving ball carriers backward. He’s a part of a loaded crop of 2024 LBs in MN and a good one at that.
Highlights
At 6’1, 210 lbs., Champlin Park Rebel linebacker Matthew Heinen is yet another standout and well-built LB from this 2024 class and is going into his third year starting in the varsity LB room of the Rebels. An All-District HM pick in 2022 who holds a 4.09 GPA, Heinen posted 51 tackles, 15 TFLs, and 3 sacks as a junior and is sure to best those numbers during his upcoming senior campaign. Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State, Northern Illinois, and St. Thomas have gotten junior day visits from the Rebels LB this offseason as well. #40 reads his keys and finds, reacts, and flows to the ball quickly and smoothly, and is also a strong kid who eat and bounce off blocks well and deliver some bone-crunching hits on ball carriers. Heinen is a good combination of speed and strength with a high motor and the ability to pursue and run down plays way out on the edge of his defense. This won’t be the last Champlin Park prospect mentioned in this PRzMN feature, so Rebel fans, stay tuned!
The Champlin Park Rebels are well represented on both sides of the ball after our PRzMN 2024 rankings update went live a couple of weeks back, and helping lead the charge of the rising seniors is defensive lineman Nicholas Joseph. With good size for a prep defensive lineman at 6’3, 230 pounds, Joseph has earned recruiting attention from the likes of Macalester, Dakota Wesleyan, SDSU, Valley City State, Augsburg, Crown College, Jamestown, Concordia-Moorhead, and I really like how he gets off and makes plays through blocks. 1-on-1, doubles and combos, and chips were not enough to stop Joseph in some of his 2022 reps, and I also like how he uses his hands to disengage from opponents as well as get the most out of a tackle when he gets his hands on ball carriers. Good motor on the 6’3, 230 lber. as well!
Highlights
Yet another PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase alum and standout, St. Michael-Albertville rising senior DB Caden Johnson was impressive in all three sections of the event with good showings during testing, individual drills, and 1-on-1 competition. Johnson ran in the low 4.7s in the 40, clocked a 4.44 in the short-shuttle, and jumped 9’2″ in the broad jump twice, and I liked how he used his thick 5’11, 190 lb. frame in a strong 1-on-1 showing that featured a ton of PBUs and technically sound coverage. A versatile strong safety who is impressive, slippery, and occasionally explosive at defeating blocks, Johnson is a strong tackler who can run a clean J-path and make 1-on-1 tackles all over the field, he’s also patient in coverage and can get out of his breaks cleanly to impact throws around the second level of the field. With the success that STMA products have been finding at the next level I am very hopeful about Johnson’s future. He’s visited Winona State, UND, and UST this offseason with a lot more recruiting attention from NSIC schools around the Midwest.
Highlights
Edina is on the come-up and have some exciting prospects waiting in the wings and ready to make 2023 the year of the Hornet. I was very excited to add 6’3, 225 lb. DE Kade Chrysler to the updated 2024 MN rankings, and the rising senior is a solid athlete at his size who also plays outfield on the baseball squad and will captain the football team this upcoming fall. Strong at the point of attack and able to absorb big blocks and double teams while maintaining his gap, I like how Chrysler can complete tackles through contact and has the speed to beat tackles to their outside shoulder. Southwest Minnesota State, Augustana, Concordia-Moorhead, and MSU-Moorhead have all reached out with junior day invites.
Highlights
A big, athletic, and playmaking new addition to the 2024 PRzMN rankings, Forest Lake’s Nolan Dumonceaux is yet another Ranger prospect who I’ve become a big fan of since the fall of ’22 and is a three-sport athlete and captain with a 3.8 GPA. An All-District SS last fall, Dumonceaux posted 63 tackles, 6 TFLs, 3 sacks, and an interception, and I like how he tracks and closes on the ball in run support and sneakily works under and into passing lanes when playing in the MOF. He made plays all over the field and no matter where he lined up, exploding through the LOS to sack the QB in the backfield, close space and play with good angles out on the edge, intercept shorter passes around the hook/curl & flats, and break up passes downfield. He can come downhill and make 1-on-1 tackles impressively as well. With a balanced and dynamic defensive skillset, the likes of Augustana, MSU-Moorhead, SMSU, Bemidji State, Valparaiso, and MSU-Mankato have all reached out with junior day invites. The Forest Lake defense is going to be outrageous in 2023!
A big stock-riser and dark horse in the Minnesota 2024 QB race, I was fortunate enough to check out STA’s Maximus Sims all the way down here in the Sunshine State at a NEXTGEN event, where the rising senior impressed me with his arm strength, touch, and timing during the 1-on-1 portion of the afternoon. I was impressed before I even figured out it was the same Maximus Sims from my home state, and was stoked to see him earn a scholarship offer in the recent MSU-Mankato flurry around a week ago. It was well deserved, as the gunslinger brings a talented, athletic, and still-developing game to his QB room that continues to improve and thrives in competitive settings. As a junior with the 5A heavyweight Cadets, Sims made plays with both his arms and his legs, displaying the ability to take off and hurt defenses with big runs as well as successfully complete accurate throws on the run. As a passer, I really like how he can put the ball on a rope and fit the ball into tight windows through good coverage. Just like in person, his touch on deeper passes looks good as well. More scholarship offers are coming!
Highlights
Another tall drink of water in the Robbinsdale Cooper wide receiver room, 6’3 Talan Williams also plays safety and is poised for a breakout season in 2023 after putting some solid, albeit limited, reps on tape as a junior. Uses his length well when working back to the football and slipping through tackles after the catch, and I really like how much ground he covers from the defensive secondary in both run and pass support. Long, rangy, and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty either. Winona State and Southwest Minnesota State have reached out with junior day invites.
An exciting new addition to the 2024 PRzMN updated rankings out of the 612, Delasalle’s well-built 6’3, 240 lb. DE Keenan Paschall had me fired up when he came onto my radar and will be a monster for the Islanders as a senior. Resembling a bowling ball out on the gridiron, Paschall has a variety of pass-rushing moves he can successfully throw out against MPLS competition, and I also like how he works flat down the LOS when chasing down runs from his backside DE spot. Quick for his size, good motor, and was productive last fall, Paschall also can make plays from all over the defensive line, and I’m hoping to get out and see him in person this coming fall once we move back to MN. MSU-Moorhead, Carroll University, and Southwest MN State have reached out with junior day invites, and Augustana already got a visit from the rising senior. Keep your eyes and ears open for this dude next fall.
Buffalo has some physically imposing defensive in their 2024 class and will be led along their defensive line by 6’2, 230 lb. DE Malik Winfield. Although he’s still rehabbing his ankle from a surgery in December, Winfield put together some good junior tape and is a strong defensive lineman who stuffs and works off blocking attempts with his punch and heavy hands. He can also eat cut blocks with his strong lower body and has the motor to chase and run down loose ball carriers far downfield and out on the edge. Also has some dominant blocks out in space when playing TE. No reported recruiting interest or offers right now so get at him!
Highlights
One of the best and most accomplished returning defenders in the former Minneapolis City Conference going into the fall, Minneapolis Patrick Henry’s 6’3, 215 lb. defensive end Leevy Barron posted 48 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, a PBU, and half a sack last fall and earned District DL POY honors for his efforts. Good get-off and first step, can tackle and make plays in space when given the opportunity, and can dominate smaller and/or weaker opponents in the trenches. I want to see that production go up as a senior, and if he can add some more weight he’s going to be very hard to handle for the Patriot’s competition next fall.
Highlights
Benilde-St. Margaret’s 6’2, 160 lb. signal-caller Nirvaan Yogarajah was a talented and productive newcomer to the PRzMN 2024 QB and overall rankings and had a good junior season despite some of the ’22 woes of the Red Knights. He went 184-301 (61%) for 2,594 yards and 18 TDs but did throw almost as many INTs with 15, but a lot of that could be nerves of a first-year starter and trying to do a little too much with his arm. There’s a ton to look forward to however, as BSM has a ton of offensive experience returning and a particularly talented WR corps ready to make plays, and combining that with Yogarajah’s ability to stretch the field, successfully & excitedly scramble, and complete throws to all three levels of the field with accuracy and you have the makings of a potent and potentially explosive passing attack. The rankings newcomer has a great shot of rising up the big board after next season’s completion.
Another big, long, and athletic defensive back out of Apple Valley, rising senior William Washington earned some exciting D1 gameday visits from the fall with Northern Illinois, Minnesota, and North Dakota State all reaching out. NIU followed it up with a junior day invite in February as well, and he’s fresh off that visit to DeKalb and posted some pictures from the trip three days ago to Twitter. Washington has the speed to carry and stay on top of faster wideouts downfield, is technically sound and displays good eye discipline, is clean in his footwork when he gets out of his breaks, and is a strong tackler who can handle speedy and/0r larger ball carriers in the open field. He’s a kid I’ll be keeping tags on earnestly over the course of the offseason and fall and the CB has a big shot of rising significantly up the rankings come next update.
Highlights
There’s always a few prospects whose rankings I don’t feel 100% sure about when the updated rankings go live, and Minneapolis North’s Azrie Yeager definitely qualifies under that categorization. The younger brother of NC A&T quarterback Zach, the younger Yeager mans the offensive line and is an athletic and talented 6’2, 280 lber. with good tape who is under-ranked right now. Fresh off his first offer from NSIC perennial contender MSU-Mankato, Yeager is balanced and controlled for his size and created some big hits and nasty finishes on all kinds of blocks during the 2022 season. Especially explosive when pulling, Yeager can also easily wash opponents out of the play and take advantage when a defender gets off-balance or out of position. Low pad level, good leg drive, and also made some big plays in the backfield when playing DL. Can line up all over both the OL and DL and find success in a ton of different 1-on-1 situations. North plays strong competition as well so that shouldn’t be taken for granted either.
Highlights
Good size for the prep QB position at 6’3, 210 pounds, Blaine’s signal-caller Frank Daniels also holds a 3.84 GPA and took a junior day visit to South Dakota State back in February. A good athlete with mobility to successfully move around the pocket as well as take off and hurt defenses with big runs, Daniels throws a good deep ball and can complete passes through contact and a big hit bearing down on him. He’s a big play waiting to happen!
Another athletic lineman out of the former Twin Cities conferences, St. Paul Central’s 6’1, 275 lb. OC, OG, and defensive tackle Alex Dreher is one of a few Minutemen doing a good job of reincarnating Central’s recruiting legacy, and I was absolutely stoked to see him visit my alma mater St. Olaf earlier this month. I would be very fired up if he decided to be an Ole next recruiting cycle, but they’re far from the only program in contention as Winona State also got a junior day visit and NDSU, MSU-Moorhead, SMSU, UMD, MSU-Mankato, and Augustana have all sent recruiting graphics and information. Dreher sticks and freezes opponents at initial contact with a solid punch and good hand placement, and uses a solid base, low pad level, and good leg drive to work defenders backward and into the ground. With great balance for his size and position, Dreher is also a vicious blocker at the second level of the field and created some massive hits when asked to pull or work around the LOS. Strong, physical finisher with a good motor and a bit of a nasty streak that I love to see out of OL recruits. There is a ton to like in his game and he pulled off some of the most painful-looking and physical finishes I saw out of the 2024 OL class. Get out of his way next fall!
Highlights
Yet another impressive Park of Cottage Grove defensive back, 5’10, 180 lb. free safety Brett Salmonson earned First Team All-District honors last fall after going off in the production department to the tune of 112 total tackles, 6 PBUs, 4 INTs, a FF, and a TFL. I’m a big fan of the tape, as Salmonson did a great job of staying around the football in pass coverage from the MOF. He did a good job of sticking his cleat in the ground and breaking up passes in front of him and in the second level of the field, and he also showed the speed to make a play on the ball when working underneath a pass. Also can make tackles around the box and in space and 1-on-1 settings while coming downhill in prototypical safety fashion. Balanced skillset for the safety position and has been hit up by a ton of DII and DIII programs this offseason. Augustana has gotten a visit so far. Go Wolfpack!
Highlights
There are some very promising prospects in Saint Agnes’s 2024 class, and the Aggies will be led defensively by 6’2, 215 lb. DE Cadman Foley. The district’s Most Valuable Lineman last fall, Foley helped lead St. Agnes to an 8-2 record and conference championship and has been working hard this offseason, recently posting a 275 lb. bench, 265 lb. power clean, and 420 lb. squat to just nearly miss the 1,000-pound club. The likes of MSU-Moorhead, Valley City State, UW-River Falls, Augustana, and SMSU have all reached out this offseason, and they, just like PRzMN, must like Foley’s size, violent and active hands, and ability to get opponents to the ground as a blocker or block defeater. Foley is great at shucking opponents aside with impressive ease, and he’s got a good understanding of leverage and takes advantage of missteps and misbalance when engaged with a blocker. Also strong enough to bounce off physical block attempts and halts ball carriers in their tracks when he gets ahold of them. Athletic, strong, and balanced, Foley posted 21 tackles, 14 TFLs, 5 sacks, and one FF and looked good doing it.
The second part of the dynamic St. Agnes duo, the Aggies‘ offense will be spearheaded by 6’2, 200 lb. QB Landen Mickelson, who earned an All-District nod in 2022 and is also a standout member of the school’s baseball team. Mickelson posted 1,430 passing yards and 22 TDs in 2022, and oh my gosh you have to check out the truck stick he lays on a Breck defender in the third or fourth play of his highlights. He sent that kid FLYING and continues in the rest of his tape with strong-armed deep shots, accurate throws on the move, and excellent maneuverability inside the pocket. Athletic dual-threat with a physical edge is my kind of QB. Mickelson visited UND earlier this month and has also received recruiting graphics from UW-River Falls, Crown College, Augustana, NDSU, MSU-Mankato, UW-Stout, and Winona State.
Possesses eye-catching size as a 6’6, 250+ pound defensive lineman and tight end for the 6A heavyweight Eden Prairie Eagles. Dennis Rahouski visited Wyoming early in March and received a camp invite from Western Illinois, and with his great size on a big-school state title contender, I think his recruiting his far from done. Great length, strong punch at the point of attack that can halt bigger offensive linemen, and is a crushing blocker that overwhelms opponents and can open big holes in the second level of the defense. Rahouski has as good of a chance of moving significantly up the rankings as anyone on the entire 2024 big board. Keep your eyes out for this kid!
—