PrepRedzoneMN 2024 Rankings Update: Biggest Stock-Risers
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I can’t lie, the rankings updates can be hard work. It can be emotionally taxing to rank the players you root for you above each other, there are hours & hours of watching film required, and the agony of over-evaluating…
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Continue ReadingI can’t lie, the rankings updates can be hard work. It can be emotionally taxing to rank the players you root for you above each other, there are hours & hours of watching film required, and the agony of over-evaluating and overanalyzing the ranking spots can drive you mad. However, I know that at the end of the day, I have it easy, and compared to the work our 12 biggest 2024 rankings stock-risers have put in since the last update I look like I’ve never worked a day in my life. As they say, hard work pays off, and the athletes seeing their rankings improve the most once the PRzMN 2024 official rankings update went live have been working their tails off in weight rooms, practice fields, parks, and stadiums all over the state of Minnesota. Now, during the all-important junior offseason grind, they’ve put themselves in a prime position to start reeling in college offers in droves, and some are already beginning to see the rewards of their labor. Let’s get to know the latest PRzMN 2024 rankings updates biggest stock risers below! Thanks for reading.
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Meet the PRzMN’s 2024 official rankings update’s biggest stock riser! Coming all the way from the watchlist to a Top-20 ranking at #16 overall, things have changed quickly and excitedly for the 6’5, 240 lb. DE out of Blake High School and the SMB Wolfpack program. The fall of ’22 was a breakout season for the junior, who gained valuable experience with the Wolfpack as a sophomore and was ready to level up as an upperclassman, and broke out into the recruiting scene thanks to some added inches and pounds and good production throughout the midway point of his junior season, posting 25 tackles, 6 sacks, and 4 TFLs only a week into October. Iowa State, Minnesota, NIU, Columbia, North Dakota, and Washington all invited him to gameday experiences during the season, and things kept heating up in the winter with Kansas State, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota State, and Minnesota stopped by Blake to talk to the DE in person. At the end of January, things reached a turning point when Central Michigan became his first college offer, and Princeton, UPenn, and Air Force quickly followed the next month. In a surprising twist, Borene – who was gaining P5 traction on the recruiting trail – abruptly shut down his recruitment and committed to play Ivy League football for Princeton. You’ll see recruits who are more academic-oriented commit earlier into the process, and with him going to Blake there is an alignment with that argument, and anyway you go about it, it’s a heckuva pickup for the Tigers. Borene possesses a ton of length, a great get-off, proficiency, and comfortability when tackling in space, and active hands when working through blocks. For a kid of his size, I like his speed in pursuit when running down the ball, and he showed some solid reps of him beating OTs to either shoulder. If he can continues to progress and develop like he has been then FBS and P5s are going to continue to kick the tires. SMB’s pass rush is terrifying next year!
Highlights
The biggest in-ranking level-up goes to our second hottest stock riser in Mankato West 6’4, 250 lber. Greg Meidl Greg Meidl 6’4″ | 250 lbs | OL Mankato West | 2024 State MN . Up 155 spots to #15 overall in the class of 2024, Meidl is the darkhorse of the 2024 OL class and is still on the up-and-up, seeing Army-West Point, Sioux Falls, and MSU-Mankato offers fly in since March rolled around. Coming out of 5A powerhouse Mankato West is a big plus, as is his state playoff experience the last two seasons along the Scarlets varsity OL, and with a still-growing but already strong and powerful 6’4, 250 lb. frame that could hold a ton more weight, he presents a tantalizing package for collegiate OL coaches. His tape shows off a lot more strength and physical dominance than some of his ’24 MN OL counterparts, with crushing initial hits and finishes on traps, down blocks, and in pass pro as well. Meidl also has a solid base, light feet that come in handy in pass protection, hand placement, and leg drive, and can handle all types of blocks around the LOS and in space from the OT position. With so much more room to grow and the physical dominance he’s displaying in the blocking game, I am very excited about Meidl and his potential as a prospect. What a rise for the formerly under-ranked and overlooked offensive lineman!
Our third biggest stock riser of the 2024 PRzMN official rankings update goes to another The Blake School and SMB Wolfpack junior in RB Landon Dillon Landon Dillon 6’0″ | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN . Up 140 spots to just outside the Top 50 at #53 overall, Dillon has massively boosted his game and recruiting stock and, as a guy who loves power backs, has quickly turned into one of my favorite players in the state. At a robust and sturdy 6′, 215 lbs., Dillon posted 853 tough-earned rushing yards and 14 TDs last fall, resulting in recruiting contact with DIII, DII, and FCS programs around the MN footprint. An old-school, downhill, North-South ball carrier with fantastic contact balance, lateral agility, and a thunderous truck stick that crumples tackle attempts, Dillon showed a ton of different ways to beat opponents at the contact point that can consistently make the first man miss and generally needs more than one defender to bring him down. Also has solid speed for his size and playstyle, vision that helps him get the most out of his carries, and a playmaking mentality no matter the situation. Watching him easily run and slip through quality tackle attempts never gets old, though. I’d love to have this dude on my team.
Highlights
East Ridge Raptor WR and returner Deontae Flemino Deontae Flemino 5’11” | 165 lbs | WR East Ridge | 2024 State MN took a big leap in the latest 2024 rankings update, rising from #178 to #103 for a 75-spot increase thanks to his work and dedication to the craft. He’s got the chance to continue to climb as well, as Flemino, at 5’11, 165, shows off big play speed and ability from the wide receiver position. In 2022, he posted 44 receptions for 558 yards and 3 TDs, and since his junior season ended he’s been contacted by the likes of UST, SDSU, Winona State, SMSU, MSUM, Crown, NDSU, Augsburg, UW-River Falls, Yale, Dartmouth, and Drake. The 2023 captain shows off the skills to set up and freeze DBs feet and break off his routes quickly while maintaining speed and momentum. His speed also helps him eat up off-man cushions with ease, and I like how he tracks and plays the ball in the air. He also is great at bringing down catches through contact and big hits, especially for his size, and he’s also a natural at finding the soft holes in zone coverage. As I mentioned, he’s definitely capable of significantly rising up the rankings once again, and with the passing attack the Raptors bring back in 2023, Flemino has the chance to explode in the stat department this fall.
As an avid and excitable fan of power backs and fullbacks, Montevideo 6′, 235 lber. Francis O’Malley Francis O’Malley 6’0″ | 235 lbs | RB Montevideo | 2024 State MN presents as rousing of a package as PRzMN has seen in a while, and things got even better after he brought his talents to Minnetonka last December for the PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase. We verified the size and athletic numbers, most notably his quickness and change of direction skills, and of all the standout and well-developed recruits to compete in the Tonka Dome that Sunday, O’Malley was top 2 when talking the “eye test.” I would not want to see this dude running full-throttle at me, and neither did Minnesota’s high school football competition. O’Malley just rose 71 spots to our #46 overall prospect in the class, and after a slew of DII and FCS junior day invites and recruiting graphics, the Montevideo junior saw his recruitment officially kick off three days ago with a major scholarship offer from MSU-Mankato. The heavyweight NSIC program couldn’t deny O’Malley’s superiority either, and although I’m not a huge comparison guy, I can’t help but get reminded of NDSU’s Hunter Luepke when watching his game. With the speed to take the edge, good vision, powerful cutting ability, and the meanest truck stick in the entire Land of 10,000 Lakes, O’Malley can get up to speed quickly and knows how to use leverage and pad level to bounce defenders off him like a pinball. He also has a sick hurdle a few plays into his junior film and some devastating blocks in pass pro or when lead blocking for his fellow RBs. The combo of speed and strength breaks down defenses over four quarters and can pop off big plays in a variety of ways. What a fun tape to watch! You got a fan in me for life, Francis.
I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: Rochester is loaded in 2023. Only counting Mayo, John Marshall, Lourdes, and Century, the Med City is a must-stop for collegiate programs recruiting Minnesota in 2023-24 and is home to studs on offense, defense, and special teams. Our next biggest stock riser represents the Panthers, and 6’3, 185 lber. Jake Wills Jake Wills 6’3″ | 185 lbs | ATH Rochester Century | 2024 State MN is a good one, seeing his stock rise from the 180s up to #126 overall. The talent and size caught the eye of Winona State OC Isaac Fruechte and the Warriors this fall, and since the season ended he earned junior day and prospect camp invites from SMSU, Augustana, Winona State, MSUM, Upper Iowa, UMD, Sioux Falls, MSU-Mankato, UW-Stout, UWRF, and NDSU. As a WR and DB, Wills made plays all over the field, and showed off a large catch radius, juice after the catch, and speed when closing on the ball in the air in the arms of RBs, WRs, and QBs. Not scared of the big play, I could see him playing offense or defense in college and holds good size with the frame to get massive in college. Keep an eye on the teams and players from the 507 in 2023.
Highlights
Up 52 spots to hold down our #35 overall spot in the PRzMN 2024 official rankings update, Robbinsdale Armstrong’s Langden College Langden College 6’4″ | 220 lbs | DL Armstrong | 2024 State MN is off to a good start this offseason and earned D1 offer #1 on February 10th from the Northern Iowa Panthers. It was a great move by UNI, who recruit the city of Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs very well, and College also checked out Iowa State in March and earned a junior day invite from the Golden Gophers a couple of days ago. At 6’4, 220, College is quick, closes and gets off the ball with speed, and impacts the run and pass game in every game he plays in. His junior film is unedited and needs some work, but it’s still obvious he’s a good athlete at the position with the natural skillset to get after the QB in college. I’m excited to see who is next to throw their name in the mix for College. His older brother is a freshman, walk-on WR at South Dakota as well.
Welcome to the Top 40, Wyatt! Up 26 spots to round out the top-40 overall prospects in the class of 2024, Rogers High School 6’4, 295 lber. Wyatt Bell Wyatt Bell 6’4″ | 295 lbs | OL Rogers | 2024 State MN is another darkhorse in the ’24 OL race and is coming off a great junior campaign that helped lead to one of the best performances out of both the OL and DL groups from the PrepRedzoneMN Stock-Up Showcase. Fellow PRzMN scout Brian Jerzak told me he was the best offensive lineman in attendance, and seeing him run a 5.12 and 5.19 40-yard dash at 6’4, 300 lbs. during the Showcase was an impressive sight to see in its own right. In December, Bell earned his first college football offer from Southwest Minnesota State, and since then MSUM, Winona State, South Dakota, North Dakota, NDSU, and Minnesota have reached out with junior day invites. On tape, Bell brings a ton of pop to the point of attack, and I also love his body control that shows up when he’s shifting laterally, adjusting his feet, and breaking down in space. He’s also a strong and controlled puller who can get to top speed impressively, and I also like how he uses leverage to his advantage and works to get opponents off balance and then into the turf. Honestly, in retrospect, he should be ranked higher, so keep your eyes out for him this offseason, in the coming micro updates, and of course, next fall. Bell is hard to miss.
Highlights
St. Thomas Academy, which was recently named one of Minnesota’s 10 best hotbeds of talent from the 2000s in our PRzMN mega-feature from earlier this month, has a loaded roster going into 2023 and has prospects abound in the latest 2024 official rankings update. A high-profile RB/FB combo, a scholarship-level QB, and a well-built and uber-experienced OL group are made even stronger by 6’4, 220 lb. TE, OT, and defensive lineman Teddy Knapp Teddy Knapp 6’4″ | 225 lbs | DL St. Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN . A captain for the ’23 season and an All-District pick from last fall, Knapp rose 23 spots into the Top 100 at #95 overall and brings length, physicality, and a nasty streak to the table as a blocker. Hand placement, leg drive, and motor all look good, and Knapp looks like he loves mixing it up in the run-blocking game and reacts well to what opposing defensive linemen give him and using it against them. Still is growing into a solid frame and has a ton more room to grow as well. He’s visited San Diego, Wyoming, and Northern Iowa so far this offseason.
The Woodbury Royals have one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the Land of 10,000 Lakes going into the 2023 season and are blessed with an explosive one-two WR punch, which includes our next big stock riser: Quentin Cobb-Butler Quentin Cobb-Butler 5’9″ | 155 lbs | DB Woodbury | 2024 State MN . At 5’9, 155 lbs., QCB is a three-phase contributor on the gridiron and a two-sport standout who will captain both the football and basketball squads in 2023-24. The 2x All-District selection brings a ton of speed to the table, and popped off impressive kick returns and deep completions that not every WR can do. Thanks to a strong lower body, QCB has good contact balance for his size, can powerfully drop his hips to create separation at the top of the route, and can get to top speed from a dead stop smoothly and with pace. He’s elusive after the catch, doesn’t hesitate when reeling in catches over the middle, and is a solid route runner on top of everything else. QCB is easily one of the most explosive WRs in the state and climbed 17 spots in our latest 2024 official rankings update. After a South Dakota State gameday visit in the fall, the likes of South Dakota, SMSU, MSUM, Augustana, St. Thomas, UMD, Bemidji State, Valpo, and SDSU all reached out with junior day invites. Keep an eye out for the Royals amongst the Metro ranks in 2023!
As I’ve been mentioning on Twitter, my choice for the strongest position group after the 2024 PRzMN official rankings update went live goes to the Linebackers. Filled with physically impressive and experienced inside and outside ‘backers, the second strongest position group goes to the defensive line, and our next stock riser is a quality representation from both positions in 6’4, 225 lb. Buffalo High School DE/LB Wyatt Osterbauer. Up 16 spots to #24 overall, and with a ton more potential to continue to climb, Osterbauer has good tape from both defensive spots, along with TE, and hit the D1 recruiting space in March when the South Dakota Coyotes offered an FCS scholarship at the beginning of this month. After that, Iowa State and Minnesota both sent a junior day or spring ball invites, along with UNI, and I’d be very surprised if more Missouri Valley schools don’t get involved when it’s all said and done. In 7 games of 2022 action, Osterbauer posted 67 tackles, 5 TFLs, and a FF, and displayed some noticeable mobility and start/stop skills for a LB of his size in his junior tape. The 6’4, 225 lber. is patient when reading his keys, tracks the ball well, and uses good angles when pursuing ball carriers, and he also does a great job of bringing his hips through contact and exploding through RBs and QBs. He’s simply too massive for blockers to handle and also made some high-pressure catches as a TE that required concentration and athleticism. There are a ton of good things on tape, and I really like him at LB, so we’ll see how these junior day visits and eventual camp circuit continue to develop. More offers coming!
Highlights
I’m pretty happy with the depth in the 2024 QB class, and a ton of gunslingers saw their stock rise once the 2024 rankings update went live, none more so than Waconia’s Austin Randall, who moved up 11 spots to #83 overall in his graduating class. The 6′, 185 lber. is a good athlete and had a strong showing at December’s PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase, posting good athletic times (4.7 40m 4.5 short-shuttle, 9′ broad), while flashing a good arm and accuracy to all levels of the field. Randall is already a hot NSIC target and has visited Augustana and Winona State this offseason, with a ton more junior day invites from their Northern Sun competitors, along with UW-River Falls and Western Illinois. His arm strength stands out on tape, as the Waconia signal-caller can stretch the field deep and put the ball on a rope with noticeable velocity, especially into tight windows. His timing and toughness when finishing a throw through contact also look good, and I like checking out his speed when he tucks and runs. He’s a good athlete at the position who can hurt defenses with his legs and avoid pressure in the pocket, and looks like a fun QB to play with as a WR or offensive lineman. Look for this kid to step up now that Mr. Do-it-All Max McEnelly Max McEnelly 5’10” | 205 lbs | ATH Waconia | 2023 State MN will be gone to graduation.
Highlights
The Centennial Cougars have been churning out some monster LBs as of late, and 2024 6’1, 225 lber. Timmy Ball is another important part of the ’24 rankings updates loaded crop of linebackers, not to mention another great extension of Centennial recent LB legacy. Up seven spots to #62 overall, Ball was Class 6A’s second-leading tackler during 2022 and posted 107 tackles with 2 TFLs, a forced fumble, and two converted fake punt returns. Drake has been heavily in contact, as have a variety of NSIC institutions as well as Brown and St. Thomas, and #47 has done a great job of bettering and developing his game every offseason since he was a young freshman. Quick to the hole and strong when working over, under, or through blocking attempts, Ball can pursue and tackle out on the edge of the field and found success both around the box and out in space. Also laid some massive hits as a blocking TE and on special teams, and showed a knack for making clutch tackles behind the LOS in both goal line and 4th down situations. There’s a ton to like in the well-coached, well-built, and productive Metro ‘backer and will have a fruitful senior year as a three-sport captain and popular football recruit. Roll Cougs!