Minnesota Tall Boys: 10 Biggest Prospects going into the Fall
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One of the many reasons I love football is its mix of simplicity and complexity. When you wipe away the advanced schemes, detailed analytics, and modern coaching techniques, the game’s success is still – at its core – predicated on…
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Continue ReadingOne of the many reasons I love football is its mix of simplicity and complexity. When you wipe away the advanced schemes, detailed analytics, and modern coaching techniques, the game’s success is still – at its core – predicated on being the biggest, fastest, and strongest. I’d also argue those foundations are more relevant in football than in other major sports, and those principles also are directly paralleled in the high school recruiting world. It’s going to be tough sledding to play football at its highest levels if you’re not a combination of those three foundations of the game, and although you can work to improve your speed and strength, size is a whole different ball game. Yes, you can try to gorge yourself to add calories and weight in between seasons (trust me I’ve been there), but your height, length, and frame are going to be God-given, and nothing catches a college coach or recruiter’s eye quite like a prospect with great height. A Midwest special, high school Tall Boys are rare and revered out on the recruiting trail, and the Great State of Minnesota has a towering batch of Tall Boys returning to the prep football scene this upcoming fall. Following in the footsteps of c/o 2023 giants such as Reese Tripp Reese Tripp 6'8" | 320 lbs | OL Kasson Mantorville | 2023 State MN , Beau Johnson Beau Johnson 6'7" | 260 lbs | OL Spring Lake Park | 2023 State MN , Jacob Lopau Jacob Lopau 6'7" | 280 lbs | OL Rocori | 2023 State MN , and Peyton Lange Peyton Lange 6'9" | 340 lbs | OL Minnehaha Academy/SMB | 2023 State MN , PrepRedzoneMN is here to highlight the 10 Biggest MN Prospects going into the Fall of ’23. Enjoy getting to know these Tall Boys, there’s a literal lot to like in these 10 monsters!
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1) Braden Petzel Braden Petzel 6'9" | 240 lbs | OL Mankato East | 2026 State MN (Mankato East) 2026. OT. @bradenpetzel1
6’9, 240 lbs.
The Tallest of Minnesota Tall Boys comes out of the 507 and Mankato East Cougar LT Braden Petzel Braden Petzel 6'9" | 240 lbs | OL Mankato East | 2026 State MN . Also a standout center on the hardcourt – who is rated the #6 2026 hooper by NorthstarHoops – and 2x PrepRedzoneMN Showcase standout, Petzel’s size is verified, and on top of it, he’s improved on his athletic times each appearance, particularly in his noteworthy quickness. He’s still got a ways to go developmental wise, and he’s still growing into his body, but Petzel already has some good things going for him. Both a varsity and JV contributor last fall, Petzel possesses great length, shows good leg drive once he’s engaged, and has some solid reps of him breaking down and blocking at the second level. For his size and age, he’s also not weak, and could shut down power rushes from bigger DL and run smaller defenders backwards once he gets hands-on. Solid balance and coordination for a kid still growing into his body as well. The future is bright for the c/o 2026 Tall Boy!
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2) Noah Stommes (Eden Valley-Watkins) 2024. @Noahstommes
6’8, 225 lbs.
A literal large part of Eden Valley-Watkins’ 2022 Class AA state semifinal run, Stommes measures in at a whopping 6’8, 225 pounds and is another standout multi-sporter on this list who excels on the hardcourt as a center for the Eagles basketball team. He ranks as the #50 ranked hooper in the class of 2024, and is a heckuvapursuing football player as well, manning the DE and OT spots for EVW and physically dominating opponents at both positions. Very long, and with a frame that could blow up in a college S&C program, Stommes was a productive defensive end in particular, highlighted by a strong section semifinal performance that saw him post 7 tackles and 4 sacks against Paynesville. Coordinated, and showing off body control as well, Stommes has some impressive reps of him breaking down in space to make a tackle, as well as pursue and run down ball carriers out to the edge of the defense with good speed for his size. He also uses his hands well at the point of attack, both to disengage from blocking attempts as a DE and finish opponents when playing OT. The athleticism is noticeable, enticing, and impressive for a 6’8er who is still growing. He’ll be added to the rankings in this upcoming micro-update! Stay tuned.
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3) Dayvion Hankerson Dayvion Hankerson 6'7" | 315 lbs | OL Cooper | 2024 MN (Hopkins) 2024. OL. @DayvionHank66
6’7, 340
Formerly of Robbinsdale Cooper, our third-largest Tall Boy, Dayvion Hankerson Dayvion Hankerson 6'7" | 315 lbs | OL Cooper | 2024 MN , has transferred to Hopkins to finish out high school and brings his massive 6’7, 340 lb. frame to the Royals for the next season. Sadly, he doesn’t have any film from any of his past three seasons of action, so I get the feeling his size may be working against him finding the field. Yes, size is great, but you have to be able to move as well, so I’m hoping things come together for Hankerson as a now-senior and we can finally get some tape on the big fella. Best of luck, Dayvion!
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4) Bennett Pierson Bennett Pierson 6'7" | 335 lbs | OL Mora | 2024 State MN (Mora) 2024. OL. @bennettpierson1
6’7, 325 lbs.
Mora’s colossal rising senior lineman Pierson is a recent addition to the PRzMN 2024 rankings and tips the scales at 6’7, 325 pounds. The combination of his size and junior tape has landed him on the radar of a ton of FCS, DII, and DIIIs, and Augustana and Drake have gotten visits from the giant offensive center in 2023. He’s got an exciting rep catching a goal line jump pass for a touchdown while playing TE, where the 6’7 Tall Boy makes a contested catch through tight coverage for six. For a blocker of his size, he does a good job of bending, getting off the ball low, and driving through opponents like a train through a tunnel. Pierson is a strong kid who can easily drive a defender backward when he squares them up. He’s got a big chance to raise his stock in 2023 and PRzMN is pumped to see it.
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5) Ethan Sims Ethan Sims 6'7" | 300 lbs | OL Eden Prairie | 2024 State MN (Eden Prairie) 2024. OT/OG.
6’7, 290
Eden Prairie heavyweight offensive tackle Ethan Sims Ethan Sims 6'7" | 300 lbs | OL Eden Prairie | 2024 State MN has been a popular name in the 2024 MN offensive line class since he was a young buck, and the 6’7, 290 lb. Tall Boy and PRzMN Showcase standout has been on a tear of junior day visits with Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, and North Dakota all receiving visits this winter/spring. With big-time size and Metro experience, Sims possesses a sturdy base that can absorb and dish out contact against powerful, 6A opponents. Able to finish defenders on simple down blocks, Sims can move his feet to pick up multiple opponents as a zone blocker, is experienced in pass pro, and gets off the ball well. I can’t wait to see who reaches out with that coveted first offer!
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6) Kyan Rauk Kyan Rauk 6'7" | 270 lbs | OL Northfield | 2024 State MN (Northfield) 2024. OT. @kyan_rauk
6’7, 270 lbs.
I just wrote about the Southern Minnesota and Northfield Raider giant two days ago for the PRzMN special highlighting players I unfortunately missed on the rankings update, and boy did I miss a big one in 6’7, 270 lb. rising senior Kyan Rauk Kyan Rauk 6'7" | 270 lbs | OL Northfield | 2024 State MN . I’ll make sure not to repeat myself here, but Rauk’s long, lean frame is a collegiate strength & conditioning coordinator’s dream, and on top of the God-given size, Rauk is a beast at the point of attack. Not only that, he’s quick, mobile, and balanced, and can successfully execute a ton of different blocks around the LOS or out in space. I especially like how he moves and can work laterally, and Rauk has the strength to handle larger, powerful opponents, and the finesse to take out smaller, quicker defenders in space. He’s one of the most under-the-radar prospects in Minnesota right now.
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7) Mitchell Wind Mitchell Wind 6'7" | 260 lbs | OL Brainerd | 2024 State MN (Brainerd) 2024. OL/DL. @MitchellWind56
6’7, 250 lbs.
Another Minnesota Tall Boy who was mentioned two days ago in our PRzMN feature naming 35 studs I missed on the rankings update, 6’7, 250 pound Brainerd lineman Mitchell Wind Mitchell Wind 6'7" | 260 lbs | OL Brainerd | 2024 State MN can do a ton of different things on the gridiron, and do them all well. His length helps him break up passes at the LOS and keep defenders far out of reach of the ball as a blocking TE, and has good speed and overall mobility for a prospect of his size. He can run like a deer, and Wind also uses his hands effectively to counter, shed, and dump opponents as a defensive lineman. The athletic traits, flexibility, and versatility are all great pluses in his 6’7, 250 lb. build and easily makes Wind a prospect to watch when talking D1 recruiting. Another darkhorse, under-the-radar, must-know 2024 going into the summer and fall.
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8) Gavin Wang Gavin Wang 6'7" | 255 lbs | OL Annandale | 2025 State MN (Annandale) 2025. DE. @GavinWang888735
6’7, 245 lbs.
Of all the Tall Boys on this list of returning Minnesotans, I was most excited to write about 2025 Annandale DE Gavin Wang Gavin Wang 6'7" | 255 lbs | OL Annandale | 2025 State MN . It’s hard not to think Wang is a P5 recruit at this point in time, and although his current ranking may not be indicative of that right now, I want to make sure to note that at the time the 2025 rankings went live, Wang didn’t have a sophomore highlight tape, and I only had a game of film to work off, plus a news story from KRWC AM1360 about Wang’s 12 tackle, 3 sack performance against Watertown-Mayer in week 5 of the regular season. From the limited sample pool I had at the time, it was still obvious that there were signs that the Annandale product had some of the makings to play college football at its highest levels, but now that we have more tape, I am much more certain about Wang’s P5 potential. Either from a two or three-point stance, the 6’7 DE is strong enough to bounce off and work through double teams, backpedal single-blockers into the backfield or overwhelm them with is sheer size, and is a particularly strong edge defender who can run down loose QBs and RBs by the sideline and out in space. Wang also has some solid reps of him beating blocks with quickness or countering off blocking attempts, and is a good tackler who is capable of holding a gap through contact. He posted 43 tackles, 8 sacks, and a 2pt conversion last fall. Good blocker from the TE spot as well! He’s near the top of my list of prospects I want to see live this fall. Ball out, Gavin!
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9) Adam Molitor Adam Molitor 6'7" | 225 lbs | TE Totino-Grace | 2024 State MN (Totino-Grace) 2024. TE. @molitor_adam
6’7, 220 lbs.
It’s been a heckuva spring for the Totino-Grace TE, and given the fact that PRzMN has written about him a good amount the last couple months, I’ll try to keep this one shorter as to not repeat myself. Molitor’s spring got off to a hot start in February when the Northern Iowa Panthers reached out with his first college offer, and since then he’s visited South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Minnesota, and Iowa State, with another visit to Cedar Falls and UNI most recently as well. A big-time weapon in the pass game, Molitor has juice after the catch and YAC ability, does a good job of finding space and getting open as a route runner, and is a willing and able blocker who can take on bigger or quicker opponents around the LOS or in space. It’s a good time watching him make defenders miss with the ball in his hands, and as a leaner 210 last fall, I am pumped to see how he performs as bigger and stronger senior this upcoming fall.
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T10) Chase Thompson Chase Thompson 6'8" | 215 lbs | QB Alexandria | 2025 State MN (Alexandria) 2025. QB.
6’7, 205 lbs.
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Brayson Boike Brayson Boike 6'7" | 200 lbs | ATH Dawson-Boyd | 2025 State MN (Dawson-Boyd) 2025. QB.
6’7, 195
Thompson: The 6’7 gunslinger and highly ranked basketball player on Northstar Hoops, Alexandria’s Chase Thompson Chase Thompson 6'8" | 215 lbs | QB Alexandria | 2025 State MN has arguably the biggest arm in the state of Minnesota going into the fall and can stretch the field vertically and/or successfully complete tough throws on out-breaking routes and deep comebacks on 5-step drops with noticeable velocity and accuracy. I really want to see some consolidated highlights and am looking forward to seeing what the 2023 season has in store for the rising junior, both on the gridiron and hardcourt.
Boike: Another 2025 skill player with excellent size and physical tools, Boike comes out of western MN’s Dawson-Boyd and is a standout two-way contributor on the gridiron, as well as hooper, for the Blackjacks. Great length, a lean frame that can hold a ton more good weight, soft hands as a receiver, and good speed for his size that can give CBs trouble and take the top off the defense if you aren’t ready. Boike can produce big plays in the passing game and presents an obvious matchup nightmare with a big catch radius and the ability to go up and high point the football as well. Boike put up some impressive reps in 2022 to go along with that eye-popping size for a pass catcher.
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Honorable Mentions:
Tait Anderberg Tait Anderberg 6'7" | 270 lbs | OL Lakeville North | 2024 State MN (Lakeville North) 2024. OL. 6’6, 265
Jide Abasiri Jide Abasiri 6'6" | 290 lbs | DL Prior Lake | 2024 State MN (Prior Lake) 2024. DL. 6’6, 265 lbs. Committed to Minnesota
Andrew Trout Andrew Trout 6'6" | 270 lbs | OL Rocori | 2026 State MN (Rocori) 2026. OL. 6’6, 270 lbs.
Noah Dietel Noah Dietel 6'6" | 295 lbs | OL Litchfield | 2026 State MN (Litchfield) 2026. OL. 6’6, 275 lbs.
Patrick Shobe (Monticello) 2024. OL. 6’6, 250 lbs.
Zander Jacobson (Hayfield) 2024. OT/DE. 6’6, 220 lbs.
Elijah Hagen Elijah Hagen 6'6" | 230 lbs | DL Jordan | 2024 State MN (Jordan) 2024. DE. 6’6, 225 lbs.
Dennis Rahouski Dennis Rahouski 6'6" | 260 lbs | DL Eden Prairie | 2024 State MN (Eden Prairie) 2024. DL. 6’6, 255 lbs.
Dane Borene Dane Borene 6'6" | 240 lbs | DL SMB | 2024 State MN (SMB) 2024. DE. 6’6, 245 lbs. Committed to Princeton