Nate’s Big Dogs of the Game: Princeton Tigers
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Brody Kok, QB (2025) Twitter Brody was a quarterback prospect I learned about over the summer at the Crown College Prospect Camp and one that showed off plenty of consistency throwing the ball versus Willmar on Friday night. What stood…
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Continue ReadingBrody Kok, QB (2025) Twitter
Brody was a quarterback prospect I learned about over the summer at the Crown College Prospect Camp and one that showed off plenty of consistency throwing the ball versus Willmar on Friday night. What stood out to me about Brody on Friday was the efficiency of his touch throws, especially on intermediate routes as this young man has certainly grown his poise inside the pocket since I watched him over the summer as on six attempts, threw for an 83.3% completion percentage against Willmar on Friday night. An under the radar 2025 quarterback to watch for the Tigers that has solid upside yet to be seen.
Garrett Sautter, FB (2024) Twitter
Garrett was a first look fullback prospect for me on Friday night for Princeton, as in the heart of the inside, showed off plenty of durability in his lower body. He showed off efficient short field vision up the A-gap on Friday as a fullback that I thought improved quickly with that vision as the game went on. If you want to see his durability in action, I suggest watching his second clip from Friday’s game, as it took an army of Willmar Cardinals to bring this young man to the grass, as he showed off fluid hips throughout the game on 10 carries, 92 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Cullen Drews Cullen Drews 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Princeton | 2025 State MN , ATH (2025) Twitter
The all-out athleticism from Princeton DB/WR Cullen Drews Cullen Drews 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Princeton | 2025 State MN was in full-force on Friday night as Cullen was one of Princeton’s top performers in my eyes on the defensive side of the ball. Cullen played with well-groomed football insitncts in run and pass coverage as he demonstrated a strong football IQ with his pursuit angles around the football. Cullen also showed off smooth ball-tracking ability when chasing wide receivers on their routes, as a defensive back that played like a sideline to sideline menace on the Tigers defense. Cullen certainly shows off a prospect that you will see on Saturdays, with hopefully a growth spurt coming to develop his next-level ceiling even more. Big fan of this young man’s character as well.
Ben Ostendorf Ben Ostendorf 6'0" | 195 lbs | LB Princeton | 2024 MN , LB (2024) Twitter
Ben was a playmaker from the start of the game, when he got a tipped ball for a pick-six and took it for 69 yards to get the Princeton Tigers first on the scoreboard in their battle against Willmar, as he looked the ball in well with plenty of instinct. The senior captain also sealed the deal for Princeton at the end of the game, as he met the Willmar ball carrier right in the mesh of the tackle box and showed off plenty of extended physicality on that particular tackle that had the Princeton Tigers faithful roaring. I loved watching Ben’s vision take shape on Friday night, as he attacked every ball carrier I watched with a downhill motor that is still waiting for that first offer to play on Saturdays.
Caden Johnson Caden Johnson 6'2" | 240 lbs | TE Princeton | 2025 State MN , LB/TE (2025) Twitter
Another one of the Princeton Tigers leading tacklers from Friday night against Willmar was impressive 2025 linebacker Caden Johnson Caden Johnson 6'2" | 240 lbs | TE Princeton | 2025 State MN who logged eight tackles in their 39-38 shootout win against Willmar. Caden played with a ton of fluidity with his footwork and is a linebacker that can travel a significant distance towards the ball with his 6’2 230 pound frame. His smashing physicality when he gets downhill shows off so much physicality when he makes contact. At tight end, Caden also showed off some nimble instincts with his pad-level against smaller defenders being able to open up bigger holes along the outside edges. Certainly looks like another Tigers LB/TE combo that will be playing at the next-level and he still has one year left to show off even deeper growth with his skillsets.
Eli Gibbs, RB (2024)
The MVP of the game overall for the Princeton Tigers was senior running back Eli Gibbs, who had four touchdowns on Friday night, and was a staple to the Tigers offense and their success. Eli showed off good bases of versatility with his rushing attack, attacking the Cardinals defense with balance as a North-South tailback that plays with solid football instincts. The biggest play from Friday that pops out from Eli was his escape for 28-yards around the edge as he did a great job showing off that football IQ off-balancing the Cardinals defense for one of his four touchdowns in a big 39-38 win at home.