Minnesota’s Biggest Senior Stock Risers so far this fall…
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Somehow, someway, the 2023 high school football regular season has come and gone and playoffs are already underway. It’s been a heckuva ride so far, and playoffs are shaping up to be a doozy, but before things become more team-focused…
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Continue ReadingSomehow, someway, the 2023 high school football regular season has come and gone and playoffs are already underway. It’s been a heckuva ride so far, and playoffs are shaping up to be a doozy, but before things become more team-focused and oriented, PrepRedzoneMN wanted to take a brief moment to slow things down and highlight the biggest stock risers and individual winners in Minnesota’s senior class so far this fall. Being in-season has a lot of positives, but the big one in my mind is how an off-season and occasional lifetime of hard work can lead to life-changing opportunities for prep football players in our Great State of Minnesota. We’re seeing that happen to some talented, hard-working, and high-character 2024s in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this fall, and PrepRedzoneMN is here to give you the most comprehensive, detailed, and engaging report about the season’s Biggest Senior Stock Risers so far this fall. Congrats to these studs, you all have been a pleasure to watch. Big things coming!
P.S. Stay tuned for the upcoming feature highlighting the 2025 and 2026 stock risers from this fall as well!
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Donovan Torgerson
Donovan Torgerson
Personally, I’ve been very happy with the competitiveness in the NE part of Hennepin County & Anoka/Ramsey in 2023, and the Blaine Bengals were a victim of a few nail-biting finishes that could have flipped their season from their current 3-5 to a 6-2 regular season finish. That’s how it goes in Class 6A though, and despite some of the Ls, Blaine has a loaded 2023 roster with a key member qualifying as one of the 2024 classes biggest stock risers during this season. Off the jump, TE Donovan Torgerson has college-made size at 6’4, 230 lbs., and as the captain of the Bengals this fall, he’s been putting in work on and off the field for his squad. In fact, his play and leadership qualities have been so noteworthy that he went from unoffered senior to DII TE commit just this month, as NSIC heavyweight University of Sioux Falls had to get involved with the standout TE and earned a commitment almost 10 days later. A devastating and effective blocker, Torgerson lines up primarily as a wing or flexes out to the slot, and it’s impressive how many ways Blaine uses him as a blocker. The 230 lber. is more than strong enough to move DEs far out of their gap and work around the LOS against larger defensive linemen, and can pull or wrap around the LOS to take out both linemen and LBs. He’s a very effective second-level blocker or when lead blocking out in space, thanks to his coordination, balance, control, and of course, strength, he manhandles LBs and DBs and Blaine had no issues with having him block all around the gridiron. I see great usage of body positioning, hand placement, and leg drive, and he times his punches out well. Overall, he’s very hard to shake off for opponents once he gets engaged. Additionally, as a pass catcher, he possesses good hands and will lower the shoulder with the ball in hand. Torgerson has been one of the most versatile blockers in the state this fall, especially amongst TEs. He’s built and ready-made for the NSIC run-heavy offenses. It’s been hard to not notice his efforts and success this fall.
Jay Travis
Jay Travis
An absolute must-know name in the 2024 class and arguably the biggest stock riser from this season, 6’5, 225 lb. Osseo TE and standout hooper Jaymeson “Jay” Travis exploded onto the recruiting scene this month with his first college football offer coming from FCS heavyweight South Dakota. That’s a heckuva first offer, and it makes sense when you look at Travis‘ size and athleticism. There are explosive dunks all over his Twitter, and additionally, Travis is a heckuva specialist who can easily boom 60+ yard punts and 50-yard FGs. Plus, he’s a standout high jumper on the track team as well. I really like his overall body control, and Travis is a crushing blocker who overwhelms his opponents with his sheer strength and can put kids in the ground in painful painful-looking fashion. When he extends and locks out his arms he sends defenders flying and also displays great leg drive, finishing ability, low pad level at a legit 6’5, and the athleticism and lateral agility to pull, swipe back, or find work all around the LOS. He also demonstrates good speed as a receiver, tracks the ball well, shows soft hands that can reel in catches away from his body and has a big catch radius, and can finish receptions through contact. His absolutely massive punts have flipped the field and pinned the opposition deep all season long, and he gets massive height on his punts as well. He looks and plays the part of a D1 TE, and boy oh boy colleges should get excited about the punting as well. As mentioned, he’s arguably the biggest stock riser from this season. Been a pleasure to watch and I can’t wait to see how his recruiting plays out.
As if Stewartville didn’t have enough size and power on their roster, here comes 6’4, 215 lb. TE/DE Blake Turner Blake Turner 6’4″ | 215 lbs | ATH Stewartville | 2024 State MN ! A can’t-miss senior who has raised his stock big-time this fall, Turner is quite the student-athlete and reports a 4.77 laser 40, a 6’6 wingspan, and a 3.97 GPA. He’s been productive on both sides of the ball as well, and through the first six weeks of the regular season, he posted 13 catches for 213 yards and 2 TDs plus 19 tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 sacks, and FF, all of which helped combine to earn him an exciting gameday unofficial to South Dakota State. I’ll tell ya, Turner is pretty dang impressive on tape. As a TE, he demonstrates strong, soft hands, and a big catch radius, and is controlled and fearless when playing the ball in the air. He can win 50/50 balls and complete receptions through tight coverage and contact, and shows a ton of juice after the catch as well. I love his suddenness with the ball in hand, and there’s noticeable and impressive burst out of his cuts as well, in addition to his impressive speed and balance. Plus, he’s a strong, tough, motivated blocker who has the power to move DL around the LOS and the coordination to run down and eliminate second and third-level defenders in space. Defensively, he’s patient, does a good job of working through traffic to find the football, gets off blocks well, and uses his hands effectively. Turner’s a powerful kid who sent some would-be pullers and blockers flying onto their butts when they met the 215 lber. at the contact point, he holds the edge and takes good pursuit angles, and has the twitch off the snap to beat OL to either shoulder. Obviously a scholarship talent, Turner is going to be a heckuva steal for whatever college lands him. Colleges NEED to get this kid on their radar.
A former QB turned TE/OLB, Rosemount’s 6’2, 215 lber. Landon Danner Landon Danner 6’2″ | 215 lbs | DL Rosemount | 2024 State MN is a strong kid who posted a 385 x 2 squat, 235 lb. bench, and 285 lb. power clean last spring, but despite the weight room numbers and his busy unofficial visit schedule, he came into the fall without a college football offer. However, due to his more-than-stellar play as a senior, Danner now holds two significant NSIC offers from Sioux Falls and MSU-Mankato, and he’s fresh off a visit to USF this past weekend. Positionally versatile and has lined up at OLB, DL, TE, punter, and can even hold on FGs and PATs, Danner is impressive on both sides of the ball and would make for either a heckuva TE or DE at the collegiate level. Possessing a super quick get-off, Danner closes with so much pace that ball carriers barely have time to react, and his pursuit speed helps him run down plays from the backside of the LOS. He can disrupt the run-and-pass game with equal effect, is a violent and overwhelming tackler, and can stop/start to adjust to ball carriers’ paths well. Offensively, he displays good hands, shows he can separate at the top of the route, and possesses good speed as a TE running routes. He has a mean stiff arm and impressive contact balance after the catch, is a crushing blocker who is always looking to finish, and can handle first, second, and third-level defenders with equal impact and efficiency. Danner deserves the scholarship opportunities and has been a helluva force as a senior with the Irish. Just like many Rosemount standouts before him, Danner is a beast.
I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about Forest Lake RB Leyton Patzer during this fall, and the production and film back up the positive sentiments that have been swirling around the senior in 2023. At a quick and powerful 5’8, 175 lbs., Patzer has posted 194 rushes for 1,196 yards and 10 TDs at a 6.2 YPC clip and 150 YPG average. He’s been putting in work since he became an upperclassman and is coming off an impressive junior campaign in 2022, but he’s done nothing but increase and raise his stock as a now-senior. We’re still waiting for some updated film on the senior, which I hope comes soon. Still no offers yet, but that will surely change soon as well. Can’t wait to see this kid’s tape!
Andover is amid a very impressive 2023 campaign and is right in the thick of things for a 5A state championship run. A lot of the credit has to go to their talent-rich senior class, and one of their main standouts and contributors is 6’4, 205 lb. WR/DB Luke Dehnicke. I saw this dude in person when the Huskies took on Mankato West early in the season, and between the two teams overflowing with scholarship talent, Dehnicke was the most dynamic of the evening as well as Andover’s biggest playmaker. I think he’s one of the more underrated talents in the 2024 class of MN and has one of the highest ceilings in the senior class. He’s got some of the best range in coverage and run support I’ve seen in Minnesota in recent years and possesses highlight-reel ability such as his one-handed INT snag to open his Week 5-8 highlights on Hudl. Dehnicke shows off excellent ball skills and can pluck the ball right out of WR’s hands, he has a ton of vertical ability to high-point the football and win 50/50 balls and contested catches on both offense and defense. As a safety, he’s also an excellent tackler who closes very quickly, uses good pursuit leverage, and takes advantage of his plus-length to defeat and slip by blocks in space. Offensively, he’s a good route runner who displays clean footwork when he breaks off his routes. He finds pockets in zone coverage well naturally and possesses a big catch radius as well. After the catch, his obvious balance and body control helps him slip through tackle attempts, but it also aids him when playing the football in the air, changing direction, and making plays happen all over the field. Dehnicke is a tough kid who rarely takes a play off, and I could fill a lot larger of an evaluation with things I like about his game. As mentioned, I think he’s got one of the highest ceilings in the state for uncommitted prospects and is going to be a baller at the next level. Coming into the season, he held a Sioux Falls offer, but due to his play, he’s added heavyweight offers from FCS St. Thomas and DII powerhouse Colorado School of Mines. One word: baller.
Highlights
Dmario Davenport
Dmario Davenport
I can’t say I had Andover senior RB Dmario Davenport on my radar much going into the season, but boy is he making me pay for it. In that aforementioned early szn big-time 5A matchup between the Huskies and Mankato West, which was filled with explosive players I may add, Davenport more than held his own. He’s got a natural playmaking skillset and is one of those shorter, compact, twitched-up, and explosive RBs that makes the position so exciting. Davenport can get up to top speed quickly, and top speed means he’s dusting most defenders, and shows off good vision, and balance through contact that helped him stay upright and slip through through solid tackle attempts against high-quality 5A competition. I also like his twitchy and sudden cuts that left defenders sprawling past him in uncontrolled fashion, solid hands out of the backfield, and a mean jump cut too. Davenport also popped off an impressive kick return that saw him barely get touched as well. He’s been a fun one to watch and that playmaking skillset should very much excite a potential college suitor. Being one of the most explosive players on one of Class 5A’s best is a big deal and his recruitment should match that in the near future.
DJ Smith
DJ Smith
Not sure if people have been paying attention but the Moorhead Spuds have been putting some startling athletes as of late. In addition to their recent D1 and P5 talent, the best of which have been in the trenches and front-seven, but they’ve also been putting out some studs out on the perimeter, with recent names such as Michael Haugo, Mekhi Elmore, Alonn Salman, Jamal Dixon, the Walthall brothers, and Jacqui Fitzpatrick all coming to mind from their last few squads. With great size at 6’3, 200 lbs., WR DJ Smith is continuing the trend of big, athletic, high-ceiling skill players, and has played himself into a D1 offer this fall, with the Western Illinois Leathernecks pulling the trigger on October 4th. He also holds four DII offers, including one from powerhouse Pittsburg State, who rarely offer kids this far north, and as a senior has built off his skillset that includes strength, power, balance after the catch. He uses his size to his advantage and is a load-and-a-half to try and bring down, and is also impressive climbing the ladder and winning 50/50 balls and contested catches. Also excitedly, Smith is deadly at the LOS in his releases and put a few kids in a blender trying to press him 1-on-1 on an island. It’s a hard to find blend of athletic gifts that are very hard to manage or take on in the various 1-on-1 situations that happen throughout a football game. Great move by WIU getting in there, Moorhead has another stud on their hands!
Eden Prairie is the no-doubt 6A #1 coming into the state tourney, and in classic Eagles fashion, a lot of their success is coming from their OL. Their behemoth utility lineman doing a good job of raising his stock from his senior play in 2023, and to those that already know of Ethan Sims, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. At 6’7, 300 lbs., Sims strikes an imposing figure, and he knows how to utilize his size to its utmost ability. Owning a hulking punch and a ton of strength at the point of attack, Sims is a powerful down blocker and can topple over opponents off a couple steps of leg drive. He also showed he’s mobile enough to reach and combo to the second level and agile enough to get out past the 9T to handle blitzers. Plus, there’s a couple reps of him trapping/pulling around the LOS as well. Bruiser, mauler, beast, whatever you want to call it, Sims is ready-made and built for run blocking and dominating opponents 1-on-1, and for his efforts and performance this fall he earned his first FBS offer earlier this month when the Army West Point Black Knights and their distinguished OL coach Matt Drinkall reached out. Not a bad time for that to roll in! The Land of 10,00 Lakes is also the Home of 10,000 Stud Linemen, so it’s awesome to see one bump his recruiting stock up this fall.
Highlights
A seasoned PrepRedzoneMN Showcase veteran and name-to-know, Prior Lake’s 5’10, 180 lber. Hunter MacGillivray is having a heckuva senior season with the Lakers and is doing it all as a captain, two-way standout, and counted-on-playmaker. Going into Wednesday’s playoff matchup with Mounds View, MacGillivray is the team’s leading tackler (78) and rusher (609), and has also posted a FF, an INT, 5 PBUs, two 4th down TFLs, and 7 rushing TDs at an 8.3 yard per carry average. He’s taken his senior and captain status seriously and is making the most of filling the void of production left by last year’s seniors. MacGillivray’s success is absolutely a testament to his hard work throughout his high school campaign, and we could see it coming too, as he’s a 900 lb. club member who recorded a 405 lb. squat and 250 lb. power clean coming into the fall and ran 11.08 100M and 22.81 200M late last May. As a RB, Hunter Mac is a patient, North-South runner with good vision who can make that free defender miss in the open field, and shows off good contact balance for his size and an effective stiff arm. Safety is where he really makes his money though, and he plays like a heat-seeking missile and is an excellent run supporter who I love watching bring the boom to ball carriers. MacGillivray uses his hands well to shed blocking attempts and can beat blockers with speed as well, and he times out his blitzes and brings a ton of pace off the edge. Impressively, he comes downhill and covers a ton of ground when triggering on the football, plus he takes good angles to ball carriers and runs the alley well. I can’t get enough of how he goes all out in contact, and he is an explosive hitter and tackler who hammers bigger ball carriers like he’s 210 pounds. I could watch him lay the wood all. day. long. MSUM offered in mid-October, and MacGillivray will see a healthy rankings bump when we do our final PRzMN 2024 rankings update in the next month.
Highlights
My word was I excited to write about this one! If you read my recent recap of last week’s Mounds View vs. STMA 6A showdown over MEA break, you’ll know that Mustangs 6’1, 205 lb. LB Evan Hatton put on what was maybe the most individually dynamic, physical, and impressive showing I’ve seen this fall covering high school football for PrepRedzoneMN. He was all over the field, brought the boom each and every hit, was a playmaker on offense, and came up clutch when his team needed it most. It was quite the game for the multi-sport standout, and walked away thinking that Hatton is playing at an All-Metro kind of level and I hope his recruitment will soon reflect that. This fall, Hatton is third in our Great State of MN in sacks with 10.5 and is the only LB and only 6A representative in the Top-5 sackers, and he’s also posted 13 TFLs and four blocked punts in his awesome 2023 season. The third-year varsity starter and returning District Co-Defensive POY is showing off a ton of great things in his defensive play in 2023 and is a nightmare off the edge who plays with a hair-on-fire motor and playstyle and tons of speed in his pursuit and overall game. Hatton shocks and sheds would-be blockers onto their faces with his strong grip and technique, and in general plays opponents’ hands very effectively when blitzing or defeating blocks. He can bend around the edge, keeps his angles tight, and doesn’t waste steps or movement, which has helped him both when getting after the quarterback and when blocking punts on special teams. I also am impressed with how he closes on ball carriers and shoots gaps with a ton of pace, is a hammer at the contact point and absolutely crumples ball carriers when he puts the pads on them and is very comfortable in space. I love watching Hatton play and hope to be able to watch him as a collegiate LB soon too. This dude is absolutely balling out in 2023.
Highlights
You’ll hear me mention it for as long as I’m working my dream job at PrepRedzone and PrepRedzoneMN, but I originally got into scouting to try and put Minneapolis Public School football players on the map, and follow the seven public competitors as closely as any high school football program in the United States. To see the success that Minneapolis Patrick Henry is having in 2023 has been an extremely exciting affair, and I couldn’t be more pumped to see them 7-1 going into their sectional matchup with St. Anthony Village this coming Saturday. Their defense has been especially outstanding and have helped post a 270 to 57 point differential against their eight regular season opponents with four shutouts and two seven-point allowances to boot, and a ton of the success begins and ends with their stud LB Rory Wyatt Rory Wyatt 5’11” | 175 lbs | LB Patrick Henry | 2024 State MN . The 5’11, 170 lb. tackle machine has been extremely productive this fall, with 60 tackles (30 solo), 22 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 7 FFs, 4 PBUs, two safeties, and a defensive TD from a fumble recovery. Reporting a 4.42 short-shuttlem 35″ vert, and 3.1 GPA, Wyatt has some good things going for him as a ballhawking LB. He’s always around the football and identifies, reads, and triggers on the football quickly. Lots of football IQ and mental processing ability in his game, and Wyatt is also very quick when defeating block attempts, instinctive in the turnover department and at getting his hands on and ripping at the ball, and uses his standout change of direction skills to help him patiently track, suck up space, and eventually close on the ball with a ton of speed. He gets low and can bend well as a blitzer, can line up and disrupt offenses from all over the gridiron presnap, and has a heckuva motor to boot. My favorite part, Wyatt is an impressive tackler who meets ball carriers with force and great technique and hits like he’s 25 pounds heavier. I’ve seen MPS products with this athletic makeup, experience, and productivity find a ton of success at the college level before and would be willing to bet that Wyatt can continue the trend.
The Annandale Cardinals are one of the big winners of the 2023 high school football regular season and have been playing some great ball going into the playoffs. Sitting at a pretty 8-0, the Cards owe a ton of success to their standout QB Nick Walter, who has been balling out and then some while leading the helm for the balanced Cardinal offense. The 5’11, 185 lber. puts good touch on his deep balls, can complete passes from awkward arm angles, and utilizes good footwork and the space given to him by a defense to scramble & evade pressure around the pocket and tuck and run for big plays with his legs. Walter leads receivers open, has been safe with the rock and doesn’t force the football into dangerous situations, and has been accurate to all three levels of the field so far this season. His ability to take what the defense gives him, consistently gain positive yardage, keep the chains moving, and prevent the football from getting into the hands of opponents has kept the Annandale offenses humming all season long. Can’t wait to see how they keep it rolling into playoffs. Walter is a big-time DIII prospect and is a massive reason the Cards are primed for a deep playoff run as a top contender in a talent-heavy Class AAA bracket that’s loaded at the top-end.
Highlights
Jacob Ginskey
Jacob Ginskey
Another senior signal-caller playing a big role in his team’s success in 2023 and raising his play and recruiting stock in the fall, Owatonna’s 6’1, 180 lb. QB Jacob Ginskey is throwing nearly 210 yards a game at a 55% completion percentage and 15 TDs to only 2 INTs. The Huskies are 6-2 with their only two losses coming against 5A heavyweights Chanhassen and Mankato West and coming in hot to their sectional matchup with Rochester John Marshall this Saturday. Ginskey’s also posted some eye-catching personal stat lines throughout the year, including a 338 yard and 4 TD showing against Northfield, 275 yard and 4 TD outing against Hastings, and 16-20 for 267 yard and 2 TD + a rushing TD game in a win against Apple Valley. The senior has been tearing it up through the air, and has shown a skillset that includes mobility, accuracy downfield to the second level of the gridiron in particular, touch, and a quick release and decision-making skills. He’s safe with the football and can rip it downfield or into smaller windows as well. Owatonna is historically gritty in the playoffs, and with Ginskey at the helm, they’ll be ready to compete against anyone. PRzMN is noticing the work you’ve been putting in, young man! Keep it up.
Jeret Ankrum
Jeret Ankrum
It’s always exciting seeing a small schooler put up monster numbers in the passing game. Year to year, we see a pleasant surprise explode onto the scene with some gaudy reception numbers from the small towns of Southern MN, the Iron Range, Western MN, or anywhere else you could imagine. This year, the new player sticking out and burst onto the state’s receiving scene is Tracy-Milroy-Balaton’s 5’11, 155 lber. Jeret Ankrum, who is currently second in the state in receiving yards with 991, 10th in receptions with 51, and is tied for first in TDs with 14. His 123 receiving YPG average is also first in the state, and he’s a big reason the Panthers are 8-1 and coming in hot to their massive Saturday afternoon matchup with Springfield, who have been holding it down as the state’s most potent small-school passing attack for the past few years. Ankrum possesses the speed to take the top off the defense or turn a missed tackle on a routine slant into a big gain, ball skills and the ability to win contested catches, and a big catch radius. Ankrum is also a ballhawk from the secondary who can pick off the high ball or take advantage of misthrows and bobbles from wide receivers, and he has a heckuva rep where he runs down a loose WR far downfield, hawks him around the 5-yard line, and pulls off a beautiful strip to knock the ball loose for a momentum-shifting turnover. He’s been ultra-consistent all year long and a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Panthers this fall. Colleges need to get this kid on their radar ASAP!