PrepRedzoneMN 2024 Rankings Update: Top Newcomers & Uncommitted
In the blink of an eye, Minnesota’s class of 2024’s high school football journey has come and gone. Still a bit surreal saying that, as they are still in the midst of their senior year and it seems like the…
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Continue ReadingIn the blink of an eye, Minnesota’s class of 2024’s high school football journey has come and gone. Still a bit surreal saying that, as they are still in the midst of their senior year and it seems like the thrilling, competitive, eventful, and hair-raising 2023 prep season just happened, but as it goes, their high school football experience is over. To commemorate, applaud, and send off the senior class, PrepRedzoneMN was honored and eager to publish the FINAL PRzMN 2024 Rankings Update, which went live last Friday and included renovations such as 100 new names added, a completely refurbished Top-25, 50, & 100, a 50+ update to a Top 300, a New #1, a ridiculously talented Big Board, and some major movement – both up and down – in the established and already-ranked prospects that comprise our unmatched high school football state rankings. A fan favorite, PRzMN always finds it necessary to highlight the biggest movers and shakers of the update, and if you’ve been reading our stuff for a while then you know we always need to follow an update with the Biggest Stock Risers and Top Newcomers in the newly published rankings. Now, it’s Top Newcomer time, and boy did some kids blast into the rankings. Along with the highest and latest new addition in PRzMN’s history, we have some seriously impressive first and last ranking introductions, and for you enjoyment only, we also named the Top Uncommitted Seniors in MN’s 2024 class. Dig in, and thanks for everything, seniors!
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Top Newcomers
Boom! Coming in hot as our Top Newcomer of the final PRzMN 2024 Rankings Update, Esko’s 6’5, 230 lb. DL Braedyn Male has to be in discussion as the biggest breakout star of the 2023 MN prep football season, and for his efforts, he debuts at #15 overall and the #5 DL in an outrageous senior defensive lineman class. I believe this is the latest and highest New Addition to a PrepRedzoneMN rankings update, and boy was there something in the water in Esko this winter. Another testament to the unincorporated community’s outrageous 2024 class of prospects, Male took a few years off from football and came back with something to prove for Esko’s 2023 campaign, showing off some real-deal athleticism in a giant 6’5, 230 lb. frame that is a raw ball of athletic clay just waiting for a college program to get their hands on. The multi-sport functionality and success is a concrete checkmark in his recruiting profile, as he has clocked a 4.9 40 in Esko’s S&C program, has recorded a 6’5″ high jump on the track, and can really throw the hammer down when dunking a basketball with ease. That context, plus his impressive senior film, earned him an in-season PWO offer from the home state Gophers, and since basketball season has gotten underway he’s also heard from Valley City State, Southwest Minnesota State, and MSU-Mankato. Male’s size/athleticism combination already makes him a suitable candidate to play football at the highest level, and when you combine it with his raw ability, which includes the strength to successfully execute power rushes and back down OL once he gets his mitts on a blocker as a 5T, loose enough hips to work around OL, the speed to run down ball carriers out on the edge with ease, and a good get off on the LOS. As mentioned, he’s definitely still raw, but in this day and age of college football where the coaching is so high-level, that is looked at as a good thing if you have the build and athleticism, both of which Male possesses. I’m surprised Missouri Valley programs still haven’t gotten involved. High-ceiling and high-upside uncommitted senior from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Welcome to the rankings, young buck!
The #2 Top Newcomer in the 2024 PRzMN Rankings Update is also the #3 uncommitted Minnesota senior, and boy has Hill-Murray’s 6’5, 215 TE/DE/LS Luke Grigson Luke Grigson 6’5″ | 215 lbs | ATH Hill-Murray | 2024 State MN been making some noise on the recruiting trail. Grigson earned a personal story/shoutout from 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong in early December, an individual recruiting tweet from the Godfather of Recruiting Tom Lemming in mid-November, and an uncommitted shoutout on Twitter from PrepRedzone’s General Manager Jake Lemming a few days later. The elder Lemming stated that Grigson is “the fastest rising prospect in Minnesota” who possesses “great length, quick feet and a great combination of power, burst, instincts, and desire. 76″ wingspan. No doubt a power 5 talent.” PRZ’s Lemming added that he “spoke with former Baylor & ASU Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett and he raved about 6’6, 215 lb. ATH Luke Grigson Luke Grigson 6’5″ | 215 lbs | ATH Hill-Murray | 2024 State MN . I see why, he’s got a frame that can easily pack 40 pounds on, shows good flexibility and plays with an edge. I like him as a TE at the next level.”
High praise from some of the most influential names and scouts in high school football recruiting, and Grigson’s recruitment has reflected the surge of attention. Since the season ended, Grigson has earned offers from Maine (FCS), and PWOs from Kansas, Purdue, and Georgia, three big-time preferred walk-ons to add to the FCS offers from Maine and Northern Iowa, who offered up in early May as well. Our new #27 overall 2024 prospect and #3 athlete has a great chance to outplay that debut ranking despite being nearly a Top-25 player in the class. Keep your eyes and ears open for word on Grigson’s new home in the coming weeks/months.
Highlights
I spent a lot of my formative years of college in the town of Northfield and spent many Friday fall nights killing time before the following day’s MIAC contest by watching the Raiders take on some fellow Southern MN competition. To see them send a prospect to the FCS national back-to-back champs in the 2024 class is quite an exciting development, and boy did the Jackrabbits do a good job of finding, evaluating, and winning the commitment of 6’8, 270 lb OT Kyan Rauk. Although Rauk wasn’t as public with his recruitment as most, it seems like the Northfield Raider OT was very much under-the-radar when the Jacks snagged him in late June, and I’m pumped to see him join a really solid group of Minnesotans heading to Brookings in the SDSU 2024 signing class. A strong, long and super lean RT with more room to fill in, Rauk knows how to use his plus-length to his advantage and is quick to make first contact and hard to disengage from for helpless defenders. The 6’8er is strong enough to finish DL off simple down blocks, does a good job of staying square and running his feet when working to finish, and can operate and find work in space and at the second level of a defense. Rauk is still a bit raw, but has all of the makings of developing into a Missouri Valley starer and potentially All-Conference blocker in the future, a theme that has worked very well for Minnesota OL in the past. The soon-to-be Jackrabbit debuts as the #33 overall MN 2024 and OL5 in a very deep senior offensive line class.
Someone is going to get a beast of an OT in Brainerd’s unsigned senior OT Mitchell Wind Mitchell Wind 6’7″ | 260 lbs | OL Brainerd | 2024 State MN , who made a big-time debut to the 2024 rankings as our #37 overall prospect and #9 OL. The MN All-Star has the chance to be the sleeper lineman of the entire class in my opinion, as his film is very impressive despite it being somewhat hard to clearly navigate, as he didn’t post a lot of tape as a junior and now has more than enough tape to work with in game-to-game highlights from 2023. However, Wind has the size (6’7, 265 lbs.), length, physicality, balance, and mobility to really become a stud at the next level.
Some high-profile eyes and names have followed him for his efforts and take notice, most notably Central Michigan’s Directory of Recruiting Michael McGee, seven different Minnesota Gophers staff members, Wyoming’s DPP Kirby O’Meara, thee Randy Hedberg of NDSU, and North Dakota’s OL coach Joe Pawlak, not to mention coaches from just about every NSIC and MIAC school.
The RT sent some defenders flying backward and onto their butts like they were hit by a pickup truck, is effective and smooth when pulling back across the LOS and lead blocking out in space, shows off balance, coordination, and some flexibility, and is strong at the contact point and understands leverage and uses defenders momentum or body-positioning mistakes against them. Despite still being a bit of an enigma, I think Wind has an excellent shot of outplaying his debut ranking and he’s surely one of the top unsigned linemen in the Midwest. Big-time sleeper still available out of Brainerd!
The Minnesota Gophers got quite the PWO athlete in Rockford’s 6’1, 205 lb. SS Harrison Brun, who reports a 10’4 broad jump, 4.63 laser 40, and 36″ vert. Quite impressive numbers on the testing sheet, and the film backs up the reported athletic numbers, not to mention the fact that Brun is one of the hardest hitters in the entire Land of 10,000 Lakes. The All-Metro and MN All-Star earned that PWO during the Gophers summer prospect camp, one of the more impressive in-person accomplishments a recruit can pull off, and it took him just a little over a month to jump on the B1G opportunity. We’ve seen a good amount of in-state PWO signings work out well for the U, and a good amount of bouncebacks to find success at lower division programs, and a lot of the time the big difference just comes down to if the player is athletic enough to play at a P5, B1G level. Brun should be able to fit in nicely in Dinkytown if those numbers are 100% accurate (not saying they aren’t, I just can’t confirm them personally), and I would be very curious to see how recruitment would have continued to develop if he hadn’t jumped on the Gophers PWO so early. No matter though, as Brun easily earned his #42 overall and #6 DB ranking, and I must say that I’m also very interested to see what he’ll play at the next level. Brun tallied 92 tackles, 4 INTs, a pick-six, 1,237 all-purpose yards, and 12 TDs in 2023, and he has some reps where he looks like a man amongst boys, easily ripping the football out of WRs hands like he was taking candy from a baby, suplexing ball carriers like it’s the old WWF, and running by and through would-be pursuers like he’s playing against freshman competition. The 205 lber. is an explosive and dominating tackler in space, runs the alley very well and takes good angles to the football, shows off some ball skills and comfort when the rock is in the air, and is a three-phase contributor and playmaker. I could watch him lay the wood all day. Gophers got a stud in our #5 Top Newcomer of the 2024 final rankings update.
A stud basketball player who brings that marquee explosiveness to the gridiron, East Ridge’s 6’4, 220 lb. athlete Charlie Bern clocks a 10′ broad jump and 40″ vert and had a very dominating 2023 season that made him one of the biggest recruiting winners of the summer camp season and ’23 fall season. A defense-first prospect who started contributing to offense this fall to make a big-time splash, Bern used that massive 6’4, 220 lb. frame to record 26 catches for 290 yards and 6 TDs and 76 rushes for 368 yards and 9 TDs to present a matchup nightmare for 6A competition attempting to corral and handle the XL RB and WR. Plus, he posted 11 tackles, a TFL, a FF, and a fumble recovery on defense. Bern set up his dramatic #43 overall and #4 ATH debut during the summer after a visit to Grand Forks earned him his first offer from North Dakota. St. Thomas followed it up the next month, and the Tommies ended up earning the dynamic athletes commitment in early December for a very excitingly versatile and long senior signing. Bern lined up all over the field in 2023: wing, fullback, standup 5T or Wide9, tailback, and TE in just the few minutes of film I watched, and holy cow is this dude a great combo of balance, quickness, speed, and power after the catch that can high-knee through multiple tackle attempts, juke by them like a much smaller RB, or simply run by them like a speedster of a wideout. With soft hands, great vision, powerful cuts when he sticks his cleat in the ground, and the ability to penetrate quickly and can make a tackle in a 1-on-1 scenario in space well as a DE, Bern is a total playmaker whenever he gets near the ball. For such a big kid to be so dangerous after the catch presents a very intriguing prospect at the next level and I guarantee the Tommies are going to get the most out of Bern. Can’t wait to watch him make people miss, get the crowd on their feet, and tote the rock in St. Paul!
Highlights
We’re sticking with long, great-framed with room to fill in, athletic, offensive playmakers for our #7 Top Newcomer of these illustrious 2024 PRzMN final rankings update. Instead of a Metro 6A dynamic pass-catching standout, we’re heading to the Outstate and SE Minnesota’s Lake City, population 5,297. 6’4, 200 lb. MN All-Star Keegan Ryan got a ton of love on the site after asserting himself as one of Minnesota’s top summer camp season winners this past summer, as he camped at North Dakota, earned an offer after performing in their prospect camp, and committing to the Missouri Valley and FCS heavyweight Flying Hawks the next day. Hard to get him off your radar after that, and after balling out during the fall of 2023, Ryan comes in as our #45 overall senior and WR4. Well earned, my man! The 6’4, 200+ lb. wideout looked like a streaking gazelle on the prairie in his 2023 offensive highlights, both because of his length and due to the amount of space he created after burning pursuers and finishing big, explosive plays far downfield. Ryan could pop off splash plays as both a WR and RB and could create missed tackles in just about every way imaginable last fall, and was a huge asset in the contested catch department as well. He was cutting back across the grain, breaking ankles, and making defenders look silly like the Lake City version of Kyle Murray. Ryan was simply on another level of offensive playmaking ability compared to the competition in 2023. UND is getting a baller!
Stewartville’s 2023 football season and roster were like a dream. In addition to their 14-0 undefeated AAA state championship season, the Tigers had a roster overflowing with size, experience, talent, and physicality, but within their already-established crop of standouts, I was not expecting a new name to rise to the surface as a must-know potential darkhorse in the 2024 MN recruiting class. Meet 6’4, 215 athlete Blake Turner Blake Turner 6’4″ | 215 lbs | ATH Stewartville | 2024 State MN , who debuts at #54 overall and as the #6 ranked ATH in Minnesota. He also doubles as one of the top uncommitted prospects in our great state and a kid with an FCS D1 ceiling and a DII floor. Plus, all this hoopla is off of only ONE season of action. The senior tape shows off a TE/DE who posted 54 tackles, 16 TFLs, 5 sacks with two of them being strip sacks, and 30 receptions for 481 yards and 3 TDs. Turner demonstrated a ton of good things in his game, namely his big catch radius that can reel in receptions away from his body and off of a full extension, and his ability to win contested catches and high point the football. He checks all of the boxes in the physicality and power department, as the 215 lber. is an explosive hitter on both sides of the ball who dominated at the contact point, and he sent would-be blockers flying on pulls and traps in a very impressive and bone-crunching fashion. Turner is a big hitter as a blocker and when he gets a lick on a ball carrier, can shed blocks easily by keeping his hands active and not letting blockers get inside hand placement, and good speed for his size that can burn pursuers after the catch and chase down loose QBs sideline to sideline behind the LOS. He also displayed a little bit of shake after the catch, a heckuva motor, and a 6’6 wingspan and reported 4.77 40. If he could sharpen his DE technique up he could be an absolute force in college. Tons of raw speed, strength, and physicality, and the production can’t be scoffed at or overlooked as well. St. Thomas is the only offer as right now for the new #54 overall-ranked senior in the MN 2024 class.
Bemidji State landed the highly-touted talents of 6’6, 230 lb. Jordan Hubmen defensive end Elijah Hagen, who inked with the Beavers in early December over a host of DII and DIII offers. The All-District, District DL of the Year, and team Defensive MVP was a big part of the talented and experienced 2024 Jordan senior class, and if you can’t tell from the size, accolades, offer sheet, and multi-sport athleticism (4/5 on the bball team, 46’06 shotput, and 169’07 discus), Hagen is making a big-time rankings debut at #61 overall and DL16. He’s been tearing up gridirons around Southern MN especially hard as an upperclassman, and it definitely took me longer to get him on the rankings than it should have, but he is here now and he is here with some force. A possible future All-NSIC defensive end, Hagen possesses noticeable length, which helped him get his arms up into passing lanes, disengage from blocks when he shocks and sheds, and make arm tackles through contact. A 5T who can line up wider on the LOS, Hagen has a good get-off and first step off the snap, good pop when he makes initial contact, and can get skinny through double attempts and beat blocking attempts to either shoulder. Overall, the 6’6er does a good job of shedding blocks and navigating through traffic along the DL and doesn’t waste steps, and cuts good angles tight off blockers’ butts and hips when he beats them in a 1-on-1 matchup. Hagen is simply overwhelmingly big, long, and motivated and was a complete nightmare for would-be blockers to try and handle in 2023. Check the All-Conference selections out of the NSIC in a few years and there’s a good chance the Jordan product will be on it! #GTA
Highlights
Osseo’s Jaymeson Travis exploded into the MN 2024 recruiting scene during this past season after he earned a big-time first offer from FCS Missouri Valley contender South Dakota in mid-October. Talk about versatile, Travis could play TE, DE, or punt/kick at the next level, and although I don’t know where the ‘Yotes like Travis at the next level, the 6’5, 225 lber. has the ability to succeed in all three phases of the world’s greatest game. Also a solid power forward for the Orioles basketball team, Travis booted multiple 50 and 60+ yard punts during the 2023 season and also possesses a skill set that includes a punishing blocking attitude and the ability to run his feet so hard after he gets engaged that he lifts and upends opponents off their feet and hard into the ground like he was piledriving them in a WWE match or send them flying when he locks out and extends his arms. Travis also shows off good hands that can be an asset in the passing game, can line up as a traditional inline TE or flex out wide on the perimeter, and can break off his routes well for a big guy. The blocking game is where he really makes his money, same with on special teams, where his raw and imposing power can boot the rock far downfield with ease not often seen in high schoolers, much less high school TE/DE/P/K hybrids. His versatility, size, and impressive senior campaign helped him debut as the #69 overall senior and #8 athlete. Still on the market too!
The Edina Hornets’ magical 6A postseason run was quite the ride, and although many names, players, and factors played a role in the Hornet’s state championship runner-up season, a large part of the late season momentum that powered them to the state final was due to the play of RB John Warpinski John Warpinski 5’10” | 190 lbs | RB Edina | 2024 State MN (another top newcomer) and DB Owen Kemper Owen Kemper 6’1″ | 180 lbs | DB Edina | 2024 State MN . The latter standout we’ll be breaking down right now, as Kemper debuted as a Top-100 prospect at #76 overall and as DB11. Kemper continues what is becoming a long and illustrious line of standout Edina DBs and played his way into a StarTribune First Team All-Metro pick, MN All-Star Game selection, and AP First Team All-State honors, making him far too hard to ignore when making sure the best and brightest Minnesota 2024s make the talent-rich Top-300. Also a standout basketball player, Kemper reminds me a bit of former Edina star DB Luke Glenna, who went on to have a highly decorated career at St. Thomas as they transitioned from DIII to D1 ball, both from the size, ball-hawking ability and production, and basketball background. Kemper tallied an enormous 121 tackles and 5 INTs in 2023, which included an INT in the 6A state semifinal against Eden Prairie, arguably the biggest upset of the entire year regardless of class, and on tape the 6’1, 180 lber. shows off strengths that include range, instincts, physicality, and speed, and he plays the safety position perfectly in Edina’s defensive scheme. He reads, reacts, and triggers on the ball very instinctively and impressively from the high safety spot, is patient in coverage yet understands route concepts, and reads the QB’s eyes when breaking on passes from soon-to-be-regretful quarterbacks, and his coverage technique is solid once he gets in-phase, as he shows off good eye discipline, plays the ball well in the air, and doesn’t hesitate when reading WRs. I love how Kemper triggers on ball carriers in run support runs the alley with noticeable speed and can cover a ton of ground in run support to make tackles behind the LOS, and does a great job of carrying wide receivers and streaking TEs downfield. He possesses good speed, and range in both run and pass support and is also a technically sound tackle. Right now, Kemper only holds an MSU-Moorhead offer, but I could definitely see UST getting a late commitment from the Edina DB. More NSIC schools need to get involved as well. What a year and what a safety Edina had in 2023!
When naming and publishing the always-vaunted PrepRedzoneMN Preseason All-State rankings, it’s hard to remember a kid outside the Top-50 showing off the two-way ability, physical dominance, and projection to the college level that Springfield’s 6’2, 225 lb. LB/WR Ashton Toll left seared in my brain. On a Springfield team filled with outrageous stat lines, deep playoff success, and small-school supremacy, Toll still was still the most dominant member of their loaded 2023 roster, and I was very excited when I saw him land with NSIC perennial contender Augustana, led by the righteous and inspiring Coach Olszewski, who I’m a huge fan of. Toll plays coverage like a DB, hits like a Mack Truck, and is all over the field in run and pass support as a fluid, natural, and athletic three-down LB. You need a big play? The 225 lber. has you. He brings a decorated and commanding career into Sioux Falls and the Northern Sun and I for one will be eagerly following it. Toll represents the Outstate, small school ranks very well as our #78 overall prospect and #9 ranked linebacker in the class of 2024. What a ride, Ashton! Your mark on Springfield football will never be forgotten.
Speaking of Augustana, the Vikings landed a stud in Mankato West DB Brody Koberoski, who was one of the most impressive players I saw live during this thrilling 2023 season and was an integral part of a ridiculously talent Scarlets roster in 2023. A dynamic, two-way contributor who embraces the biggest moments of a ball game and wants the ball in his hands in clutch and crunch time, the 6’1, 180 lber. gets downhill with pace and covers a ton of ground in run support, is a technically sound and explosive tackler, and a fluid athlete who doesn’t waste steps in coverage and gets out of his breaks with noticeable quickness. He was also a clutch WR in 2023 and showed off great hands and a solid route-running ability with juice after the catch thanks to his speed and physicality. Koberoski will fit in nicely in the NSIC and a roster of solid young men over there at Augie. He came in at #88 overall and as DB12 in the final 2024 PrepRedzoneMN rankings update. Enjoy Sioux Falls, young buck!
Highlights
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Top Uncommitted Seniors
#16 Overall: Juriad Hughes Juriad Hughes 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR Irondale | 2024 State MN (Irondale) WR.
Offers: Western Illinois, Kent State, Colorado State, Northern Iowa
#22 Overall: Savion Hart Savion Hart 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Saint Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN (St. Thomas Academy) RB.
Offers: Minnesota (PWO), Robert Morris, Georgetown, St. Thomas, North Dakota, Minot State, Saint Francis (PA), MSU-Mankato
#27 Overall: Luke Grigson Luke Grigson 6'5" | 215 lbs | ATH Hill-Murray | 2024 State MN (Hill-Murray) TE/ATH. 6’5, 215 lbs.
Offers: Georgia (PWO), Purdue (PWO), Kansas (PWO), Maine, Winona State, Northern Iowa
#37 Overall: Mitchell Wind Mitchell Wind 6'7" | 260 lbs | OL Brainerd | 2024 State MN (Brainerd) OT. 6’7, 265 lbs.
Offers: none reported
#38 Overall: Danny King Danny King 6'4" | 235 lbs | TE Bloomington Jefferson | 2024 State MN (Bloomington Jefferson) TE/WR. 6’4, 220 lbs.
Offers: Sioux Falls, MSU-Mankato. Visits to Nebraska, Boston College, South Dakota State, Minnesota this fall
#39 Overall: Adam Molitor Adam Molitor 6'7" | 225 lbs | TE Totino-Grace | 2024 State MN (Totino-Grace) TE. 6’7, 225 lbs.
Offers: Mizzou (PWO), St. Thomas, Northern Iowa
#47 Overall: Dylan Gross Dylan Gross 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Brainerd | 2024 State MN (Brainerd) LB. 6’2, 220 lbs.
Offers: Bemidji State, Northern State, UMD
#50 Overall: Tanner Zolnosky Tanner Zolnosky 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB East Ridge | 2024 State MN (East Ridge) QB. 5’11, 185 lbs.
Offers: Bowling Green State
#54 Overall: Blake Turner Blake Turner 6'4" | 215 lbs | ATH Stewartville | 2024 State MN (Stewartville) TE/DE. 6’4, 215 lbs.
Offers: St. Thomas
#68 Overall: Isaac Davis Isaac Davis 5'11" | 190 lbs | DB Park Center | 2024 State MN (Park Center) DB. 6′, 180 lbs.
Offers: South Dakota
#69 Overall: Jay Travis Jay Travis 6'5" | 220 lbs | ATH Osseo | 2024 State MN (Osseo) TE/P/K/DE. 6’5, 225 lbs.
Offers: South Dakota
#73 Overall: Marcus Lomanga Marcus Lomanga 6'2" | 215 lbs | ATH Bloomington Jefferson | 2024 State MN (Bloomington Jefferson) ATH. 6’2, 215 lbs.
Offers: none reported
#76 Overall: Owen Kemper Owen Kemper 6'1" | 180 lbs | DB Edina | 2024 State MN (Edina) DB. 6’1, 180 lbs.
Offers: MSU-Moorhead
#80 Overall: Seth Newbern Seth Newbern 6'1" | 175 lbs | ATH Armstrong | 2024 State MN : (Armstrong) WR/DB. 6’1, 175 lbs.
Offers: NDSCS