PRzMN 2024 Final Rankings Update: MN’s Top 10 Hardest Hitters
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For our third and final PrepRedzoneMN final 2024 Rankings Update, we’re doing one of my favorite articles to write in all of football scouting and recruiting: the state’s hardest hitters. The PrepRedzone state-by-state network will always have you covered for…
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Continue ReadingFor our third and final PrepRedzoneMN final 2024 Rankings Update, we’re doing one of my favorite articles to write in all of football scouting and recruiting: the state’s hardest hitters. The PrepRedzone state-by-state network will always have you covered for Top Newcomers and Biggest Stock Risers, but if you’re reading a rankings feature by yours truly, you’ll be reading about the hardest hitters as well. I simply can’t not remember, record, and highlight the biggest thumpers I watch during a rankings update, and it’s easily my favorite thing in sports, much less football. I’m naturally inclined to remember the biggest, most explosive, most painful-looking, most bone-jarring hits, they’ve been seared into my memory since the days of watching my favorite players such as Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson, Sean Taylor, Ed Reed, and Troy Polamalu. The class of 2024 was made up of some seriously hard hitting prospects on both sides of the ball. North bound trains on southbound tracks, wood layers, hit sticks, trucksticks, slobber-knockers, tattooed, lit up like a Christmas tree, baptized, clocked, rocked, taken to the woodshed, cracked, boomed, stuck, laid out, or any other euphemism for a big hit or a hard hitter, Minnesota’s class of 2024 has them, and I hope you guys enjoy these well-thought-out Top-10 rankings of the most explosive, most physical, and hardest hitters the state has to offer. I’ll miss watching these fellas next fall, that’s forsure!
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1) Cole Saenger Cole Saenger 5'11" | 195 lbs | LB Mahtomedi | 2024 State MN (Mahtomedi) FB/LB. 5’11, 195 lbs. Uncommitted
I was not expecting the sheer physicality and explosiveness of Mahtomedi’s Second Team StarTribune All-Metro linebacker Cole Saenger Cole Saenger 5'11" | 195 lbs | LB Mahtomedi | 2024 State MN when I popped on the tape a week or two ago. Holy cow, off the bat this kid is one of the hardest hitters in our Great State of Minnesota, and he plays two of the best positions to lay the wood: linebacker and fullback. You can see his opponents freeze, shudder, and crumple upon meeting Saenger in the hole, and if he gets a clean enough shot on an opponent, he’ll send you rag dolling through the air, limbs flailing, like they just got in a car accident so much pop that he can put OTs on their heinie with impressive ease. The 195 lber. comes into contact like a cannonball defensively and can create so much force at the contact point like it looks like a strung gust of wind blew them backward in a hurricane, and the unmatched speed he brings into a big hit really displays the effect of physics when two objects collide, and he created some absurd and never-before-seen impacts on his opponents bodies in 2023. Equally as explosive as a fullback as he is as a linebacker, you HAVE TO check out Saenger’s senior tape if you’re a fan of huge hits. It’s a can’t-miss display of power, impact, force, and physicality. Still uncommitted too!
2) Kellen Quast Kellen Quast 5'10" | 185 lbs | DB Concordia Academy | 2024 State MN (Concordia Academy) DB. 5’10, 185 lbs. Committed to UW-River Falls
Coming into the writing of this final PrepRedzoneMN 2024 rankings update feature, I was most excited for Concordia Academy’s stud safety Kellen Quast Kellen Quast 5'10" | 185 lbs | DB Concordia Academy | 2024 State MN ‘s tape. Undoubtedly one of the hardest hitters in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Quast‘s junior tape was reminiscent of a Brian Dawkins highlight reel, and man oh man did he keep the hits coming as a senior. Quast, a UW-River Falls commit who is going to bring his pop and explosiveness to the WIAC the next four years, can generate a very impressive amount of pop for an 185 lber., which makes the outright explosive hits he produces even more imposing and admirable. He can completely upend and send a ball carriers feet towards the sky when he makes contact, will send ball carriers five yards out of bounds in the blink of an eye and with as much exertion as taking a breath, and also produced some massive, highlight-reel worthy blocks as a fullback that sent kids parallel to the ground in awe-inspiring fashion. Quast goes toe-to-toe and man-to-man with much larger opponents as a fullback and smashes them to the ground in embarrassing fashion in front of all his friends and family to behold, and he will send you flying like you’re at a trampoline park. A natural hitter who brings his hips through contact, doesn’t mind using the shoulder pads, and excels in the physical aspect of the world’s greatest game, Quast is easily pound-for-pound the hardest hitter in the state and exactly the physical presence you want from a free safety, especially in run support. I’m going to really miss watching this dude lay the lumber and he’s been one of the most consistent, experienced, and natural hitters I’ve seen in my time with PrepRedzoneMN.
3) Harrison Brun Harrison Brun 6'1" | 210 lbs | DB Rockford | 2024 State MN (Rockford) DB. 6’1, 210 lbs. Committed to Minnesota (PWO)
Minnesota always does a good job of landing high-quality in-state PWO signings, but I’m feeling especially good about Rockford’s prolific thumper Harrison Brun Harrison Brun 6'1" | 210 lbs | DB Rockford | 2024 State MN heading to Dinky. Not only does he have FBS-worthy athletic numbers, but he’s also easily one of Minnesota’s Hardest Hitters in the 2024 class. Brun puts the strong in strong safety and is a classic XL, over-the-middle-presence who can tattoo, visually and physically overwhelm, and bounce kids off the turf like a basketball and leave a lasting impression in the now-rattled wide receiver for the rest of the game. There’s reps of him hip tossing RBs around like they’re children, running through solid tackle attempts and crack them off his thighs like a primetime power back, and smoothly slam and dump ball carriers like he threw a double leg. When you really line up an opponent well and get a clean, solid shot on someone you generally see the big bounces from a collision, and Brun’s senior tape is filled with tackles and hits like that, and I also like how you can see opponents stay down on the ground, attempting to catch their breath and wondering why their whole body hurts all of a sudden. Reminds me of all the prototypical highlight reel-worthy safeties I spent hours watching on Youtube growing up. In a college S&C program he’s going to become even more of a beast. RTB!
4) Max Mogelson Max Mogelson 6'3" | 260 lbs | DL Two Rivers | 2024 State MN (Two Rivers) DL. 6’3, 265 lbs. Committed to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas
An already known hard-hitting commodity, Mogelson once again brought the wood to his senior campaign and was an easy choice for one of the state’s hardest hitters. Built like a refrigerator, Mogelson opens his senior tape with a massive collision, one of the hardest hits I saw while grinding 2024 MN tape, and the 265 lber. can generate so much power at the contact point that he ricochets QBs and RBs off him like a cannonball just landed at their feet and sends the opponents flying and crumpling into weird angles that only a massive and incredibly physical thumper can create. Strong enough to go shoulder-to-shoulder with even the biggest of RBs, stonewall them in the hole, and run them backward like they slipped on a treadmill, Mogelson can complete tackles or pancake blocks with only a single shoulder pad, is a motivated and crushing blocker who you do not want putting his full weight on you. Once he gets ahold of you it’s a guarantee you’re going backwards. The speed of his get-off and the force he can generate after beating a block is one of the big reasons he’s an FBS signee, and he’s also a truck stick of a ball carrier who squashes would-be tacklers like they’re a mosquito attempting to land on his shoulder. Offense, defense, and special teams, Mogelson is going to make you feel him, and as a multi-time Minnesota c/o 2024 Hardest Hitter, he once again takes his rightful place on the final Top-10 rankings naming the last players you want to see on the gridiron. Bring the pain to Las Vegas, Max!
5) Ray James Jr Ray James Jr 6'3" | 195 lbs | LB DeLaSalle | 2024 State MN (Delasalle) LB/ATH. 6’3, 200 lbs. Committed to North Dakota State
NDSU once again located a heckuva Minnesota signing in their 2024 class, and went back to the familiar & fertile recruiting grounds of the Delasalle Islanders in Minneapolis. Standing at 6’3, 200+, Ray James Jr Ray James Jr 6'3" | 195 lbs | LB DeLaSalle | 2024 State MN . had a very dynamic and versatile junior tape, but as a senior, the tape transitioned to LB full-time, and boy did the film pop, literally! Planted as the tall, long, must-watch MLB at the heart of the Islanders defense staring the worried QB straight in the eyes, James crumples RBs when he puts the pads on them, is a hammer at the contact point that sends RBs backward unwillingly and painfully, and possesses natural pop and great tackling technique that helped create big hits in tackling situations and scenarios all around the gridiron. A natural at sucking in and scooping the hips for painful-looking dumps and tackle finishes that plant ball carriers into the ground with the intention to leave them there, the 6’3, James also holds noticeable height and length allows him to completely envelop and overwhelm RBs, QBs, and WRs at the contact point, and he pulled off some massive blindside hits that sent the poor ball carrier completely parallel to the ground and bouncing off the turf like a ragged basketball. James is that physical, sideline-to-sideline presence that the LB position is known for, and along with the many accolades he’s bringing into Fargo, James can now add “Minnesota Hardest Hitter” to the list.
6) Wyatt Gilmore Wyatt Gilmore 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Rogers | 2024 State MN (Rogers) DL/TE. 6’4, 240 lbs. Committed to Oklahoma
Similar to Koi Perich Koi Perich 6'2" | 200 lbs | ATH Esko | 2024 State MN , who we’ll get to in a minute, Rogers stud senior DL/TE and Oklahoma Sooners signee Wyatt Gilmore Wyatt Gilmore 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Rogers | 2024 State MN has been evaluated, complimented, and spotlighted in excess during his prolific prep career with the 5A Royals, but I don’t think anyone has really dug into Gilmore’s contact domination and ability to produce a big hit on either side of the ball in detail. It also helps that he’s a P5-verified athlete and weighs 240 lbs. on a wide, massive, and still-growing 6’4 frame and a freight train off the edge. Possessing the biggest truck stick in the state and a stiff arm will send you to the heavens, Rogers must have been thrilled how his TE impact went when he went there in a more full-time role as a senior, where his giant hits translated to the offensive side of the ball nicely. Gilmore can easily knock you off your feet like you or I blow out a birthday candle, and he’s got a rep where he’s out on the edge lead blocking on a cornerback and cranks him so hard it sends the poor kid five yards up into the air and into the sideline, where he RB then runs right through the space he created and into the endzone. The 240 lber. is strong enough to pull down ball carriers and yank them to the turf like in a horror movie when the demon tugs you back into the depths, and he flattens QBs, especially on blindside hits, like a line cook pressing down on a newly added hamburger. I gotta tell you too, a blindside hit by Gilmore is going to hurt a lot more than from any other DE in the state, for obvious reasons. After his big hits, you can see the victims clutch their stomachs, try to catch their breath, and unsuccessfully shake off the runaway train that just crashed into them, and when he completes a sack, words such as crush, flatten, envelop, and break all come to mind. I would never ever want to get hit by this kid at full throttle and I doubt the poor QBs who felt his wrath and weight haven’t forgotten about their meeting with Gilmore either.
7) Noah Behning Noah Behning 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Lester Prairie | 2024 State MN (Lester Prairie) LB/S. 6’2, 225 lbs. Uncommitted
To kick things off, watching the 6’2, 225 lb. ILB Behning play free safety in his senior highlight tape had me looking like the star-struck emoji when watching film for the final 2024 PrepRedzoneMN rankings update. This also means that he’s one of the last safeties in the Land of 10,000 Lakes you want coming downhill at ya in the middle of the field, and boy did Behning lay the hurt on some poor opponents in 2023. If you can imagine a 6’2, 225 lb. prep safety in the small school ranks then you already know where this is going, as running into Behning is like running into a brick wall that fights back. He opens his tape with him tossing a ball carrier into the ground so hard to jars the ball loose and leaves the helpless RB laying on the ground and not moving like an old war movie, and the 225 lber. puts would-be blockers onto their butts with as much ease as you or I push open a door. Behning comes into the contact point with so much size and force that he rocks opponents off their feet and pulverizes them into the turf like he’s hitting a tackling dummy, and if he chooses to cut tackle you, you can guarantee you’ll be sent over the top and into the air like you bounced off a trampoline. PRzMN is very excited about the development and growth the Lester Prairie future ‘backer made from his junior to senior seasons and we are also delighted to add him to this star-studded rankings of the state’s hardest hitters.
8) Koi Perich Koi Perich 6'2" | 200 lbs | ATH Esko | 2024 State MN (Esko) DB. 6’1, 200 lbs.
What hasn’t already been said about Koi Perich Koi Perich 6'2" | 200 lbs | ATH Esko | 2024 State MN ? A Top-5 safety in the nation, Perich’s journey, recruitment, athleticism, multi-sport background, dynamic ability, and projection to the college level have all been covered and then some by media outlets around the country wondering what in the world is in the water in Esko, MN. The best player to ever come out of Outstate Minnesota, I think I’m in somewhat uncharted territory breaking down Perich’s prowess at the contact point, but he absolutely deserves a nod as one of Minnesota’s Hardest Hitters, which he can add to his mile-long list of accolades, awards. and honors. When you are a top-tier athlete on the gridiron, and I mean really top tier, you are able to play with an absurd and obvious next-level speed that creates collisions you’re used to seeing at the highest levels of college football and beyond. The 200 lber. patrols the MOF, closes, and comes into contact like a heat-seeking missile, and the impact of his hits also replicate and mirror the effects of a missile, blowing opponents up in the air and backward like an explosion hit them. The speed and physicality Perich plays with as a third level defender seeps into the conscious of his opponents, as he appears out of nowhere and hits you like a runaway train in the blink of an eye, and he “little boys” WRs and RBs and hits them so hard they’ll have to contemplate if football is the right sport for them. Think about all of the classic big hits over the middle you’ve seen on Youtube, and that’s the kind of hitter Perich is and can channel. His game is a lot more than big hits, but boy does he have that box checked and then some. There was just no way you could leave him off this list of Minnesota’s Hardest Hitters.
9) Cody Packer Cody Packer 5'9" | 205 lbs | RB St. Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN (St. Thomas Academy) FB. 5’9, 205 lbs. Committed to St. Olaf
You can’t make a hardest hitting football feature without a true fullback, and lucky for us, St. Thomas Academy’s Cody Packer Cody Packer 5'9" | 205 lbs | RB St. Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN is Making Fullbacks Great Again and is a throwback, neckroll, hard-nosed, classic fullback who also happens to be committed to my alma mater. Could I love a prospect anymore? I really hope people don’t think I named Packer to this list just because he’s a future Ole however, as Packer’s tape speaks for itself and he absolutely earned the title as one of Minnesota’s Hardest Hitters from the 2024 class. His low center of gravity helps him fold opponents into themselves and slumping to the turf or send them recoiling backward and onto their butts, and he’s a truckstick of a ball carrier who also flattened QBs and ball carriers when playing on defense and special teams. Minutes and minutes of him pancaking and running over defenders like a runaway semi-truck in GTA helped him land a spot on this prestigious Minnesota Hardest Hitters list. Can’t wait to watch him rock opponents in Northfield the next 4 years!
10) Luke Dehnicke Luke Dehnicke 6'4" | 205 lbs | ATH Andover | 2024 State MN (Andover) DB. 6’4, 205 lbs. Committed to Minnesota-Duluth
Inarguably one of the 2023 seasons biggest stars and best performers, Andover’s defensive secondary was patrolled by one of the state’s hardest hitters in UMD commit Luke Dehnicke Luke Dehnicke 6'4" | 205 lbs | ATH Andover | 2024 State MN . With eye-popping size and length for a prep safety, Dehnicke was also one of the rangiest safeties in the state and laid big hits all over the field this past fall. His length and the speed he brings into contact forces ball carriers backward in whip-lashing fashion and you can see many RBs and WRs head snap back with force from Dehnicke’s first contact, and he’s a very sound tackler who doesn’t mind squaring up with any kind of ball carrier at any time. The UMD commit has a hit vs. Elk River where he comes downhill and goes face-to-face with a big RB in one of the more violent and car-crash worthy I hits while watching tape and he left a lasting impression on my prep football fandom in more ways than just the big hits. Bulldogs got a heckuva pickup here.
Honorable Mentions
Dylan Gross Dylan Gross 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Brainerd | 2024 State MN LB. 6’2, 225 lbs. Uncommitted
2023 was far from smooth sailing for Brainerd’s monster of a senior LB Dylan Gross Dylan Gross 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Brainerd | 2024 State MN . After picking up some considerable steam on the recruiting trail this summer he unfortunately fractured a bone in his foot in late August and missed most of the 2023 football season. Terrible timing and indicative of one of the more unfavorable parts of the game, Gross still earns an honorable mention from his overall prep career that included hospital-worthy hits and a throwback physical playstyle reminiscent of the OGs of early football. Gross brings the essence of anger and violence to the gridiron and uses his 225 lb. frame to its fullest extent when coming into contact. His junior tape is filled with bone-crunching and visually jarring hits that have not left my memory and won’t anytime soon. Not a complete list without Dylan Gross Dylan Gross 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Brainerd | 2024 State MN .
James Mankaka James Mankaka 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Rochester Mayo | 2024 State MN (Rochester Mayo) CB. 5’11, 175 lbs. Uncommitted
I can’t lie, I was pretty surprised to see the Rochester Mayo CB make the list. The Mayo program had a big year in 2023, as moving up to 6A is no joke and should be commended no matter who is doing it, and to hang with the big boys you’re going to need some big hitters. Lucky for the Spartans, Mankaka brought the boom on the perimeter and made a lot of receivers rethink how badly they really want to reel in this catch. Big hitter in both the run and pass game, Mankaka hits a lot harder than his 175 pounds and position would suggest and is a great form tackler who goes chest to chest with ball carriers, wins the first contact battle, and then drives them backward in big man fashion. If he meets you at the catch point with some momentum he’s going to rock you silly, and although he’s not the biggest hitter on the list, but definitely deserves to get an honorable mention nod for the film, type of hits he produces, and pop for his size, and emergence onto the hard hitting scene.
Josh Quirk Josh Quirk 6'1" | 245 lbs | OL Edina | 2024 State MN (Edina) OL/TE. 6’1, 245 lbs. Uncommitted
Edina’s TE turned OL Josh Quirk Josh Quirk 6'1" | 245 lbs | OL Edina | 2024 State MN has already earned some 2024 Hardest Hitters recognition throughout his prep career and the numerous PrepRedzoneMN rankings updates and comes in clutch when it matters to earn a nod in the FINAL 2024 Minnesota Hardest Hitters feature. Quirk came through with another bone-crunching, trench warfare, explosive gridiron campaign in what was a magical yet incomplete 2023 season for the Hornets. Playing LT for Edina, the 245+ pounder is a crushing down blocker and a nasty finisher who can also wreck defenders in public like they just ran into a statue as well as a pulverizing puller who buckles defenders around the LOS. Quirk can produce pop remindful of a 16 lb. bowling ball ricocheting pins at a semi-pro league game on a Friday night, sending DL backward like a cartoon character, and you better keep your head on a swivel as well, as Quirk will seek and destroy in space and flatten poor opponents when they aren’t ready for it in some of the more painful-looking hits that can be created on the gridiron. Still uncommitted as well!
Logan Schleeter Logan Schleeter 6'2" | 235 lbs | DL Orono | 2024 State MN (Orono) DL/OG. 6’2, 235 lbs. Uncommitted
Another first-time selection in the coveted MN Hardest Hitters final ranking, Orono DL/OG Logan Schleeter Logan Schleeter 6'2" | 235 lbs | DL Orono | 2024 State MN had a great 2023 senior season in more ways than just his prolific desire for contact, as he’s equally explosive when sending second level defenders flying when he makes contact, destroying helpless DL when pulling across the LOS, and when squaring you up and folding you like Sunday laundry. Schleeter is also a bruising tackler who lifts ball carriers off their feet and back into the grass for brutal finishes, so much so that you can see RBs go horizontal when he gets his pads on them, and he’s strong enough to send QBs flying with just one arm, see his Totino-Grace near sack for proof. PRzMN loved watching Schleeter and the physical, suffocating Orono 2023 team this past fall. Still uncommitted as well!
Adrian Onyiego Adrian Onyiego 6'2" | 205 lbs | LB Rogers | 2024 State MN (Rogers) OLB. 6’2, 205 lbs. Committed to Wyoming
Rogers had a more-than-impressive 2023 roster and 2024 senior class of prospects, and OLB/EDGE Adrian Onyiego Adrian Onyiego 6'2" | 205 lbs | LB Rogers | 2024 State MN was a big part of their defensive success, recruiting recognition, and 5A state championship contention. In my opinion, he was also arguably the hardest hitter the Royals had on their roster, as well as one of the hardest hitters in the entire state, in large part due to his very unique skillset. Onyiego’s get-off, closing and overall play speed, hair-on-fire playstyle, and impact off the edge was one of the best I’ve seen in my years covering MN high school football, and the production, influence, and he brought as a 6’2, 205 lb. stand-up, sometimes hand-in-the-dirt OLB/EDGE/DE cannot be overstated. He played the position like he was 225, which has to excite his future coaches at the University of Wyoming when he gets to Laramie. Onyiego goes so balls-to-the-wall that he will create a big hit on himself at the contact point, and if you don’t believe me, check out his punt block vs. SSR, where he ragdolls both himself and the punter with such force that it looks like one of those old Youtube videos of two people running into each other full-throttle holding the bouncy workout balls. The 205 lber. also laid some explosive blocks as a fullback, and he sprints into contact from his DE spot with so much speed and velocity that a massive, gasp-inspiring, crushing collision is inevitable. Very fun to watch, Onyiego has now solidified himself as one of the hardest hitters in the 2024 Minnesota class. Well deserved!
Emerson Mandell Emerson Mandell 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Irondale | 2024 State MN (Irondale) OL. 6’5, 295 lbs. Committed to Wisconsin
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the #1 offensive lineman in the Minnesota made the list of Minnesota’s Hardest Hitters. Irondale senior and Wisconsin Badger commit Emerson Mandell Emerson Mandell 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Irondale | 2024 State MN possesses brute strength and power that can produce hits simply unfathomable by most prep football prospects. The future Badger tramples over opponents like it’s the Running of the Bulls, mauls defenders into the turf like a pack of feral hogs, and sends defenders flying when he locks out his arms like he’s tossing children around a pool. Mandell serves up pancakes like you’re at Mickey’s Diner and is so big he can produce hard hits at odd angles and by not even squaring up or getting a clean shot on a poor defender. On defense, he can clothesline you like that Bib Sapp scene in The Longest Yard, and his sheer size and how easily he ragdolls and sends opponents flying is a sight for sore eyes, especially if you’re a Badger fan. The 295 lber. looks like a runaway train or semi truck who lost its brakes in his senior tape, and there was no way we could leave him off this star-studded list of the state’s Hardeset Hitters. Good luck in Mad Town, Emerson!
Marcus Whiting Marcus Whiting 6'0" | 215 lbs | DL Centennial | 2024 State MN (Centennial) DL. 6′, 215 lbs. Uncommitted
You can’t win a state championship without a physically dominant defensive presence, and the Centennial Cougars got a lot of big school hard hitting juice from their Second Team StarTribune All-Metro & Second Team AP All-State selection Marcus Whiting Marcus Whiting 6'0" | 215 lbs | DL Centennial | 2024 State MN . One of the most accomplished unsigned seniors in Minnesota, Whiting is a bit of a tweener size/position wise but far from an in-between physical presence on the gridiron. His strength and wrestling background help him bring a lot of pop to the contact point, especially on a full head of steam, and sent more than fair share of QBs flying five yards out of bounds or backward after a throw. With the amount of bend he brings to the table from his skillset, that means he sent a heckuva lot of QBs through the air and onto their backs, and God forbid if he comes off the edge unblocked he’s going to put a bone-crunching hit on a QB that could put that poor kid out of the game. What a year it’s been for Mr. Whiting, now he’s also one of the state’s hardest hitters!