North Dakota: 2025 Winter Rankings Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NORTH DAKOTA--</strong> With now being past National Signing Day with the 2024 class, we close the book on those prospects and shift the page forward to the 2025 class in North Dakota. We heard from the grapevine that the 2024 class was a good one, but looking ahead at this 2025 class in North Dakota, it might be even better, which you will find out why deeper into this preview. We take a look at the highest peaking newcomers, our evaluation process, and who was added into our top 10 of the rankings. We found over 150+ prospects in this recent ranking update in North Dakota to show off what the Roughrider State has to offer in this class. Let's get to it!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Our PRZ Prospect Evaluation Process:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our #1 priority and goal with Prep Redzone Dakotas is to put prospects on the map for college coaches and college programs at all levels to advance their exposure. We evaluate prospects on next-level potential not stats, not on the team's rankings in the state, it's all about the prospects upside and how his skillsets fit at the next level when it comes down to measurables, athleticism and everything else that college programs measure as far as skillsets. All prospects will need to have tape available or have been referred to us by our anonymous sources throughout the North Dakota or South Dakota. Some prospects will peak early in their high school career and which is why our rankings change 3-4 times per year at Prep Redzone Dakotas, because we also always factor in several live evaluations year-around thru prospect camps in the summer, games during the fall season, as we have seen prospects within a 3 month span add 30 pounds of muscle and a couple inches of height, while others stay the same. That is our process with every rankings update for those of you that are new to us! The main goal? Expose as many prospects state-wide to make sure they get next-level opportunities thru our network of college programs from Division I FBS, FCS, Division II, NAIA, Division and the JUCO ranks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>New Names Within the Top 10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We only had one newcomer to our North Dakota 2025 rankings class and two prospects that were inside the top 15 that moved up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Newcomer</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#9</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1016919' first='Brett' last='Tastad'], OL, North Prairie <a href="https://twitter.com/brett_tastad">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Stock Risers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#5: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='669323' first='JB' last='Walters'], OL, Grand Forks Red River <a href="https://twitter.com/JBWalters6">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#4: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='951872' first='Walker' last='Braaten'], QB/DB, Westhope<strong> </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/WalkerBraaten4">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Key Points from the 2025 North Dakota Rankings Update</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The FBS Depth this Class Offers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since we have been in the Dakotas since 2020, we haven't had an incoming senior class have this many FBS offers this early in the cycle. So far four prospects within our top 5 prospects ([player_tooltip player_id='720270' first='Kade' last='Pietrzak'], [player_tooltip player_id='321196' first='Jack' last='Shaffer'], [player_tooltip player_id='356867' first='Joe' last='Kramlich'], and [player_tooltip player_id='669323' first='JB' last='Walters']) have at least one FBS offer and the only one that does not for the moment anyway is Westhope QB/DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='951872' first='Walker' last='Braaten']</strong>, which I would not at all be surprised if he gets his first FBS offer very soon. In comparison to the 2024 class, that sent 4 out of the 5 prospects to NDSU, this class is much different and I think has more depth than the 2024 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Which Newcomers Rose the Fastest?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of the top 10, we meet the newcomers we added to our list that landed the highest onto our rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#28: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1185194' first='Jensen' last='Schulz'], WR, Mandan <a href="https://twitter.com/JensenSchulz2">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#27:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1184867' first='Tommy' last='Ahneman'], OL, West Fargo Sheyenne <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyAhneman">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#23:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1184865' first='Kaden' last='Olson'], QB, West Fargo Sheyenne <a href="https://twitter.com/OlsonKaden10">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#21: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1184866' first='Kolter' last='Simon'], ATH, Bismarck Century <a href="https://twitter.com/KolterSimo6321">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#17</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id='1090475' first='Thomas' last='Kraft'], RB, Grand Forks Red River <a href="https://twitter.com/krafty_t1">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#14: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1047983' first='Drake' last='Schlosser'], WR, Stanley <a href="https://twitter.com/DrakeSchlosser">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>#12:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1184864' first='Cooper' last='Bryant'], TE, West Fargo Sheyenne <a href="https://twitter.com/Cooperb1278">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>What is Next on Tap from the Content Side now that the 2025 ND Rankings Have Been Released?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Content will flow between both Dakotas daily over the next week or two from each of these groups of article series:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Newcomers (Multi-Part Series)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Who was added to our prospect database of 2025 prospects and what do they bring to the table as far as their skillsets?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stockrisers (Multi-Part Series)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Which prospects that were already ranked rose their stock from last fall into this offseason and why did their rank see improvement?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Positional Breakdowns (Multiple Positions)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>We will stack up some of our position groups and evaluate why x prospect was ranked over x prospect due to what their tape shows, live evaluation shows, etc.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Small Town Sleepers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>One of my favorite article series every ranking update. Which prospects from sleepy small town America made waves on our rankings whether newcomers or stockrisers? We always love to talk the population too showing off these prospects from small town North Dakota.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->