PrepRedzoneMN 2025 Rankings Update: Top Newcomers Part II
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We are in the thick of things regarding the post-update coverage of the Official PrepRedzoneMN 2025 Rankings Update, and although I have some fun, variety-driven, deep dives into the 2025 Big Board, this update was so big that it’s very…
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Continue ReadingWe are in the thick of things regarding the post-update coverage of the Official PrepRedzoneMN 2025 Rankings Update, and although I have some fun, variety-driven, deep dives into the 2025 Big Board, this update was so big that it’s very much worth continuing to highlight the Top Newcomers of this deep and massive update. With over 100 new additions to the rankings and watchlist, the top end of the 2025 rankings was completely overhauled and shaken up, and with so many new prospects littering the top 10, 25, 50, 100, etc., these guys and their hard works deserve to be spotlighted, broken down, and evaluated for our reader’s enjoyment. Below, we have the next 11 top debuting newcomers and new additions to the Minnesota 2025 rankings, and boy is this group choked-full of talent. Tons of D1 sleepers who have great shots of continuing to rise on the recruiting trail and up the rankings during the all-important junior offseason. Let’s get to it!
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There is quite an impressive and enticing variety of wide receivers in the MN 2025 class. Speed demons, XL pass catchers, route runners, go-up-and-get-it high-fliers, slotbacks, deep threats, and anything else your football heart could imagine. A wideout who quietly asserted himself into the D1, top-tier recruiting scene is Sauk Rapids-Rice’s 6’2, 180 lber. Hudson Omoke, whose combination of size, athleticism, production, and film landed him squarely in the sights of some of the state’s best recruiters. Multi-sport backgrounds are always a plus in a football prospect, and a wide receiver with a basketball background is like a RB with a track background, a match made in heaven. Omoke is the state’s #19 hooper in the 2025 class, according to our sister site PrepHoops, and you can see the hoop’s background in the body control, ability to high point the rock, and quickness in his game. Omoke tallied 59 receptions for 957 yards and 9 TDs last fall, primarily working as the X but occasionally out of the slot, and doing a lot of things well and with flair. The 6’2, 180+ lber. possesses noticeable and above-average length, speed that is impressive for a bigger wideout of his size, and can drop his hips pretty well for a taller, longer wideout.
With the speed to burn man coverage and take the top off the defense, Omoke covers a ton of ground with each step thanks to those long legs and impressive gait, and he can burn pursuers in the open field to finish splash plays for six. One of the earlier plays in his junior tape shows a very impressive rep of him high-pointing an overthrown ball while fully extended for a beautiful display of body control, vertical ability, and concentration, and he can pluck the ball out of the air and use his length and large catch radius to do it right on top of streaking and helpless DBs, both in stride and in the air. The 6’2 pass catcher is also a shifty and solid route runner who wins in his releases at the LOS, naturally stacks defending DBs, gets out of his breaks cleanly, doesn’t round off his routes, and is nasty at the top of the route, particularly when running double moves, and he also looks balanced and shows some juice after the catch. The combination of size, speed, and impressive vertical skills and ability make Omoke a nightmare to try and defend and a real matchup problem at the prep and hopefully collegiate level. I’m excited to see who gets involved first.
Hudson Omoke debuts as the #39 overall prospect and #5 wide receiver in the updated PRzMN 2025 Rankings.
The race for RB1 in Minnesota was as tight as any position group in the 2025 class of prospects. It was a very hard decision, but the race is far from over and there is a lot of runway left in both of the state’s top RBs recruitment. Coming in as the current RB2, Maple Grove’s Charles Langama had a fantastic junior campaign in his first year as a varsity contributor and is one of the PRzMN 2025 Rankings Update’s Top Newcomers as well as one of the 2023 season’s breakout stars. With a great build for the position and a lot of natural ability, Langama posted 1,425 rushing yards and 26 total TDs against some of the top competition the state has to offer before a pregame injury forced him to miss the last two games of the season for the Crimson. They could have used him too, but no cause for concern here, the injury wasn’t anything serious and Langama is poised to dominate the Metro as a senior along with his talented Crimson 2025 peers.
The 5’9, 205 lber. is a beast through contact and owns a powerful build for the position, which is aided by his good weight room numbers that include a 510 lb. squat, 300 lb. bench, and 265 lb. clean, all of which you can see show up in his junior tape. Langama demonstrates excellent contact balance, a mean stiff arm, some lateral twitch, and solid speed to make for a diverse toolkit to break the tackles of would-be defenders in the Metro. The junior does a great job of not allowing defenders to get a clean shot on him, absorbs contact well, and is a tackle-breaking machine who, once he gets up to full speed and is coming downhill at DBs, intimidates them into making business decisions, something you can see in his junior film. I also love how patient he is at allowing his blocking to develop, and he sees the field very well, anticipates the cutback beautifully, sets defenders up in the open field and uses every inch of the gridiron to his advantage. Looks like he’s a couple of steps ahead of a defense once he sniffs out the hole and sees space, and I’d bet that Langama is up there at the top of the state in terms of number of broken tackles and yards after contact. This dude makes things look very easy.
Charles Langama debuts as the #41 overall 2025 prospect and the #2 RB in the newly updated PRzMN Rankings.
Park Center iOL Peter Okafor burst onto the scene and the PRzMN 2025 Top Newcomer list the good old fashioned way: killing it at a camp! The 6’2, 350 lber. came into December’s PrepRedzone Stock-Up Showcase and was easily one of the best blockers in a loaded OL position group who got wins against the top pass-rushers in attendance and was a brick wall during 1v1s. To sweeten the pot, the film looks good too, which led to Okafor coming in as one of our Top Newcomers in the 2025 PRzMN Rankings Update. Yes, he’s a big boy, but Okafor is athletic, and if he can keep the weight under control the rest of high school then a collegiate S&C coordinator is going to be able to harness and take advantage of his raw power, light feet, and athleticism in that big frame of his.
Okafor works out of the LT spot for the Pirates, but I like him at guard at the next level. He also played DT the last two games of the season, where he showed a good get-off for his size, closing, and pursuit speed for a big guy, and a ton of strength in the gap and through contact that cannot be washed out nor single-blocked. The junior owns a solid pass set and a powerful anchor allows him to absorb and dish out contact in pass pro situations, something we saw both in-person and on film, he’s a bruising finisher and looks very hard to disengage from when he gets his paws on your, especially on your chest plate. Okafor powerfully and easily backs down and crumples opponents, can smoothly and effectively work to the second level and negate defenders in space, and plays opponents’ hands very well. I’m impressed by how he plays opponents’ momentum against them, if they extend too far over or get over their toes he’s shucking or ripping you onto your face, and his raw strength helps him ragdoll smaller DL and LBs and finish blocks into the turf from a variety of scenarios. Okafor is equally effective in the trenches along the LOS as he is out in space.
Already has visited Northern Illinois for a junior day weekend and is hearing from the likes of NDSU, MSU-Moorhead, UPenn, Wayne State, Dartmouth, MSU-Mankato, and South Dakota State. Lots of junior days, camp sessions, and unofficial visits in Okafor’s near future.
Park Center’s Peter Okafor debuts as the #51 overall prospect and #9 OL in the MN 2025 class.
Highlights
Duluth’s own Two Harbors High School is home to quite the prolific back-to-back defensive line prospect tandem, and following in the footsteps of soon-to-be Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs freshman Zach Bentler Zach Bentler 6’4″ | 230 lbs | DL Two Harbors | 2024 State MN is the terrific 6’3, 235 lb. Top Newcomer Aidan Adamski. Physical, versatile, and well-built, I originally found Adamski while researching and grinding tape for the vaunted Preseason All-State teams, for which Adamski undoubtedly got a nod. If you know me by now, you’ll know that Adamski captured my heart by honoring the long-time tradition of XL Minnesota Outstate prospects to man and dominate from the fullback position. A 6’3, 235 lb. fullback coming at you with a full head of steam? Who would ever want that? And Adamski is quite the beast in the backfield.
The 2025 standout DE tallied 54 tackles, 21 TFLs, 4 sacks, 4 PBUs, 1 blocked punt, and 1 defensive TD in 2023, plus 24 carries for 134 yards and a TD. He threw out a WWE-worthy supplex in the second play of his junior tape that showed the physical dominance he can exert on the gridiron. Adamski can shed blocks naturally, gets his arms up into passing lanes instinctively, shows a good motor, has the pursuit speed to run down plays from the backside, takes good angles to the football, and can tackle in space. He displays good speed for his size, which shows up on the offensive side of the ball. When closing on ball carriers from his DE spot, Adamski resembles an F150 of a ball carrier who spreads the seas and makes you question how much his physical stature and running style have to do with how little defenders seem to be converging around him when he totes the rock. I do not see a lot of pass-rushing nuance or technique as of right now, but his combo of big, strong, fast, athletic, and physical is very evident and obvious in his junior film and allows him to do what he wants on the gridiron. To me, that means Adamski has a high ceiling and can really improve and be utilized fully at the college level. Big athlete doing big athlete things. Get at him!
Two Harbors’ DL Aidan Adamski debuts as the #50 overall 2025 in the recently published PRzMN Rankings Update.
Highlights
Absolutely one of “my guys” and a kid I would stand on the table for in the 2025 class, Caledonia’s 6’3, 200 lb. QB/ATH Ethan Stendel is one of the under-the-radar gems and a must-know darkhorse in the 2025 recruiting race that could blow up on the recruiting trail. Right now, he sits as the #53 ranked junior in the class, but that can easily change once we get some verified size and athletic data on the Warrior athlete, whose film jumped off the screen and left a lasting impression in my mind while researching for and overhauling the PRzMN 2025 Rankings. Off the jump, I have to proclaim my love for Caledonia’s prospects. These kids come out of high school well-coached, athletic, cool under pressure, versatile, and as tough as they come. Stendel checks all of these boxes, and at 6’3, 200 lbs. and possessing some game-changing speed and the always-attractive multi-sport background that Caledonia produces particularly well, this is a very enticing combo for a college football prospect like Stendel.
The 2025er is impressive with both his arm and his legs and possesses a big arm that can push the ball downfield, put the ball where only his receiver can get it, and put noticeable velocity on the ball to the first and second levels of the field. There’s some solid accuracy and quality completions in his junior tape, and it also looks like he’s shot out of a cannon when he tucks the ball and runs from the pocket, which presents an intimidating assignment to tackle his combo of size and speed in space and in 1on1 situations for defenders. He’s dangerously mobile, both when scrambling around the pocket and when he takes off and is overall a fluid and smooth athlete who I get the feeling could play any position asked of him on the gridiron and play it effectively.
Stendel is exciting with both his arm and his legs, and although I could see him playing QB at the next level, I think he’d make a tremendous LB in college, either way, we’ll stick with the “ATH” tag for right now. We’ve seen TONS of prospects with this kind of dynamic ability and size do very well at the next level at several different positions, including another QB/ATH ranked in the top 15 of the 2025 class, so I feel confident in saying that this kid is going to be successful at the next level and could play football at the D1 level. Missouri Valley programs should check this kid out ASAP; the next great Caledonia Warrior football prospect is here!
Caledonia Warrior Ethan Stendel debuts as the #53 overall junior and #4 ATH in the Minnesota 2025 rankings.
Another example of what an in-person eval and PRzMN Showcase standout performance can do for a recruit’s stock, Richfield’s 6’3, 235 lb. (verified) DE Spencer Lewis blew into the 2025 recruiting scene and forced us to take note last December in Brooklyn Park. Passed the eye test, tested well (5.1 40, 4.53 short-shuttle, 9’2″ broad at 6’3, 231), and competed successfully and impressively during 1v1s, showing off speed, power, and technique to effective use, instantly putting him high on our radar and showing that he rehabbed and bounced back strong from a 2023 season that saw him miss three games due to some nagging injuries. Even with the missing games, Lewis‘ junior tape popped and allowed him to debut as one of the Top Newcomers in the 2025 PRzMN big board.
A traditional 5T who looks flexible in his stance and comes off the ball low and with good pad level, Lewis shows some quickness off the snap and can beat blockers to a gap to stuff run plays and beat pass sets alike, not to mention his power and physicality. The 230+ lber. is powerful and aggressive at the contact point, attacks blockers, absorbs contact, and sheds blocks while keeping his outside shoulder free, and consistently showed that blockers won’t stop him from getting to the ball. He gets the most out of his hits when he gets to the quarterback and leaves a lasting impression in a signal-callers subconscious when they expect pressure, and shows off a good motor and keeps his feet active when corralling ball carriers in space. Quick, strong, balanced, Lewis is just getting started in his football prowess and is fresh off North Dakota and Winona State junior day visits to get his junior year offseason recruiting journey going. This dude is going to be a beast as a senior.
Richfield’s Spencer Lewis debuts as the #55 overall prospect and #11 DL in the MN 2025 class.
Highlights
There are only a couple of returning All-Metro selections from the 2023 season, one of whom is our next Top Newcomer in Delano’s stud wide receiver Jake Schultz. The 6′, 170 lber. is coming off a tremendous junior season that saw him total 70 receptions for 1,201 yards and 14 TDs while averaging more than 100 yards receiving a game and a ton of electric highlights along the way. Additionally, as a safety, he added 73 tackles, 7 PBUs, 2 FFs, and 24 kick returns for 648 yards and a TD to certify himself as a true three-phase contributor. Now a Top-60 junior who is fresh off his first college offer from MSU-Mankato a few days ago, Schultz is going to be a very popular 2025 recruit and is far from done on the always-developing recruiting trail.
I could see him playing either WR or DB at the next level, but the receiver highlights are really something to admire. The speed, body control, and all around athleticism pop off the tape first and foremost. Schultz can burn you deep, go up and win 50/50 balls and contested catches with ease, is very effective at creating separation as a route runner, and brings a ton of juice after the catch. The Delano product is nasty in his releases at the LOS against press-man, sudden at the top of the route, can cut and complete catches at top speed, and demonstrates great burst and get from 0-60 in a blink from a dead stop and out of his cuts. Schultz is very impressive when he high-points the football as well. He floats through the air, uses those strong hands pluck the ball out of the air, and he seems to levitate as he adjusts his body and prepares for landing. He shows the control and balance to land on his feet as well. Additionally, he’s twitchy, balanced, and overall exciting after the catch. The 170 lber. pulled off some splash plays with multiple broken tackles that he had no business pulling off, and can turn something out of nothing in thrilling fashion. What a year and what a WR prospect we have on our hands in the accomplished Delano pass catcher. The 2025 MN WR class is TALENTED.
Delano’s All-Metro pass catcher Jake Schultz debuts as the #59 overall 2025 and #7 WR in the latest PRzMN update.
Another familiar Top Newcomer to the 2025 PRzMN Rankings, Minnetonka’s Malachi Boadi earned some love during the fall thanks to his breakout junior campaign in his first year as a full-time varsity starter for the Skippers. One of the season’s breakout prospects and top performers, Boadi was impressive when I saw the Skippers take on Maple Grove in the regular season finale and brings a balanced and playmaking skillset to the table as a 6’1, 195 lb. SS/OLB hybrid. This dude will lay the lumber and is also one of the best ballhawks in Minnesota, showing off instincts in coverage and a real knack for finding and intercepting the pigskin from his opponents. Finishing with 30 tackles and 5 INTs, Boadi showed that he was equally impressive and advanced physically as well as mentally. The 195 lber. sees the field well, processes offensive attacks quickly and effectively, and shows off good route recognition and a natural and instinctive ability to make plays in pass defense.
There’s a ton to like in his pass defense. Boadi is patient in his read steps and when allowing the route to develop, confident in the scheme and knows where his help is, doesn’t waste steps when he’s mirroring receivers and breaking on the ball, and triggers on the football with pace and good timing. He can play man out of the slot, can find work and make plays in both man and zone coverage, naturally finds and steps into passing lanes as a zone defender around the hook/curl and flats or down the seam, and is always around the football, which allows him to capitalize on advantageous bounces, tips, and misthrows by opposing QBs. I also like how Boadi plays the ball in the air, is sticky once he gets hip-to-hip with a WR, and times out and competes for the ball at the catch point. The 6’1 DB plays receivers’ hands and comes away with the ball often as well. Additionally, he laid some big-time hits in 2023 and is a strong kid who crushes ball carriers when he gets the chance and gets the most out of every collision. He gets downhill quickly and aggressively when filling gaps and enforcing the run from the defensive secondary or around the edge of the LOS. The big question is where does he play in college? He’s a bit of an in-betweener in terms of size and position, but there are a ton of schemes that utilize that hybrid rover-type defender, especially one who has the physical and mental means to succeed at the next level. Either way, Boadi is one of the more dynamic, playmaking, and exciting defensive prospects in MN’s 2025 class. Someone is going to look very smart when they get him on campus.
Minnetonka Skipper ballhawk Malachi Boadi debuts as the #60 overall junior and #6 DB.
Big-bodied, long, and athletic linemen are always at a premium and are one of the most coveted types of prospect in all of college football recruiting. When you get a kid like that from Minnesota – a state with a rich and talented tradition of OL and TE – with a prolific hoops background, you have the makings of a must-know football recruit with the makings to blow up at a moment’s notice. Meet Stewartville’s 6’7, 225 lb. TE and future OT Caleb Bancroft, who sweetens his recruiting resume with the fact that last fall was Bancroft’s first year ever playing football. Now that will get a college recruiter’s attention, and Bancroft’s upside will get them to stay. The sell with the Stewartville Tigers blocker is high-potential, high-ceiling, high-upside, best-football-is-in-front-of-him, and he had a heckuva experience in his first year of football as he played a big role in the Tigers 14-0 undefeated 2023 season and Class AAA state championship while asserting himself among the heavyweight talent Stewie came into the year with.
Bancroft played TE and DL in 2023 but obviously could project to OT in college, and he lined up as an inline TE or flexed out, and off the jump, you have to notice his great length and the frame that could up into beastly proportions in a college S&C program. The 6’7 TE was an effective receiver who helped out in the passing game for Stewie and proved himself to be a reliable and effective red zone target with a big catch radius, soft hands, and the ability to break down and find soft spots in zone coverage. He can take on and win 1v1 battles with bigger DEs once he sets his base, keeps his feet churning, and extends those long arms, and he was counted on to win 1-on-1 blocking assignments against big-time defensive linemen late into the postseason. The 225 lber. shows the strength to run opponents out of the play once he gets his hands on, can set the edge for his offense and uses that basketball background to box out defenders and utilize effective body positioning, and can break down and corral second and third-level defenders in space as a blocker. Excitingly, the technique is there, especially for his first year of football, as is the physicality, toughness, and comfortability in getting dirty and battling in the trenches for his offense. Bancroft is still super raw, but physically and mentally, it looks like he has the makings to develop and explode at the next level. Senior year will be a big test though, and I guarantee some major programs are going to be keeping track of the 6’7, 225 lb. 2025er and eagerly anticipating some of that senior tape to come out. He’ll make his money this summer camp season or after senior film begins to update early in the fall. Big-time sleeper to know right here, right now.
Stewartville’s 6’7, 225 lb. TE/OL Caleb Bancroft debuts as the #61 junior and #4 TE in the MN 2025 class.
Need a big, tough, physical, and strong front-seven defender? Head to Farmington High School! With one of the top S&C programs in Minnesota and a consistent and dedicated buy-in from the core group of football players, the Tigers put out some beasts in the weight room year to year, and with how many deep dives I’ve done on their roster and Hudl page, I’m surprised a Top Newcomer could even slip through the cracks and come onto the scene as a junior with as much juice as DE Max Speratos. At 6’4, 230 lbs., it’s hard to miss this kid in person, in the weight room, on the gridiron, or on the tape, and he makes for a heckuva addition to the already deep 2025 MN DL position group that is littered throughout the Top 10, 25, 50, and 75.
Speratos is a shining example of the Tigers S&C program, as he owns a 440 squat, 290 bench, 270 clean, and reported 4.88 40, and the kid sure knows how to use it on the gridiron. In 9 games, the 6’4 DE totaled 49 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 3 sacks, and as a traditional 5T, his blend of size, strength, effort, bend, twitch, and ability to flip his hips make me very excited about his future and potential D1 projection at the next level. Speratos is twitchy off the snap and can beat blockers to their inside shoulder, gets skinny through the gap and forces OL to try and block his back, as opposed to giving them his chest plate and a lot better angle for a block, and can bend around the edge and at the top of the arc. I love how he can flip his hips and beat OTs tight off their butts, can make tackles through contact, and doesn’t allow would-be blockers to reach him or cut him off when he’s the outside contain and shows a hair-on-fire playstyle & motor that doesn’t quit between the whistles. The 230 lber. can pursue out to the sideline, is a strong kid in the trenches, possesses closing speed, absorbs contact well, and sheds blocks rapidly and with urgency. In addition to his physical gifts, Speratos owns some of the best overall technique of any DL in the class, which is a lethal combination when mixed with his athletic tools. St. Thomas and Augustana got junior day visits so far – great moves by both those programs – and I want to get this kid to April’s PRzMN Showcase and get some verified data and in-person evals on the stud DE. I could see Missouri Valley ball in his future and he’s got a big chance to continue to rise up the 2025 Big Board.
Farmington Tiger DE Max Speratos debuts as the #65 ranked junior and #13 defensive lineman in MN’s 2025 class.
Highlights
One of the biggest winners from December’s PRzMN Stock-Up Showcase also happens to be one of the Top Newcomers to the 2025 Rankings Update. There’s an old adage in football that when you’re traveling to another team’s stadium, you want your biggest and baddest players coming off the bus first when you pull up, with the idea being that you’ll intimidate the competition. Well, you 100% want Eastview’s 6’2, 225 lb. DL/TE Kaleb Ngwendson coming off the bus first, preferably in a cut-off T-shirt. This dude was quite the eye-catcher in December too, as he’s broad-shouldered, cut up, and muscle-bound, and has the weight room numbers to back it up, as he just moved into second all-time in Eastview history in the back squat after he pulled off a 620 lb. squat on March 7th. Plus, he’s over 300 pounds in both the bench and power clean. Besides the eye test, Ngwendson lit up the testing portion of the event, posting a 10’4 and 10’3 broad jump (!), 4.88 40, and 4,54 short shuttle. That day, he competed as a TE, but I personally like his upside at DE more, especially if you can get him into a standup EDGE role, but the point here is that the dude is explosive and will come into college much more physically developed and prepared than most.
In addition to his 6’8″ wingspan, Ngwendson is instinctive and patient around the LOS and shows a real knack for sniffing out screens like it’s his job. He posted 43 tackles, 6 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 1 defensive TD in 2023, in large part due to how well he can beat blocks with quickness or strength, change direction well, uses his hands, particularly an effective chop/rip, and even bend the corner a little. The 225 lber. owns a strong initial punch and closes with impressive pace with the legit speed to pursue and chase down ball carriers all the way out to the sideline. He’s a big ball of athletic clay just waiting to get shaped and honed. Someone may hit the jackpot with the Eastview product. Ngwendson is fresh off a North Dakota junior day visit, with more lined up for the rest of the spring.
Eastview’s eye-catcher of a junior DL Kaleb Kgwendson debuts as the #67 overall and #14 DL in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Highlights
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