Top Minnesota JV Players Ready to Breakout in 2024
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In the cyclical world of high school football recruiting, it’s natural to always wonder and ask “Who’s up next?” In the past few recruiting cycles alone, we’ve seen late bloomers such as Greg Johnson, Garrison Monroe, and Oyintare Porbeni benefit…
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Continue ReadingIn the cyclical world of high school football recruiting, it’s natural to always wonder and ask “Who’s up next?” In the past few recruiting cycles alone, we’ve seen late bloomers such as Greg Johnson, Garrison Monroe, and Oyintare Porbeni benefit from late growth spurts, long seasons in the weight room, Mother Nature herself, and things all coming together explode late onto both the recruiting and high school football scenes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Prospects develop, come into their own, and mature at their own rates, and just because you weren’t a varsity contributor or Top-10 prospect as a sophomore doesn’t mean you aren’t a good football player or high-quality college prospect. Now that the 2025 and 2026 Minnesota rankings are updated and published, I’m more than ready to announce the next up-and-comers rising from the JV ranks in search of varsity stardom this upcoming season. Get to know the Top Minnesota JV Players Ready to Breakout in 2024 below! Size, speed, length, and talent, this feature has it all!
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Starting off with one of the biggest recruiting enigmas in MN! Eden Prairie’s 6’5, 230 lb. DE Camren Riggins-Brown shares a lot of traits of former Eagles who have found success on both the gridiron and recruiting trail, sometimes in explosive fashion. Tall, long, great frame, hoops background, and of course, plays at the top program in Minnesota, but for whatever reason, Riggins-Brown just hasn’t put it all together yet and was undoubtedly the JV player with the highest ceiling in the entire state. Dominant against non-varsity competition, CRB got to showcase his athleticism against JV opponents, displaying a skillset of speed and quickness that was hard to manage for JV offensive lines. He did get some varsity snaps, finishing the season with one tackle, but the junior tape is against all non-varsity OL. Brings tons of length and room to fill in in his frame, gets off the ball well, winning most reps simply from his get-off, and has the play speed to run ball carriers down from the backside of the play. The 230ish pounder does have some reps showing power and a good bull rush, but generally won with his quickness off the snap, and he demonstrated some smooth start/stop and change of direction ability when beating blocks or corralling ball carriers in space. People are definitely watching, as he recently watched a Gophers practice and met with AHC and DL Coach Winston DeLattiboudere III, and teams like SDSU, UST, and Kent State want him to come camp. Local DIIs are all over him as well. Seems like it’s up to CRB to see how high he can take his performance or recruitment. I don’t have a clue what’s going on behind the scenes in this one, but CRB looks like he has all the tools to be successful at the varsity. 2024 will prove things one way or another.
The younger brother of Sioux Falls redshirt freshman TE Blake Stahl, 2025 6’2, 220 lb. QB Gavin Stahl recently transferred from Champlin Park to Osseo High School and will spend his senior year with the Orioles. Stahl has been popular this spring, earning camp invites from Augustana, UMD, SMSU, Dakota State, Sioux Falls, Kent State, MSU-Mankato, and Princeton, Junior day invites from St. Scholastica, Augsburg, Hamline, Dubuque, Simpson, Valpo, Crown, Wagner, and Marist. Additionally, he took Junior day visits to St. Olaf, Sioux Falls, the University of Jamestown, and Augustana.
I believe the junior proved he was ready and capable for varsity action in 2023, mostly due to the stats/production and his accuracy to all three levels of the field. Stahl went 65 for 101 (64%) for 954 yards and 10 TDs to only 1 INT, added 17 rushes for 125 yards and a TD, and he has the arm to push the ball downfield and put some accurate throws on film from 2023, both from the pocket and on the move. That arm strength can also put velocity on intermediate throws, and Stahl also showed he was an effective ball carrier when he tucks and runs as a read-option QB, and he showed he can run behind his pads. There’s three rising seniors in the Osseo QB returning for 2024, so keep an eye on this QB competition going forward.
Highlights
Onto the 2026s! Mounds View High School’s WR/OLB/ATH Godson Rufus-Okomhanru is a player I’ve been hearing great things about behind the scenes since he entered high school, and he’s providing some exciting data points to add to his resume as a football prospect, namely his track times, the best of which include an 11.35 100M (self-reported) and 22.89 200M, great foundations of speed as an underclassman. His sophomore track season isn’t even finished, so I have been and will continue to watch him closely this month.
On tape, he’s a very dynamic defender. Rufus-Okomhanru has a great rep of him blitzing off the edge and nearly finding paydirt before he retraces and steps right into a passing lane of an out-breaking TE, snagging the ball with one hand and taking it to the house, and the rest of his tape shows him blitzing with success, covering a significant amount of ground in run support, dropping into coverage, and using his play speed to impact his opponents run and pass games. He’s an instinctive defensive player with range, pursuit, and closing speed, and changes direction well and shows good acceleration out of a dead stop. I also like his speed as a blitzer, as well as how he attacks RBs in pass pro and makes them tuck their tails between their legs, his noticeable motor, and loose hips as a second-level defender. When he gets ahold of the rock, the 6′, 17o lber. is a fast, physical playmaker, and he made the most of his opportunities when he saw space. Looked like the best athlete on the field in his sophomore tape. Big year for Rufus-Okomhanru as a now-upperclassman.
Highlights
It’s always a crowded backfield in the Lakeville South offense, and with so many options to choose from, age can generally make a big difference in who is getting the lionshare of the carriers. The Cougars once again had an explosive running attack in 2023, and even with four of their top five rushers returning in 2024, there are some opportunities for the likes of 6′, 185 RB Nic Swanson. Swanson had one of the best seasons of any non-varsity RB in MN, totaling 2,205 yards and 21 TDs against 6A, Metro, JV competition.
Strong enough to beat you between the tackles and fast enough to hurt you on the edge, Swanson went both ways on JV, but he does his best work as a running back. He displayed solid burst, big-play speed to finish runs once he gets in space, and a strong lower body and good balance that helps him run through arm tackles and half-tackle attempts between the tackles as a tailback, especially when he throws out his stiff arm. Can bounce off tackle attempts at his lower body as well. In the context of non-varsity action, Swanson made things look easy floating by defenders like they were stuck in the mud, running through tackle attempts like he was a senior, and putting defenders on skates when forcing broken tackles. As mentioned, lots of returners to that Cougars rushing attack, but Swanson’s sophomore production and skillset may make him too hard to keep him off the field.
Highlights
One of the MN JV players I am most excited about as a collegiate prospect, Park of Cottage Grove’s Aidan Boche has an excellent frame for a LB recruit, measuring in at 6’4 and around 200 pounds at April’s PrepRedzoneMN Combine Series stop in Plymouth, putting up some good athletic numbers along the way, notable his 4.57 shuttle, 9’1 broad, and 7.28 L-drill while looking mobile, physical, and competitive in live action drills and reps.
A good athlete with good size, Boche is a candidate for a breakout performance in 2024 as a junior, and his JV film from 2023 showed a dynamic defender who puts his athleticism to good use as a linebacker. The 6’4, 200 lber. sports a noticeably exciting frame, as he’s tall, long, and has tons of room to fill in, and I could easily see him turning into a monstrous 6’4, 225+ lber. at the next level. He made some safety-esque breaks on the ball in coverage in 2023 and is comfortable playing the ball in the air, even far downfield on deep balls, is a powerful form tackler, and shows good play speed at his size and is an effective blitzer who can win reps with speed, quickness, and/or bend. I’ve been itching to see this kid against varsity competition and it looks like 2024 is Boche’s for the taking.
Representing a Farmington Tigers program that physically develops and gets the most out of its players and prospects, I knew 6’3, 215 lb. TE/LT/DE Hank Vonbank was going to be a top JV player to know as soon as I flipped on the tape. Besides the size, which he also uses effectively on the basketball hardcourt, Vonbank was a three-phase contributor in the non-varsity ranks of Farmington and proved himself to be positionally versatile, lining up at TE/HB/LT/DE/DT. Offensively, stays engaged with defenders, is hard to shed, and works to finish, is quick and balanced enough to effectively swipe back across the LOS and eliminate the DE from the play, and showed he can catch the ball and contribute as a pass catcher. As a DE, Vonbank displayed that he can get off the ball well and produce in both run and pass defense, and on special teams, as a front line blocker on kickoff return, he demonstrated technique, physicality, and motivation as a blocker on kickoff return. Ideally, I think he’d fit well at TE, but DE works as well and you never know how much a young buck is going to grow in an offseason. Can’t wait to check out the 6’3, 215 lber. next year with a revamped Tigers squad.
The 2026 JV player I’m most excited to watch in 2024, as well as the JVer I feel best about varsity/recruiting-wise, easily goes to Lakeville North 6’3, 240 lbs. DL Roman Johnson. Coming from the talent-rich Lakeville area, Johnson would be starting for almost any other high school program as a sophomore, but competition sharpens football players, and Johnson has been patiently waiting in the wings for his time to shine.
Even though it wasn’t against varsity competition, Johnson’s film popped on both sides of the ball, and I saw him line up as both a 3T, 5T, RT, and RG. Sporting a wide, thick, strong build with a powerful lower body, solid length, and more room to grow, Johnson absorbs and can work off contact effectively, displays some very active, effective hand usage in both run and pass defense, the length and instincts to get his arms up into passing lanes, and a powerful punch. Along the OL, the 240 lber. showed off solid bend and ample strength as a run blocker who gets his hands up and under his opponent’s chest plate and keeps his pad level low. Johnson put some crushing hits on DEs and OLBs when pulling across the LOS from his RT spot, is aggressive at the point of attack, and shows he finds work and remains effective as a blocker in space. Big, strong, technically sound, versatile, and athletic, the future looks bright for Johnson and I’m excited to follow his break-out junior season this fall.
A 6A program that is never lacking in size, Rosemount High School’s 2026 OL Sam Lloyd measures in at 6’4, 240 lbs. as a sophomore and it doesn’t look like he’ll be done growing anytime soon. There is a very promising 2026 class coming up in the Irish program, and Lloyd is a big name to know and track, especially regarding prospects hoping to bump up from JV to varsity.
He does his best work as an offensive lineman, particularly at tackle, where he’s laterally balanced and agile, gets extremely low in his stance, displays a good base, and freezes rushers when he puts his hands on them and locks his arms out. Defensively, he can pay both 5T or slide inside, and is a stout run defender with a solid motor. I think OL is where Lloyd’s future resides. Still some work to do in the weight room and in terms of growing into his body, but the young buck has time! We’ll see if he can crack that Irish starting OL in 2024.
My choice for the #1 non-varsity QB in the state, Nathan Ramler is part of a Chanhassen program that continues to show off a deep and physically well-built QB room, and with state champion senior signal-caller Brayden Windschitl Brayden Windschitl 6’2″ | 175 lbs | QB Chanhassen | 2024 MN off to Gustavus to play both football & baseball, it looks like the 6’5, 205 lb. sophomore Nathan Ramler is the heir apparent. Leading the Storm’s sophomore squad to a 7-0 undefeated season in 2023, Ramler threw at a 70% completion clip (135-191) and finished the season with 1,917 passing yards and 23 TDs to zero interceptions.
Ramler sports a huge frame with an ideal size for a pocket-passer and significantly more room to add weight, and he’s got a big arm that can drop the pigskin in a bucket and can stretch defenses vertically. As the stats indicate, the accuracy and ball security are both notable and impressive, and I especially liked his ball placement ability on out-breaking routes to the intermediate and second levels of the field. The rising senior signal-caller will also step up into the pocket to complete throws through pressure, displays good timing, gets the ball out quickly, and is safe and secure with the rock. The arm strength, decision-making, and accuracy have to excite the Chan varsity staff, and I’m very interested to see Ramler under the bright lights of varsity action. Going to be a big year for the quarterback.
Highlights
Another big-bodied offensive lineman ready and itching to become a full-time varsity contributor in 2024, Osseo High School’s 6’3, 280 lber. Corbin Weber already has the size to find success against 6A competition and got some notable varsity experience in 2023 as a sophomore with the Orioles.
Weber has the ability to play both guard and tackle, and he has a couple good reps of him getting off the ball well, getting a good initial punch in, and finishing his opponent into the ground shortly after, and he shows solid leg drive once he gets his hands on an opponent. The 280 lber. does have experience in pass pro and is also comfortable working and adjusting his body laterally. He’s in the middle of an important offseason, as some added strength will significantly help him as a full-time varsity offensive lineman, and we’re excited to see how Weber has embraced the offseason grind.
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I got to see Spring Lake Park’s big-bodied pass-catcher Calen Truckenbrod at a 7v7 event running with Minnesota Grind this winter, and he’s certainly an eye-catcher. At 6’4, 200 lbs., there’s a lot you can do with his skill set and size, and he brings length to the mix as well.
As a WR, the Spring Lake Park JV TE was very comfortable playing the ball in the air, times out his jumps well, attacks the ball, and has some solid bounce for his size and age. He uses his size to his advantage in contested catch situations and is an asset in 50/50 balls. Truckenbrod also had a sweet rep of him snagging a slant that was way behind him with one hand right in between three defenders, and his concentration, soft hands, and overall comfortability as a pass-catcher don’t go unnoticed on film. I like how SLP was using him last year and I hope there’s a similar thought when he gets called up to varsity. I would want to get this kid on the field. Still a lot of runway left in his development but I like the foundation of the skillset he’s laid so far, especially with the size.
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The LB manufacturing plant that is Eden Prairie always has some talented ‘backers waiting for their chance to shine, and a 2026 who is looking ready to make the step up to varsity is Luke Henry. Henry looked good in person at last month’s PrepRedzoneMN Combine Series, measuring in at nearly 6’2 and already 205 lbs while showing off broad shoulders and more room to grow, and he ran in the 4.8s, along with a 4.62 short-shuttle and 9’1 broad jump. He also competed well, tracking the hip and closing well in space and showing a competitive and coachable attitude.
Henry has some good tape too. He was a very disruptive defensive presence from his LB spot in 2023, picking off passes, knocking OGs on their butts, crushing RBs behind the LOS, chasing down WRs on screens from the backside of the play, and getting out to the edge with pace. He reads and steps into passing lanes well from his LB spot, and is aggressive and explosive at the contact point, sending OL, RBs, QBs, and WRs alike onto their butts, and showing off impressive closing speed. Henry also played DE and TE, showing physicality and production from both spots. He was one of the top non-varsity defensive players in the state in 2023.
Highlights
I got to see Cretin-Derham Hall’s 2026 QB Izaak Johnson at the same 7v7 event I saw his teammate Truckenbrod at, and Johnson was the best QB in attendance that night in Woodbury, showing competitiveness and accuracy while leading the Minnesota Grind 18U squad. Sitting behind a senior in 2023, Johnson was quite the JV quarterback, throwing for 1,329 yards and 21 TDs in 5 games of action. He also was throwing at an 80% completion clip (106-132) to only 2 interceptions, and the tape shows a quarterback that can stretch the field with his arm, make quick, smart decisions, and throw a good ball on the move. Johnson is comfortable making off-platform throws and can get the ball to all three levels of the field, and as I saw in person, he processes and makes decisions quickly and is a competitor who his teammates like to play for. It also looks like he’ll be the QB1 for the CDH Raiders in 2024, but with some quality experience returning and a 6’5 athletic TE at his disposal, I’m excited to see what he can do with the job.
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Good size at a big-time premium position in football, Mounds View’s sophomore DT Robert Essie flashed at times during 2023, showing eye-catching mobility and athleticism for his size. Laterally quick, good balance, can shed blocks around the LOS just from pure strength and size, and he gets off the ball well and closes with pace for a big man and showed a little bit of bend as well. Essie was productive in both run and pass defense, and even blocked a punt in non-varsity action. The big thing for the 6’3, 285 lber is staying consistent. Snap to snap, game to game, it can be hard as a young buck, so I’m hoping Essie is dedicated this offseason and ready to get under the bright lights of 6A varsity ball.
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