2025 South Dakota Rankings Update: Nate's Favorite Stockrisers

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We move back to South Dakota for some of my favorite stockrisers in this 2025 South Dakota class. Out of these 12 athletes too, there are still 9 that are still looking for their college football home next-year, which should attack plenty of needs potentially within our college subscriber base. Give them a look!    Our new TE2 had an excellent showing at the Northern State prospect camp over the summer and what I heard from coaching staffs in the NSIC this summer showed off a high bar in each of his live camp evals. Without a doubt Luke has the ideal frame to play scholarship level football, but it was what he could do with his hands on and off the ball in our live-eval is why he moved significantly up our radar. Luke's wide catch radius and excellent hands were seen well-versed in Aberdeen and I was honestly more impressed with how impressive he was a pass-blocker in the reps I watched showing off the versatility needed for the tight end position. Luke checks in at #24 overall right in the heart of the Division II grades we have in our 2025 South Dakota rankings.     Another prospect that got a bump in our South Dakota 2025 rankings was Mobridge-Pollock's [player_tooltip player_id='825408' first='Elijah' last='Eagle']. I watched this young man a bunch at our Prep Redzone Dakotas combine and was impressed by the improvement of his hand technique and athletic movement in the defensive trenches in Sioux Falls after watching him a summer ago. He takes his talents over to Mobridge-Pollock in the 2024 season which I think will enhance his stock as a small school college prospect that sticks out positionally as a nose guard. Elijah also improved his speed of getting off blocks in Sioux Falls and I wouldn't be surprised if Elijah moved up his stock again when we look at this 2025 class again after the season.     Connor was another 2025 South Dakota prospect that flashed in Aberdeen at the Northern State prospect camp. He showed off a more impressive route runner during our live-eval and shows off a wide receiver with excellent change of direction moving into the WR10 spot in our rankings and inside our top 85 overall. He also has verified track times as a part of Yankton's batch of participants at Nike Outdoor Nationals this summer and I felt that speed translated well to his on field reps right after in Aberdeen. If Connor just had slightly more height and frame, I could see him as a Division II prospect but man, I would be remised if I didn't think this young man was going to catch a lot of passes as a slot receiver at the NAIA level in the coming years as those coaches in the GPAC have been highly intrigued by Connor this summer.     Blaise rose his stock in our 2025 South Dakota rankings due to his impressive spring season he showed off on the 7v7 circuit in live several reps. I am become more and more impressed with this young man's poise and command offensively if we look where he was last summer into this summer. I also feel getting the full reigns of the Sioux Falls Lincoln offensive as a senior, is going to grow Blaise's stock significantly during the 2024 season as we have been anxiously waiting to see what he can do as a QB1 on varsity. Blaise moves up 10-15 spots from our last 2025 update as a QB prospect I would expect nothing but a big year in 2024.     Talk about a offensive line prospect that has made a great transformation from 2023 to 2024 and it all started at our Prep Redzone Dakotas combine in May. Israel has never lacked any strength with his drive-blocking, but what I have seen this summer checked my boxes deeper as far as his much improved footwork, as Israel has certainly transformed from a balance perspective from what these eyes have season camp after camp this summer. With a few Division II offer, Israel comes in at #23 overall in what is a loaded offensive line group in our SD 2025 class.     The new Southwest Minnesota State quarterback commit had in my eyes one of the most impressive spring and summers amongst our 2025 class amongst skill positions. The poise and quick release from Tommy has rapidly improved since the 2023 season to the upcoming 2024 season and showed out consistently this summer in the live eval reps i got to watch plenty of. Our new QB3 in the 2025 class also showed off a stronger hit rate in reps with his deeper throws with wide receivers he maybe didn't have all the chemistry with so with wide receivers like [player_tooltip player_id='402517' first='Dveyoun' last='Bonwell-Witte'] headed to the Warriors receiving core this season amongst others, I expect Tommy and the Sioux Falls Washington offense to be much improved from the 2023 season.     Another Southwest Minnesota State commit that rose up our 2025 South Dakota rankings was Brandon Valley defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1003934' first='Drake' last='Jellema']. Yet again, Drake was another prospect that thrived during live-evals at college camps as from what I recall impressed me with his physicality in 1v1 reps as a safety that was stuck like glue against the receiving core he went up against this summer. Drake was also a defensive back prospect that impressed me with his great work ethic this summer as one that seemed to step up every time to 1v1 reps at especially at the USF prospect camp I attended, as Drake's range he can cover showed off more of a sideline to sideline safety than I caught on tape. Drake moves up nearly 50 spots to our DB2 and the #19 overall prospect in South Dakota in the 2025 class.     The rise of Texas Tech offensive line commit [player_tooltip player_id='1152909' first='Elias' last='Gillen'] has been one of my favorite one to track in this 2025 recruiting cycle in the Dakotas. The 6'6 300 pounder from Rapid City Stevens exploded this Spring and Summer with his recruitment as the Red Raiders were his first and only Power 4 offer on his radar yet had many suitors at the D1 and D2 levels. When I first caught wind of Elias on tape I was ecstatic to spread the word quickly, as there not many offensive tackles with his frame that are as mobile on their feet and with the pad-level Elias has in the Midwest. He also is about as physical at the point of attack as I have seen out of a Dakotas offensive linemen in a while and Red Raiders should be stoked to get this young man to Lubbock in the coming year.       South Dakota's new top running back in the 2025 class displayed all the skillsets we wanted to see at camps this summer and a handful of NSIC schools have taken note. Josh gets up field with great elusiveness and you can tell plays with excellent agility between the tackles. What impressed me most is how well Josh improvises his runs with his vision, utilizing his sudden speed when needed and does an excellent job getting yards after contact as even in his first clips, he gets thru the meat of the trenches to get his yards into the end zone. Josh certainly won't just be an asset in just the red zone this season, as another Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriots athlete that will be looking to go for back to back state titles in 11AAA and got a well-deserved bump from us as a huge stockriser in this 2025 class.     Cordel is a 2025 defensive back I am not understanding why he does not have his first offer yet this deep in the summer. His pre-snap instincts have a very quick nose for the ball and he wastes no time showing it on tape. Regardless if it's in the secondary or on special teams, this young man is an enforcer when it comes to turnovers and that versatility to me translates well to the next-level to get some early playing time. Cordel has sound visionary instincts to get early penetration which is a contribution to this young man's great football IQ. I would expect within the first three games, Cordel starts getting more attention on his recruiting trail as a free safety certainly plays with the freeness that position requires.     I will be the first to admit that I slept on this young man a bit until this 2025 update, as the punch Aaron has at the point of attack along with the pad-level of that fluid punch has some lethal hands at his disposal. The upside of Aaron is waiting to see what sort of offensive tackles reps he puts together with his senior season, as even thought I love the penetrating vison this young man has in the defensive trenches the limited OT tape has me wanting more of it this fall. I have also seen the athleticism Aaron has out in space at defensive tackle, which has me intrigued with the versatility of Aaron at the next-level as a pull-blocker. The Dakotas always has plenty of "wait and see" prospects as seniors and Aaron is one I can't wait to watch for in the coming weeks.       How you perform at college camps matter, and that applies to our next 2025 athlete that made his noise during the Dakota State Team Camp in Deuel athlete [player_tooltip player_id='800374' first='Gabe' last='Sather']. I was told by a former collegue at PRZ Dakotas that the Trojans coaching staff was quite intrigued with Gabe as a next-level prospect and the strides this young man has made this summer. Gabe is another one that I believe is a sleeper for the Cardinals going into his senior season as a prospect that not only is a sound route-runner but runs with so much fluidity in his 6'3 195 pound frame consistently. He shows off as a prospect that doesn't need much of a window of opportunity to make his catches. With his lower--body length, Gabe shows the ample seperation he can get especially inside the second level of the field and is an improviser on his routes which is telling to me when evlauating the wide receiver position. Gabe is another 2025 I would expect to move up even further up our rankings after the season.

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We move back to South Dakota for some of my favorite stockrisers in this 2025 South Dakota class. Out of these 12 athletes too, there are still 9 that are still looking for their college football home next-year, which should attack plenty of needs potentially within our college subscriber base. Give them a look!