South Dakota 2026 Fall Rankings Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SOUTH DAKOTA--</strong> With midseason tapes flowing thru our timelines and several live camp evals being notated over the last 3-4 months with pages and hundreds of pages of notes, we figured what not a better time for a 2026 rankings update than right now going over everything all the ins and outs of several prospects across South Dakota in this preview. This preview will be pretty standard to those of you subscribers that have been with us for a while and to those new subscribers, we will welcome you, to learn our process for rankings updates, our new top five, key points and much more!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"24px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:24px"><strong><em>Our PRZ Prospect Evaluation Process:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our <strong>#1 priority</strong> 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 <strong><em>next-level potential </em></strong>not stats, not on the team's rankings in the state, it's all about prospect upside and how their skillsets fit in and apply at the next level when it comes down to measurables, athleticism and everything else that college football programs measure as far as skillsets within their evaluations. 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 with a higher rank searly in their high school careers 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 spring and summer, games during the fall season, as we have seen several 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 clear-cut process with every rankings update for those of you that are new to us! <strong>Our main goal?</strong> Expose as many prospects state-wide to make sure they get the exposure they deserve in the Dakotas 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 {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"24px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:24px"><strong>Our New Top 5:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"16px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:16px">With our new South Dakota 2026 top five, we only made two movements from last update, adding our DB1 [player_tooltip player_id='848853' first='Bradley' last='Esser'] into the #4 overall spot, otherwise business as usual with our #1, #2 and #3 due to them all already having a ton of Division I offers across the board as I believe within our top five alone, there are nearly 25 D1 offers that have gone out already, which is fantastic to see from this 2026 class.  Two key points I will add<strong> 1)</strong> As most of you know, their is a high positional value for offensive linemen in the Dakotas, as that I would call our bread and butter of what the best of the best is positionally. <strong>2) </strong>Those that are in our top five, are what we consider high Division I grades as far as the next level goes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:20px"><strong>#5: [player_tooltip player_id='849018' first='Grant' last='Wilkinson'], OL, De Smet 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/GrantWilk07">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:20px"><strong>#4: [player_tooltip player_id='848853' first='Bradley' last='Esser'], DB/ATH, Harrisburg 2026 </strong><a href="https://x.com/bradleyesser11">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:20px"><strong>#3: [player_tooltip player_id='1212282' first='Edward' last='Whiting'], TE, Sioux Falls Jefferson 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/EdwardWhiting9">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:20px"><strong>#2: [player_tooltip player_id='402517' first='Dveyoun' last='Bonwell-Witte'], WR, Sioux Falls Washington 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Dveyoun11">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"20px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:20px"><strong>#1: [player_tooltip player_id='394729' first='Hudson' last='Parliament'], OL/DL, Brandon Valley 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Hud_Parliament">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"24px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:24px"><strong>Key Points from this 2026 September Rankings Update:</strong><div class="block-core/paragraph" style="--tw-translate-x: 0;--tw-translate-y: 0;--tw-rotate: 0;--tw-skew-x: 0;--tw-skew-y: 0;--tw-scale-x: 1;--tw-scale-y: 1;--tw-pan-x:;--tw-pan-y:;--tw-pinch-zoom:;--tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity;--tw-ordinal:;--tw-slashed-zero:;--tw-numeric-figure:;--tw-numeric-spacing:;--tw-numeric-fraction:;--tw-ring-inset:;--tw-ring-offset-width: 0px;--tw-ring-offset-color: #fff;--tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000;--tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000;--tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000;--tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000;--tw-blur:;--tw-brightness:;--tw-contrast:;--tw-grayscale:;--tw-hue-rotate:;--tw-invert:;--tw-saturate:;--tw-sepia:;--tw-drop-shadow:;--tw-backdrop-blur:;--tw-backdrop-brightness:;--tw-backdrop-contrast:;--tw-backdrop-grayscale:;--tw-backdrop-hue-rotate:;--tw-backdrop-invert:;--tw-backdrop-opacity:;--tw-backdrop-saturate:;--tw-backdrop-sepia:"></div></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>A Rise of WR Talent Went Into Our Top 14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of [player_tooltip player_id='402517' first='Dveyoun' last='Bonwell-Witte'] who has been on our board as a Power Four target in my opinion since the 8th grade, at WR1 in the Dakotas, we in total found four wide receivers in our first 14 prospects in South Dakota. Madison's [player_tooltip player_id='848975' first='Shane' last='Veenhof'] took the WR2 spot, as this young man has some of the best hands and efficency in his route running in the state. With WR3 and WR4, we start with [player_tooltip player_id='1370672' first='Louison' last='Akossi'], who caught myself and two other PRZ scouts eyes heavily at the USF Prospect Camp this summer and others for me due to his excellent versatility on his routes and certainly next-level testing numbers. WR4 in [player_tooltip player_id='563996' first='Jhace' last='Woods'] of Sioux Falls Washington, is a wide receiver I love his upside a lot as he has the basketball body type and long arms at 6'3 185 pounds that shows off to be very intriguing. I show plenty of his 1v1 battles this summer scouting 7v7 tournaments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Amount of 2026 Athletes is Stacked</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That 2026 athletes list starts with Tea Area's [player_tooltip player_id='848974' first='Brenner' last='Konrad'], who although unfortunately just tore his ACL showed off his position flexibility at the SDSU prospect camp at tight end which from what I grasped from the coaches I chatted with their certainly is a high ceiling for him. [player_tooltip player_id='848993' first='Tate' last='Gerdes'] from Lennox comes in at ATH2, which at 6'3 185 pounds although he shows off a lot of reps at running back on tape, man, I think there is so much positional flexibility for him at the next level. The same applies for Sioux Falls Lincoln's [player_tooltip player_id='673146' first='Mikey' last='Roche'] who is ATH3, as his 10.77 100 meter dash time screams at 5'11 175 pounds screams as a slot receiver at the next-level with also great change of direction. ATH4 is Warners [player_tooltip player_id='670031' first='Jesiah' last='Baum'], who has been a workhorse for the Mornarchs backfield for a couple years now but with this kid's excellent character and continuous growth, I can see positional flexibility at the next-level. ATH5 belongs to Sioux Falls Christian's [player_tooltip player_id='1363881' first='Canyon' last='Prins'], who at 6'3 220 pounds, has smashing hands thru contact and I see as a defensive end at the next-level. Those are just the first five athletes, but man am I fired up to go thru the rest of them in the coming weeks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Who Are a Few of my Favorite Probable Stockrisers and Newcomers?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"16px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:16px">As far as stockrisers go, [player_tooltip player_id='1236460' first='Bergan' last='Tetzlaff'] of Brookings gets the cake for my favorite prospect that moved up and should likely move up again come next update. He is built like a mack-truck at linebacker for 6'4 220 pounds and one that plays with great balance and versatility with his footwork in pass coverage or stopping the run with his physical tackling. The newcomer that I was happy to add in our top 20 and our DB1 was Brandon Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='1239664' first='Nolan' last='Pudwill']. Nolan's first four week tape tells the story as I of course like his constant physical presence in pass coverage but the clean angles he gets as a ball-tracker are what impress me most and has a vertical that is a fun one to watch on tape.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is the rest of my shortlist of names to know as probable stockrisers by next update:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='929802' first='Luke' last='LeBrun'], LB, Mitchell 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/LukeLeBrun26">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='551462' first='Bryce' last='Bangasser'], OL, Brandon Valley 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/BryceBangasser">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422271' first='Hunter' last='Cox'], DB, Sioux Falls O'Gorman 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/HunterCox_11">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1475675' first='Tobin' last='Squires'], TE, Sioux Valley 2026 </strong><a href="https://x.com/tobinsquires">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1276033' first='Kaleb' last='Lounsbury'], QB, Pierre T.F. Riggs 2026 </strong><a href="https://x.com/K15Lounsbury">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422335' first='Gannon' last='Knebel'], LB, Wagner 2026 </strong><a href="https://x.com/gannonknebel">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='929923' first='Ethan' last='Falk'], QB/ATH, Redfield 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/EthanFalk07">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1406689' first='Chase' last='DeBoer'], DL, Tea Area 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/chase_debo25020">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='848947' first='Easton' last='Graff'], LB, Rapid City Central 2026</strong> <a href="https://x.com/e_ffarg">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1406691' first='Felipe' last='Gonzalez'], DL, Aberdeen Central 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"24px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:24px"><strong><em>What is On Tap for Content in the Coming Weeks?</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Content will flow consistently from 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:paragraph --> <p>-Who was added to our prospect database of 2025 prospects and what do they bring to the table as far as their skillsets?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stockrisers (Multi-Part Series)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Which prospects that were already ranked in the 2026 class rose their stock from last fall into this offseason and why did their rank see improvement?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Positional Breakdowns (Multiple Positions)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Small Town Sleepers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-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. Any prospect from a small town under 5000 will get mentioned.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->