Nate's Big Dogs of the Game: Dassel-Cokato at Princeton

PRINCETON, MINN-- We take one final look from Princeton, the home of one of my favorite pizza places in the area where I live, Pizza Barn.Although we did not partake in their food truck pizza this time (silly diet), we stayed busy scouting a double-digit amount of prospects between #3 Princeton (8-0, 4A) and #2 Dassel-Cokato (7-1, 3A). What did we find? We believe we found plenty of 2025 sleepers waiting on offer number one, plus, did we really find another Division I graded linebacker from Princeton? I recall a similar story from five years ago as we flashback to one of my first times scouting the Tigers and who that now Division I linebacker was.   [player_tooltip player_id='641142' first='Caden' last='Johnson'], LB/TE, Princeton 2025 <a href="https://x.com/Caden_Johnson24">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/154-Caden-Johnson-crop-5472x3593-1704811702-crop-640x421-1729220038.jpg?w=639" alt="" class="wp-image-1532862" style="width:307px;height:auto" /></figure>   Since I just watched the Princeton Tigers in 2023 during the regular season, I was able to see the development of 2025 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='641142' first='Caden' last='Johnson'], which I have to add still does not have his first offer on the table yet but should. The now 6'2 240 pounder from the blind eye could be seen a mile away with the eye-test alone adding what looks like 15-20 pounds of muscle since 2023. Not only though was Caden proficient with the eye-test, he showed off a hunter-mentality getting downhill to the ball and was persistently in the grunt of the Chargers backfield from the reps I watched last night. If you are looking for a linebacker with a big motor, I will tell you Caden has the best motor in live games I have seen this season at that position. I felt Caden also got into into the tackle boxes with better pursuing position angles than what I saw last season. You didn't see too many passing attempts from Princeton last night, but the pad-level and angling this young man showed off from my eyes was spot on at the point of attack. It's also to see why Caden is one of the Tigers captains, as you can gauge quickly his great body language he has with his teammates and opponents. If I were recruiting in the NSIC, I would certainly be recruiting this young man as he could be a senior steal at the next-level.   Tristan Brockhoff, DL, Dassel-Cokato 2025   Tristan is an undersized defensive end at 6'1 180 pounds that you could at times, feel his agile movement fester more like a linebacker. He was another defensive prospect from last night that was constantly in the mesh of the tackle box not only from hearing it over the loudspeaker and seeing it in person. Tristan showed off quick shedding hands in person and shows it off on tape which is easy to see why he was persistent last night in slowing down the Tigers rushing attack at times. The length of stride Tristan has to get to the ball was also seen as he had the athletic steps to find ball carriers outside the inside box which is why I said he processes with the athleticism as a linebacker. No Twitter has been found, but with the athleticism Tristan showed off I could see him as a good small school fit at the next level with position flexibility with more tape to throw out there as a specialist.   Noah Wells, RB, Princeton 2025   Over the years I have been scouting I have learned the rushing yards to me appear tougher to get if you are an option team and it's essential that your running backs have to have great vision. That stood true in my eyes from Princeton 2025 tailback Noah Wells, who got every hard-earned yard he could get on Wednesday night in their win over Dassel-Cokato. Noah also appeared to be more durable than he might get credit for with his measurables as an athlete I would be intrigued to see the stat line of where his yards after contact would be. With section play coming up for the Tigers next Saturday, Noah would be my selection as an under the radar piece to the Tigers offense that will need to keep developing for Princeton to make a run to US Bank Stadium.   [player_tooltip player_id='1582797' first='Cole' last='Veith'], QB/ATH, Dassel-Cokato 2025 <a href="https://x.com/Coleveith">Twitter</a>   Consistency from live games to tape is a must if you want to play at the next-level and I felt like Dassel-Cokato 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1582797' first='Cole' last='Veith'] played up to the notes I had in my notebook. I felt like this young man during spurts of the game last night showed off his elusiveness and agility to get from out of the box to get north-bound. Princeton might have been bigger defensively than the Chargers, but Cole showed off intriguing reps with his athleticism and looks like another athlete from Dassel-Cokato that has a good shot at playing small school college football in my eyes as an athlete that has again, position flexibility.   Malich Moorhead, OL, Princeton 2025   With run heavy teams, I put more of a point of emphasis on the offensive lines in my evals as they start the train of the rushing attack as a new name that I liked last night in Princeton, was 2025 offensive linemen Malich Moorhead. Malich impressed by how low his pad-level was going up against a bigger defensive linemen as the term "low man wins" was key on a couple of the reps I got to watch him last night for the Tigers. I also thought Malich has quick hip flexibility with his footwork as even though he doesn't have any game tape out there he was less raw than I was expecting after watching him on multiple reads. No Twitter, no tape, and coming from a city under 5000 people, we call those in the Midwest small town hidden gems to their core as Malich was a new name to know last night.   Isaac Salmen, LB, Dassel-Cokato 2026 <a href="https://x.com/IsaacSalmen">Twitter</a>   One of the two Salmen brothers on the Chargers, Isaac was the younger Salmen brother that I got my first look off at linebacker last night. You can certainly tell that he has upside in the coming year or two to grow out his frame, as the 6'0 180 pounder I feel appeared bigger on the eye test last night in Princeton. He showed off to me as a 2026 linebacker that has plenty of pure strength when he makes contact and hits his position angle on point like I saw on a handful of reps last night. The tape is light, but the suddenness that Isaac has with his first step and getting more tape out there this year and into his senior season, could give him a solid shot to play football on Saturdays as this kid's upside intrigues me.   [player_tooltip player_id='1588996' first='Brody' last='Kok'], QB/ATH, Princeton 2025 <a href="https://x.com/KokBrody">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/IMG_1711-rotated-crop-481x316-1729219969.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1532861" style="width:296px;height:auto" /></figure>   We go back to back weeks scouting a team that has a 1-2 punch at the quarterback position, as we were certainly impressed with what we saw from Princeton 2025 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1588996' first='Brody' last='Kok'] last night. The 6'2 210 pounder, is one with excellent athleticism with the ball in his hands and for his size, has great balance along the sidelines in which I saw it right in front of me on his 12-yard rushing touchdown. It's quick on the eyes to gauge the excellent poise Brody plays with the ball in his hands whether running the rock or passing it as we have seen the arm talent more at camps over the summers, but Brody showed off the same great balance arm strength and touch throwing ability that you want at the next-level. I also couldn't agree more with UMD's eval with offering Brody as an athlete at the next level, as he sure showed that off in the live eval I got last night. He is one that surely needs more NSIC attention this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='234886' first='Caleb' last='Smock'], RB, Dassel-Cokato 2025   It didn't take long last night for Dassel-Cokato running back [player_tooltip player_id='234886' first='Caleb' last='Smock'] to put his dent into the game, as he played leadoff of the Chargers first touchdown from 47-yards out to give the Tigers the early lead. It was the full-fluidity that Caleb showed off on the touchdown run that struck a chord with me and it was consistently seen on multiple levels of the field throughout the game last night. I could see why the Tigers had their difficulty on that first drive with Caleb as his vision and quick bounce out of the inside box showed off solid athleticism showing off a 5'10 160 pound running back that plays miles bigger with his authoritative running ability. And looking at the tape, it is surely not the first time this kid has broken free with his durability this season as he has done it a few times showing off patience in his vision too. Could be a nice prospect on Saturdays if we can get some more tape and not just highlights.   [player_tooltip player_id='743242' first='Austin' last='Ross'], OL, Princeton 2026   There was not an offensive linemen last night I felt that got consistent leverage into the second level more than Princeton 2026 offensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='743242' first='Austin' last='Ross']. Not only was his consistently there, I was impressed with how sound his pad-level appeared to be despite being a 2026 prospect that has no football tape to show for yet on Hudl. The 6'3 220 pounder I would bet is taller than the measurables I could find on the worldwide web and has a football frame that could play at the next-level with his great upside if he plays his football cards right. Of course has to develop and get a lot more tape, but has a high ceiling that I hope to see grow with one more year of HS football under his belt after this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1248642' first='Kobee' last='Thielen'], RB/DB, Dassel-Cokato 2025 <a href="https://x.com/KobeeThiel91889">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/IMG_1710-rotated-crop-481x316-1729219893.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1532859" style="width:294px;height:auto" /></figure>   In my eyes the best two-way athlete on the either sideline last night was Dassel-Cokato 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1248642' first='Kobee' last='Thielen'] who I have evaluated as a running back in the past, but certainly see too what college coaches are evaluating him as a defensive back. Kobee showed off the sideline to sideline range that I want out of a defensive back playing at the next level he was impressive with his athletic movement laterally as a constant crasher to the ball. He also got his touches in the backfield and although it wasn't his biggest game in 2024 he still was persistent. He showed off the balanced mix of speed and durability which we saw him a handful of times use his solid footwork grind out of that tight inside box. I always love when I see the full circle version of an athlete on both sides of the ball which I saw out of Kobee last night.   [player_tooltip player_id='743246' first='Brayden' last='Shafer'], QB, Princeton 2025 <a href="https://x.com/brayden_shafer">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/IMG_1713-1-rotated-crop-481x316-1729219824.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1532857" style="width:309px;height:auto" /></figure>   Brayden is a 2025 quarterback that had a couple college camps that he stood out this summer and Brayden again found a way to in the rotation as one of our Big Dogs of the Game. You can just tell watching Brayden from the sidelines, that this kid has a love for the game of football, the competitive edge you want from the quarterback position and one that truly enjoys the game of football. I felt Brayden has gotten more elusive around the edges and I feel his game-speed kicks up with growing balance along the sidelines where right in front me showed the competitive edge I was referencing as a QB that plays with a chip on his shoulder mentality. Brayden has certified over the last months that he is a scholarship level quarterback in my eyes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288296' first='Carson' last='Pruett'], LB/DL, Princeton 2027 <a href="https://x.com/carsonpruett55">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/IMG_1712-rotated-crop-481x316-1729219754.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-1532852" style="width:314px;height:auto" /></figure>   I'll flashback to the 2019 season to when I found the last Division I target hidden on defense for the Princeton Tigers, which then was HS sophomore and now UND linebacker Haydn Stay (2022 class). With that being said, I firmly believe 2027 LB/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1288296' first='Carson' last='Pruett'] could be next in line. Carson plays with an excellent nose for the ball with his pure instincts as just as a sophomore and what was even more impressive last night, he is not playing what I feel is not his core position in college, which like Haydn was, is linebacker. It only took a little over a quarter for Carson to pop out two forced fumbles and I believe he even got a third towards the end of the game. He also showed that he has the clutch gene, as he made a huge third down tackle towards the end of the game to put the icing on the cake for the Tigers. The massive physicality Carson has on contact shows off a lot of wiery twitch off the snap to the ball. The fact that Carson has such inticing position flexibility at defensive end this season for the 6'1 220 pounder, just shows me how high this kid's football ceiling can and is one that even as a sophomore, that I really like his character. I also was able to circle back to his testing numbers at NDSU, which shows with more depth why I believe this kid is another Division I linebacker incoming from the Princeton Tigers program.

PRINCETON, MINN-- We take one final look from Princeton, the home of one of my favorite pizza places in the area where I live, Pizza Barn.Although we did not partake in their food truck pizza this time (silly diet), we stayed busy scouting a double-digit amount of prospects between #3 Princeton (8-0, 4A) and #2 Dassel-Cokato (7-1, 3A). What did we find? We believe we found plenty of 2025 sleepers waiting on offer number one, plus, did we really find another Division I graded linebacker from Princeton? I recall a similar story from five years ago as we flashback to one of my first times scouting the Tigers and who that now Division I linebacker was.