South Dakota 2026 Rankings: Stockrisers, Part I

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We hit the stockrisers hard in North Dakota last week, and now we head south to the Mount Rushmore State to meet even more stockrisers that climbed up our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/dakotas/rankings/south-dakota-rankings/2026-rankings/">South Dakota 2026 Rankings</a> from last week's update. Plenty of these young men utilize last Spring's Prep Redzone Dakotas Combine to raise their stock but man, the amount of midseason presence on some of these tapes are fun to watch especially knowing the hard work plenty of these young men have put in this off-season.    John is a 2026 athlete that been a persistent standout at our last few Prep Redzone Dakotas Combines which is why I felt it was necassary to rise his stock this time around. John makes a handful of splash plays on tape that when you think the play might be over, he continues his good balance in the open field. By moving over to play at Mobridge-Pollock this year, I feel that gives John a better offensive system to challenge his skillsets more thoroughly although I haven't caught wind of his tape yet with the Tigers thus far this season. Although his skillsets are raw, I still see John as a good small school fit in the Dakotas at the next-level or one that could take the JUCO route to advance his skillsets. <a href="https://x.com/JohnEagleII1">Twitter</a>     Tate is another prospect that attended our Prep Redzone Dakotas Combine this spring and although he made a splash there, his in-season production has a junior has grown even further which was key to why he moved up a bunch of spots. His ability to change speeds suddenly on his routes especially against zone coverage pops out on his first rep on tape and he is one that use his entire body to get on the ground to make a catch. Tate might not be the biggest wide receiver out there, but his route running as a deep threat shows why he was one of top wide receivers this Spring at our combine and one I would love to see where his testing numbers show up to be this winter with his rising stock into our top 75 in South Dakota and I will say, will probably be stockriser again by next update. <a href="https://x.com/Flash8Gad">Twitter</a>     Laythan's performance at the Dakota State prospect camp this summer certainly helped raise his stock in our 2026 South Dakota rankings. This kid's quick vision popped out then in our live-eval and the tape looks even better as this young man has a presence that makes him seem bigger than his measurables will tell you as he comes out of nowhere a ton in the tape I watched against Aberdeen Central earlier this season. Laythan is one that I would love to see him catch a growth spurt and grow out his frame this off-season as his elusive nature could be a nice next-level fit in the coming years and I think could be open for position flexibility as a run stopping free safety too. <a href="https://x.com/LaythanLucas">Twitter</a>     Ethan is another one that the live-eval this summer at the Northern State prospect camp made his upside resonate with me. Ethan is another prospect I can honestly say in Aberdeen the finish at the end of camp showed off quick development from what I saw. When I got to peak at his recent tape, I saw even more growth, as Ethan's release has gotten quicker plus the touch of his throws looks more mechanically sound than what I saw this summer. He also has carried more poise outside of the pocket for his 6'2 185 pound size and is one I believe has a great shot to play at the next-level at a Dakotas school. <a href="https://x.com/EthanFalk07">Twitter</a>     Steady progression is always what I look for when getting live evals in the spring and summer, and Rapid City Central linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='848938' first='Weiland' last='Benbo'] proved that in his performance in Sioux Falls at our combine and his midseason tape this fall. It's clear Weiland has not only improved his sudden burst since last Spring and is playing with more of an instinctive feel for the linebacker position. The 5'11 200 pounder has also certainly grown some strength that has applied to his tackling ability, as Weiland has shown more knockback force with his position angles on his 2024 tape thus far. Already a team captain for the Cobblers as a junior, this kid's leadership and rising skillsets certainly has seen sound growth since the 2023 season. Linebacker certainly looks like his best position fit too at the next-level, although Weiland certainly is a two-way athlete. <a href="https://x.com/weiland_benbo">Twitter</a>     Quinton made his noise as a stockriser dating back to the USF prospect camp this summer, and he didn't just catch my eyes, I heard it from another PRZ scout in attendance as well. Our new DB6 in the South Dakota 2026 class, showed off not only twitchy change of direction from the reps I watched, but just had this physical presence that flourished during 1v1 reps in my eyes. Quinton has also gotten longer and grown out his frame since I first watched him as a freshmen over at Brandon Valley and I would really like to get my hands on his midseason tape over at Sioux Falls Washington to see if that progression has grown even further since summer. Quinton could be another one to save for a rise by next update too in my eyes with that update tape. <a href="https://x.com/Quinton_hall21">Twitter</a>     Probably one of my favorite 2026 stockrisers in this new 2026 South Dakota rankings update belongs to Brandon Valley offensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='551462' first='Bryce' last='Bangasser']. The amount of improvement I saw in Bryce's fiery first step from our Prep Redzone Dakotas Combine to watching him at the UND Flagship Camp late summer as his quick development has only gotten better into the 2024 season. He also has grown this season with his pad-level and leverage at the point of attack as his first rep of Week 1-2 tape, shows him dominating not one, but two defensive players viciously as a swift multi-engager. Bryce has me fired up to see what that end of the season tape is going to look like and we are only thru midseason as I certainly believe he has a great shot to play at the FCS or Division II level already. <a href="https://x.com/BryceBangasser">Twitter</a>

SOUTH DAKOTA-- We hit the stockrisers hard in North Dakota last week, and now we head south to the Mount Rushmore State to meet even more stockrisers that climbed up our South Dakota 2026 Rankings from last week's update. Plenty of these young men utilize last Spring's Prep Redzone Dakotas Combine to raise their stock but man, the amount of midseason presence on some of these tapes are fun to watch especially knowing the hard work plenty of these young men have put in this off-season.