Recent Division 1 Minnesota Recruiting News & Analysis

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of action on Minnesota's recruiting trail. It couldn't have come at a better time either, as PRzMN was beginning to think that our eyes were deceiving us and that the MN 2026 and 2027 classes weren't filled with big-bodied bullies in the trenches, high-ceiling skill positions, verified athleticism all over the place, the premier CB of the past half decade+, multi-sport talent up there with any state in the Midwest, some electric recruiting enigmas, as well as the best QB class since the class of 2012. Luckily, after a quiet fall on the recruiting front in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the offseason has been fruitful for Minnesotans in the 2026 class, as well as excitedly in the 2027 class as well. With as much FCS, FBS, and P4 recruiting movement and news as we've seen since the summer, check out the highlights, as well as our thoughts and analysis of the offer(s), below.   --   [player_tooltip player_id='1602930' first='Pierce' last='Petersohn'] Hits Gold with Gophers Offer   There is a lot of functional athleticism and multi-sport exceptionalism in the MN 2026 class, and Triton's [player_tooltip player_id='1602930' first='Pierce' last='Petersohn'] is at the top of the state's list in terms of upside. We broke down the extent of his athletic accomplishments a couple of days ago on the PRzMN site, which includes eye-popping track & field numbers and a Triton record 1,445+ points on the hardcourt with a season and a half of basketball remaining in his prep career. The verified athleticism on a 6'5, 190 lb. frame is simply too hard to ignore, and the junior tape shows a dynamic two-way contributor who seems to be on a different level of speed, strength, mobility, and versatility than his 2024 competition, not to mention physicality. It was too hard of a combination for D1 schools to ignore, and MN-friendly Iowa State became offer #1 after watching the junior hoop in late January. The next day, North Dakota offered, and later in the week the Minnesota Gophers' DC Danny Collins and newly-appointed LB coach Mariano Sori-Marin made the trip to Dodge Center to offer a B1G scholarship in person. Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell and LB coach Colby Kratch came to Triton High School as well. Not only is this exciting for the 507 product, it's also good news for the state. Now that the first few offers have rolled in, I don't expect things to quiet down unless Petersohn chooses to commit somewhere. If a kid down south had Petersohn's size and track & field numbers, he wouldn't have had to wait this long for scholarship money, and collegiate suitors outside of the regional blueprint are more willing to check a prospect out if the local programs have offered. This should be a fun recruitment to track, especially with both basketball and track and field still in front of him this school year.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/PiercePetersohn/status/1883641450375876925 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss'] Expands Geographically   The busiest prospect in Minnesota of the past couple of weeks' recruiting window undoubtedly goes to Jackson County Central's [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss']. Newly crowned as the #1 prospect in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Voss was:   Offered by Miami (FL), Auburn, and UCLA. All three schools sent coaches in person to extend the offer.   Attended the Iowa Hawkeyes junior day event last weekend   In-home visit from Minnesota Gophers Head Coach PJ Fleck and TE coach Eric Koehler. Koehler also came to Jackson to visit Voss at school   In-home visit from Iowa's Special Teams Coordinator LeVar Woods   In-home visit from Wisconsin's TE coach Nate Letton   In-home visit from Kansas State LBs coach Steve Stanard   Talk about a busy offseason! It's no surprise the Class AA standout multi-sporter has been this popular, as he absolutely tore up the summer camp trail, posting fantastic testing numbers at a versatile 6'4, 215 lbs., adding to the hype with a state champion-leading junior season and some dominant junior film to boot. From what I'm heading, Voss is considering staying regional for college, but these new national offers may have switched things up in terms of possible contenders. As the old saying goes, I'd follow the visits here, and Voss just attended the Iowa Hawkeyes junior day last week with the Minnesota Gophers on deck for this upcoming weekend's junior day, which was first reported by GopherIllustrated's Ryan Burns. This is a recruitment I'd be following closely these coming months if I were you.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/romanvoss2/status/1883355847084118126 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1104843' first='Kade' last='Bush'] hits the P4 Scene   Chanhassen High School has been one of the busiest Minnesota high schools this month in terms of college visitors, both in volume and quality, with P4, G5, and FCS programs coming in at a steady clip in check out the Storm's loaded 2026 class that is filled with both size and skill. Along with teammate [player_tooltip player_id='490046' first='Owen' last='Linder'], who we will be mentioning later in this feature, TE [player_tooltip player_id='1104843' first='Kade' last='Bush'] has been one of the most visited 2026s, as well as one of the hottest names on Minnesota's recently steaming recruiting trail. A dynamic 6'5, 205 lber. who was a dangerous ball carrier and effective offensive weapon when we saw the Storm in the 5A state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium, Bush reports some exciting testing numbers, although I haven't been able to verify anything myself, having not seen Bush attend any of the regional prospect camps last offseason and summer. However, from what I've seen both on tape and in person, his frame and skillset would translate well to a pass-catching TE option at the college level, not to mention an effective blocker.   Coaches have to feel good about Bush and his projection to the college level, as Kansas State's RB coach Brian Anderson extended a Big12 offer from Kansas State, making for the junior's first college offer, and Arkansas' TE coach Morgan Turner followed it up the next day with an SEC offer from the Razorbacks, a school that undoubtedly trusts Chanhassen products and is still seeing the lingering effects of Frank Ragnow. Turner also came to Chanhassen to see Bush in person this week. Interestingly, Bush didn't earn offers from either school he checked out in person, as visits to Northwestern and North Dakota didn't yield scholarship money. From what I understand, he's also hurt right now, so he isn't workout out for college coaches in person at the moment. I'm both interested and invested to see how the recent big-time stock riser's recruitment continues to develop and play out. Minnesota came by today, which is after Linder already committed, so you can safely bet on who they were checking out.   <a href="https://twitter.com/kade_bush/status/1882560876487798876">https://twitter.com/kade_bush/status/1882560876487798876</a>   Welcome to the scene, [player_tooltip player_id='1368410' first='Eli' last='Diane']   It's been too long since we've had a Wayzata Trojan making a name for himself in the P4 recruiting scene. Lucky for the Trojans, 2027 DE [player_tooltip player_id='1368410' first='Eli' last='Diane'] looks to be an exceptionally promising prospect with game-changing ability as a pass rusher and edge defender. His recent run of big-time offers has put both the young defensive end as well as the Minnesota 2027 scene firmly in the crosshairs of P4 recruiting departments with about as surefire of an underclassman worthy of an offer that it gets. Big School varsity starter as a sophomore, verified size and athleticism (6'3.5, 227 last summer at Iowa State, as well as a 4.85 shuttle and 9'4 broad), and an astoundingly intriguing 50'02 and 50-6.5 shot put throws as a freshman. Plus, the film checks the boxes, and Diane now reports to be around 6'4, 245 with more room to grow at a premier position in both football and football evaluating and scouting. As mentioned, it's about as straightforward as it gets. Kansas State offered on the 22nd, Iowa DL coach Kelvin Bell followed it the day after with a B1G scholarship from the Hawkeyes, and Iowa State and Colorado State also offered. The young bull was also visited by Minnesota DL coach Winston DeLattiboudere III in school, where he watched Diane and his Wayzata teammates work out. This kid is going to be one of the hottest names in the Midwest's 2027 DL class and a potential blue-chipper down the line.   <a href="https://twitter.com/EliDiane2027/status/1884741379370242195">https://twitter.com/EliDiane2027/status/1884741379370242195</a>   Minnesota 2026 QB Race Heats Up   After much hype and a bit of a quiet period in terms of recruitment, we're back to seeing this fabled 2026 Minnesota QB class heating up again on the recruiting trail. After visits to Fargo for the North Dakota State 2025 junior day, 6A state champion and Maple Grove signal-caller [player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'], as well as the popular and well-known Stillwater gunslinger [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'], earned offers from one of the best developers of Minnesota talent out there in the NDSU Bison. Kinsey also added to his offer list with a FBS Sun Belt offer from Southern Mississippi. Also of note, these NDSU QB evals were potentially the last evals that the legendary Bison QB coach Randy Hedberg, who recently announced his retirement from coaching after a more-than-successful career coaching quarterbacks in Fargo. It's obviously exciting to see this arm talent, of which we've known about for years in the Land of 10,00 Lakes, see their hard work pay off during their recruitment's most important period. This is especially true for Harney, one of the most underrated and under-appreciated prospects in MN's 2026 class and a key contributor in the Crimson's 2026 undefeated season. Fellas: these offers don't stay open and committable for long, I'd consider these recent opportunities long and hard as things keep heating up.   <a href="https://twitter.com/Kaden_Harney/status/1883365877934129326">https://twitter.com/Kaden_Harney/status/1883365877934129326</a>   Spotlight Shines on [player_tooltip player_id='212480' first='Blake' last='Betton'] and MN's 2027 Class   The spotlight on Minnesota's 2027 class continued to grow brighter and brighter during these past couple of weeks, and one of the three big MN sophomore winners of the recruiting window goes to Shakopee's standout safety [player_tooltip player_id='212480' first='Blake' last='Betton']. A player oozing with potential since he entered the high school ranks as a 6'3, 170-ish pound freshman in the non-varsity ranks of 6A football. The athletic upside and potential to play P4 football one day was more than obvious, and Betton will continue to hold a spot near the top of the 2027 rankings for the rest of his prep career. The now-6'3, 190 lber. was a tackle machine and rangy defender in coverage the multiple times we've seen Betton live and padded up, and it wasn't hard to see that he was destined to play big-time D1 college football shortly. The son of Shakopee Head Coach Ray Betton saw his recruitment get off to a great start at NDSU's junior day last weekend, earning offer #1 from the heavyweight Bison in his sophomore year off-season. Obviously, the legacy of Minnesotans at NDSU is both long and accomplished, and they rarely offer Minnesota underclassmen, so this move bodes well for Betton's rising popularity on the recruiting trail. With the size and ability to play safety or linebacker at the next level and a good basketball background and skillset, I'd expect more offers to come soon. Hold on tight, folks!   <a href="https://twitter.com/BettonBlake/status/1883273556488065258">https://twitter.com/BettonBlake/status/1883273556488065258</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='1290747' first='Dajohn' last='Yarborough'] Asserts Himself as a Top 2027 OL in the Midwest   Given Minnesota's tradition of high-quality prep offensive linemen projecting to the college and even NFL level, Benilde-St. Margaret's 2027 OT [player_tooltip player_id='1290747' first='Dajohn' last='Yarborough'] earning P4 offers in January of sophomore year is an exciting possibility for the state's 2027 class hopefully acquiring national attention. A massive 6'5, 330 lb. LT, Yarborough is a bully at the contact point who can climb and find work in space effectively and with mobility and control. The size, strength (375 lb bench this month), and athleticism, along with the impressive sophomore film in Minnesota's third-largest classification of football, led Kansas State and Iowa State to extend offers to play Big12 football. This automatically put Yarborough in contention for both a home state offer from Minnesota and blueblood offers further down the road, and he's a name more than worth knowing as the offseason continues to progress. Athletes of Yarborough's size and athleticism combination don't grow on trees, and with how well Minnesota OL typically do at the next level, it's a no-brainer to think this kid can compete as one of the top OL in the Midwest's 2027 class soon. I'd assume to slide inside to guard at the next level, depending on his verified size, of which I would love to get some athletic numbers on this offseason, but he's passed the eye test from both our scouts and opposition coaches from the sophomore OL in terms of padded, on-field evaluations. More offers coming!   <a href="https://twitter.com/DajohnYarboroug/status/1882448046434517356">https://twitter.com/DajohnYarboroug/status/1882448046434517356</a>   MN 2026 OL2 [player_tooltip player_id='490046' first='Owen' last='Linder'] is Off the Board   As I hope you all know by now, Division 1 offers don't stay committable forever, so it's not a bad idea to lock down your spot early if you find a potential home that really seems to fit and check all of your boxes. That seems to be ring especially true if you're a Minnesota-born OL and have the chance to play for one of college football's best developers of offensive line talent in the Iowa Hawkeyes. A 6'5, 280 lb. OT with the 5A state semifinalist Storm, Linder has been a known and popular name in the Minnesota P4 recruiting scene since after his sophomore season when the Iowa State Cyclones became offer #1 in January, with seven other P4 suitors joining his offer sheet, including Iowa, Arkansas, Illinois, and KState. Interestingly, there never seemed to be much traction with the hometown Gophers, who did come to see Linder workout at Chan High, but the junior never camped with the Gophers, something the staff emphasizes in the recruiting process, especially for in-staters, and they never extended an offer. That being said, Iowa is one of the best places to commit to as an OL or TE, and the Hawkeyes have a great history of developing and using Minnesotans in their two-deep. Big things coming for the Chanhassen standout.   <a href="https://twitter.com/OwenLinder3/status/1883643299078283537">https://twitter.com/OwenLinder3/status/1883643299078283537</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='1102620' first='Micah' last='Fenney'] Becomes Big12 Offeree   Always big news worth celebrating when a Minnesota junior enters the ranks of P4 offerees. It's also especially exciting when an Outstate prospect enters the fray as a certified, legitimate P4 prospect, and we got big news in the past week as the Kansas Jayhawks reached out with offer #1 for Norwood Young America's [player_tooltip player_id='1102620' first='Micah' last='Fenney']. With verified size and athleticism, a ton of length, a frame a college S&C coordinator would love to get his hands on, and dominant junior tape against small school competition, of which PRzMN has seen in person, it seemed to be only a matter of time for Fenney, whose physical and athletic upside as a collegiate EDGE is obvious. Plus, he had a good showing at the Gophers prospect camp last summer. He's on a short list of in-staters to potentially earn an offer from the U of M this offseason. Both NDSU and UND just came by Central High School to see Fenney workout this week.     Keep an Eye on Moorhead's 2027s   If we're talking "Next Up" in terms of Minnesotans nearing their first P4 offer, both when talking 2026s AND 2027s, I'd keep an eye on the Moorhead 2027 class, especially QB [player_tooltip player_id='1194605' first='[player_tooltip player_id='1194604' first='Jett' last='']' last='Feeney'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='1629849' first='David' last='Mack'], and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1288313' first='Taye' last='Reich']. The trio say Kansas State join a vaunted list of P4s to come to Moorhead High School to see the sophomores work out live and in person this month after hitting up the 218 on the 21st. Northwestern and Minnesota also came by in January. [player_tooltip player_id='591990' first='Caleb' last='Francois'], [player_tooltip player_id='592132' first='Brayden' last='Dozier'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1102620' first='Micah' last='Fenney'] are some other names I'd be watching closely as potential offers at the U of M junior day this weekend.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/david1mack/status/1882101569908564030 </div></figure>   Buy [player_tooltip player_id='591990' first='Caleb' last='Francois'] stock; UND Makes their First Moves in Minnesota   The recruiting stock of 2026 enigma that is 6'1, 190 lb. [player_tooltip player_id='591990' first='Caleb' last='Francois'] seems to be soaring through the rough, as Francois saw the North Dakota Fighting Hawks staff pull the trigger on his physical, dynamic, and game-changing on-field talent first with a Missouri Valley offer on January 23rd. That snowballed into a workout in front of Iowa State assistant head coach and RB coach Tyler Roehl, who extended P4 offer #1 in what is a thrilling testament to both Francois' athleticism as well as the MN 2026's superb potential as a recruiting class. Nothing beats an in-person evaluation and offer, and with Iowa State's affinity for Minnesotans and 2024 success with Head Coach Matt Campbell, fans of MN high school recruiting should be extremely excited right now, both for Francois and the state's overall stock.   The Fighting Hawks also offered massive 6'7, 315 lb. Litchfield OT [player_tooltip player_id='551400' first='Noah' last='Dietel'], a long-time, well-known name in the 2026 class whose size, athleticism, and varsity experience made him a no-brainer for MVFC staffs to get involved with. Dietel has been a multi-time PRzMN Showcase Top Performer whose foot speed and length as an underclassman made us just as excited as his height and shoe size, and Dietel is also the owner of some very impressive junior film that displayed physical dominance and coveted size that Missouri Valley schools traditionally develop and mold exceptionally well in college. Getting this offer so early means the Litchfield product was high on the Fighting Hawks' recruiting board as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see his stock continue to rise this offseason.   <a href="https://twitter.com/Noah_Dietel/status/1882655031654322541">https://twitter.com/Noah_Dietel/status/1882655031654322541</a>   NDSU Junior Day Proves Fruitful for Holy Angels standout and Minnesotans Overall   To recap, North Dakota State once again proved that they should be a must-stop for Minnesotans on the recruiting trail, cycle after cycle. In addition to the two offers sent out to [player_tooltip player_id='592132' first='Brayden' last='Dozier'] and [player_tooltip player_id='923834' first='Godson' last='Rufus-Okomhanru'] in season, the Bison offered 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='212480' first='Blake' last='Betton'] and 2026s [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'], [player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'], and Holy Angels 6'4, 230 lb. DE [player_tooltip player_id='1476059' first='Daniel' last='Devine']. The Bison's foundation of success has been built on the backs of Minnesota-bred talent, and you can see that the Bison covet Land of 10K Lakes talent, as they are pulling the trigger early and often on prospects at a variety of positions. [player_tooltip player_id='1476059' first='Daniel' last='Devine'], whose older brother Damian is signed to the Bison's 2025 class as a 6'3, 220 lb. LB, was another top-end MN prospect who hit the recruiting scene hard as a breakout star on the gridiron this fall, and his size and film, not to mention genetics, made him an easy choice for a MN 2026 in contention for D1 attention. With his brother heading to Fargo, I wouldn't be shocked to see the younger Devine head to the FCS heavyweight as well, but there's still a lot of runway left in both the Devines' prep and college careers, respectively. I'd love to verify some size and athleticism on the younger Devine this spring/summer as well.   <a href="https://twitter.com/danieldevine_7/status/1883272940344713218">https://twitter.com/danieldevine_7/status/1883272940344713218</a>   Miscellaneous News, Notes, Commitments   [player_tooltip player_id='1522534' first='Colten' last='Gunderson'] (Prior Lake) 2026. WR/TE. 6'6', 205 lbs.   Saw Northwestern visit Prior Lake and shoot him a camp invite. Could pay off this big for the junior pass catcher.   [player_tooltip player_id='1581587' first='Finn' last='Benz'] (St. Thomas Academy) 2025. DB. 6'2, 190 lbs.   Late offer and exciting news for STA's stud safety [player_tooltip player_id='1581587' first='Finn' last='Benz']. With the turnover at FCS powerhouse SDSU, the Jacks needed some late DB additions and extended an offer to the 6'2, 190 lb. thumper from the 5A Cadets, which he accepted a few days later. Rare to see the late, near-signing-day bump and attention, and we're pumped to see Benz on the receiving end of the pay off.   [player_tooltip player_id='641135' first='Josiah' last='Young'] (Totino-Grace) 2025. CB. - 6'3, 170 lbs.   With a lot of turnover at the Missouri Valley competitor Northern Iowa, 6'3, 170 lb. CB [player_tooltip player_id='641135' first='Josiah' last='Young'] chose to split ways with the FCS contender, putting him back on the market. Premier size and length for the position, comes out of talent factory Totino-Grace, multi-sport athlete, and we've seen him lock down an island in man coverage under the bright lights of state semifinal football. Him, [player_tooltip player_id='752525' first='Cameron' last='Begalle'], and [player_tooltip player_id='234786' first='Khalif' last='Brown'] remain the top uncommitted seniors in Minnesota.   [player_tooltip player_id='1206995' first='Carter' last='Kleinsasser'] (Mound Westonka) 2025. EDGE. 6'2, 225 lbs.   Minnesota All-Star and North Dakota legacy [player_tooltip player_id='1206995' first='Carter' last='Kleinsasser'] makes for a late addition to the UND 2025 signing class and follows in the footsteps of his father, legendary UND and Minnesota Vikings TE Jim Kleinsasser. I had Jim's jersey when I was growing up as a Vikings fan. Can't wait to see Carter play in Grand Forks.   [player_tooltip player_id='945329' first='Afy' last='Ibekwe'] (Anoka) 2025. WR. 6'2, 180 lbs.   More big news out of the senior class coming out late, a fun recruiting narrative we are seeing less and less of in college football. Ibekwe was a late eval and offer by the fantastic staff at Northern Illinois, who flipped from FCS St. Thomas, where he was originally signed to play football and run track. Gotta give props to the Tommies for the original eval and recruitment of the Anoka standout, who owns some eye-catching track & field numbers, tons of 6A varsity experience, and a great frame with length and room to fill in. I love how NIU recruits. Good luck in DeKalb, Afy!   [player_tooltip player_id='362299' first='Josh' last='Wedel'] (Chaska) 2025. DL. 6'5, 245 lbs.   As expected, Chaska's fantastic senior DL [player_tooltip player_id='362299' first='Josh' last='Wedel'] has flipped from SDSU to Washington State to follow newly-appointed Head Coach Jimmy Rogers, Wedel, who owns P4-worthy athleticism at his size, actually held an offer from Washington State's old staff as well. Wedel joins the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='819442' first='Trillion' last='Sorrell'] (Edina), [player_tooltip player_id='641132' first='Damarius' last='Russell'] (Waseca), and [player_tooltip player_id='1083208' first='Brody' last='Miller'] (Shakopee) to flip from SDSU to WSU in the 2025 class.   Jayden Moore (Hopkins) 2026. WR. 5'11, 170 lbs.   One of the top football/basketball hybrids in the nation, Moore added to his football offer list with a KState offer on the 22nd. Moore also holds football offers from Iowa and Minnesota, and a boatload of basketball offers to choose from. Good to see him continue to diversify his recruiting portfolio on the gridiron, although I'd be surprised if he doesn't play basketball at the next level.

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of action on Minnesota's recruiting trail. It couldn't have come at a better time either, as PRzMN was beginning to think that our eyes were deceiving us and that the MN 2026 and 2027 classes weren't filled with big-bodied bullies in the trenches, high-ceiling skill positions, verified athleticism all over the place, the premier CB of the past half decade+, multi-sport talent up there with any state in the Midwest, some electric recruiting enigmas, as well as the best QB class since the class of 2012. Luckily, after a quiet fall on the recruiting front in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the offseason has been fruitful for Minnesotans in the 2026 class, as well as excitedly in the 2027 class as well. With as much FCS, FBS, and P4 recruiting movement and news as we've seen since the summer, check out the highlights, as well as our thoughts and analysis of the offer(s), below.