Best of the West - More Elite 2026 Prospects to Watch

Lately I have been showcasing some of the elite Western Kansas prospects in the 2026 class and here are five more to keep an eye on for this upcoming season. In this write-up you will be seeing to be seniors that come from the Western Athletic Conference and the Great West Activities Conference. I'll be continuing to uncover and showcase others from these two conferences in coming articles. I won't forget the 8-Man kids and the smaller school 11-Man prospects but their time is coming soon.   Some of these kids you may have seen in prior updates from either Wade Cargile and Jeremy Deckard but others may be the first time for them to be highlighted. So lets dig in and learn more about these High Plains ballers.   Once again profiles for each of these athletes have been created on Prep Redzone and can be claimed by using the following link.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor">https://prepredzone.com/prospects-index/#claim-profile-anchor</a>    A ever growing prospect, he excels in the weight room and looks to be adding more size to his frame in the coming year. Plays mostly offensive guard and shows the ability to really move his feet very well. Has the ability to play as a high level pass blocker, showing good hands and also the ability to get out in space when he pulls.    One offensive lineman to keep an eye on this coming fall is Dodge City's [player_tooltip player_id='1401789' first='Aldo' last='Reyes'] who helped lead his squad to a 6-4 season. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder will anchor the Demons line with the graduation of Nery Quinones. He definitely takes care of business in the classroom where he has a 4.1 GPA.   He was a Second Team All-Western Athletic Conference performer along the offensive line where he had 35 pancakes on the season and gave up no sacks.   Still has plenty of room to fill out his frame but already shows very good strength, feet, hands and athletic ability. He may take a little more time to reach his full potential but a good college weight program should do the trick. He has everything you look for to be something special in time. Also participates in track and field during the spring.      Definite D-I prospect that is still under the radar due to injury this past season. Has the perfect height and weight one is looking for but still has plenty of room to get stronger and transform his body in a college weight program. Still relatively new to the game of football. Has a VERY HIGH ceiling as a prospect.    Holcomb has been blessed with a lot of high level lineman the last handful of years and Rosen is no different. He is already a legit 6-foot-6, 317-pounds but has the frame to get much bigger and stronger as time goes by. Possessing a 7-foot-0 wingspan and bear paw sized hands. Already has an FCS offer from Central Arkansas but should garner plenty of more attention from Juco's, Missouri Valley programs and even some FBS schools here soon enough.   Rosen has really only played organized football since his freshman year of high school. Before then, he was homeschooled as a youth. He has come a long ways the last two to three years as a football player. Due to injury, he was only able to play in a couple of ballgames this past season. So his best football days are still in front of him.   Keep a definite eye on Rosen as we exit the February dead period and his recruitment should really start to pick-up.    Long athletic pass catcher who provides a deep ball threat and a big time redzone target. His length, size and speed will make him heavily recruited by the time he graduates. Good get off at the snap and tough to press at the line of scrimmage.    Liberal had a very good season this past fall with them finishing with a 7-3 record. A big reason for their success was due to the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Fieser who possess big play capabilities due to his length, strength and speed. If you are looking for a home-run deep ball threat or a red zone target, look no further. Also a very good student, with him carrying a 3.6 GPA.   By far his teams main weapon on offense, this past season he had 33 catches for 783 yards and nice touchdowns. Due to his big year, he was honored as a First Team All-Western Athletic Conference receiver and also Honorable Mention All-State for the same position.   Look for him to push the 1,000 yard barrier this coming season and much of that has to do with 2028 superstar quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1075837' first='Tevin' last='Cotter'] having yet another year with him. Three sport star that also excels on the hardwood and on the track.      Highly productive quarterback that has ideal size and athletic ability. He has a live arm and is capable of making all of the throws needed to play at the next level. Also bigtime on the baseball diamond but also excels on a talented Panther basketball team.      Great Bend is absolutely loaded with talent in the 2026 and 2027 classes and Minton is the man that makes everything click for the Panthers high octane offense. He helped lead GB to a 9-1 season and put up huge numbers in the process.   Offensively he had a 65% completion percentage and a 115 QBR rating. He completed 96 of 150 passes for 1,385 yards, 17 scores and only six interceptions. Also provided quite nicely in the ground game with 56 carries for 412 yards and a additional five touchdowns. Good enough for a 7.4 yards per carry.   Honorable Mention All-State 5A quarterback and a First Team All-Western Athletic Conference performer at the same position. He will have the privilege to throw to such targets like [player_tooltip player_id='1229117' first='Ian' last='Premer'], [player_tooltip player_id='1622489' first='Jacob' last='Hall'], and [player_tooltip player_id='933826' first='Cooper' last='Ohnmacht'] this fall.   Very good student possessing a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. Look for Minton to be heavily recruited in a number of different college sports.    Versatile athlete that can play both tight end and defensive end effectively. Good size and speed for either position. Will only continue to get more explosive as he further gets stronger and heals from a ACL injury. Primarily a blocker but shows he is more than capable of being a top notch receiver when called upon. As a defensive end, he lives in the backfield and shows good burst and strength at the point of attack.    Dodge City was blessed with two quality returning tight ends this coming fall in Smith and [player_tooltip player_id='1622495' first='Adam' last='Kisner']. When it comes to Smith, he brings the ability to be a dependable pass catcher when his number is called but is more known as a blocker. Primarily a run/pass blocker from his tight end position for the Demons, he even lined up wing back on occasions.   He only had two catches for 30 yards due to being mostly a blocker but should be more of a receiving threat this coming fall. Due to injury of another defensive end, he ended up starting four games at that position. He made quick work of his opportunity and had 32 tackles (11 solo and 21 assisted), six tackles for loss, and three sacks.   Unfortunately, he is recovering from his own ACL injury from this past season and should be 100% come fall. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has all the making of being one of the biggest sleeper recruits in all of the 2026 class. Described as vocal leader and communicator by those around him, he is also a very good student. He carries a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.   In conclusion, be on the lookout for more studs from Western Kansas in following articles. The western side of the state has always been an overlooked region. I hope by me sharing about these student-athletes have helped showcase them to the masses and namely college coaches. I'm always looking for unheralded or overlooked prospects to showcase. If you knows of anyone that fits that bill, reach out to me at @Coach_Mitchum on X.

Lately I have been showcasing some of the elite Western Kansas prospects in the 2026 class and here are five more to keep an eye on for this upcoming season.

In this write-up you will be seeing to be seniors that come from the Western Athletic Conference and the Great West Activities Conference. I'll be continuing to uncover and showcase others from these two conferences in coming articles. I won't forget the 8-Man kids and the smaller school 11-Man prospects but their time is coming soon.