Minnesota Recruiting Roundup: February 2025 Recap

With how much hype I've been injecting into the Minnesota 2026 class's recruiting prowess, I was beginning to wonder when offers would begin to get dished out in serious waves in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this offseason. Finally, after enough waiting, February saw Minnesota firmly in the crosshairs of big-time college football programs, including with the hometown Golden Gophers. Now that last month's engaging and active flood of D1 scholarship offers has temporarily subsided, we're up to 15 current Minnesotans holding P4 offers (12 2026, 3 2027) and 39 total Minnesota preps possessing a D1 scholarship offer (34 2026s, 5 2027s), so I'm happy to stand on the statistics and once again shout into the ether that this 2026 class in Minnesota is a great one. This past month saw both familiar faces and new names coming into the recruiting picture, with six new Minnesotans earning their first offer in February and a boatload of overall offers going out, so PrepRedzoneMN wanted to take a quick second before we dig into the 2027 update to Roundup the February 2025 Recruiting Recap. Analysis, impressions, and the most detailed Minnesota-specific recruiting report available. Enjoy!   --   [player_tooltip player_id='591990' first='Caleb' last='Francois'] to Iowa State   Last month got off to a memorable start as Minnetonka's one-of-a-kind 2026 QB/RB hybrid [player_tooltip player_id='591990' first='Caleb' last='Francois'] worked out for, was offered by, and accepted a Big12 scholarship offer from the Iowa State Cyclones. Lots to take in here, and to begin with, I did not expect Francois' recruiting to begin and end so suddenly. The enigma that is Francois only had about a week as an uncommitted D1 offeree, as the tough, shifty, and high-powered QB whose collegiate positional projection was up in the air, was offered by Caledonia's Isaac Fruechte and North Dakota to kickstart his recruitment process. However, Tyler Roehl, now the TE coach with the New York Football Giants, worked Francois out at Minnetonka, offered him as a RB, and a few days later, on the 2nd, Francois was a Cyclone.   First off, you have to respect a prep pulling the trigger and locking down that P4 roster spot ASAP, especially with the first team that puts $ behind your talent first. Second, Iowa State must have really been impressed and really trusting of that in-person evaluation, and you have to wonder what went down behind the scenes for a commitment to happen so rapidly. Third, the Cyclones, especially under Matt Campbell, have been absolutely tremendous in their recruitment and utilization of Minnesota hybrid athletes and somewhat "underrated" Minnesotans just like Francois. Stevo Klotz, Carson Hansen, and Trent Jones II are some somewhat similar takes that come to mind off the top of my head, with Hansen, the lone scholarship commit of the three out of high school, drawing a lot of parallels in terms of his recruitment. The Cyclones trust and believe in Minnesota talent, and you'll never hear us not sing their praises in how they recruit the Land of 10K Lakes. They're getting a heckuva RB prospect and one of my favorite players of the 2024 season in Francois, who can beat you down over four quarters of relentless ground-and-pound rushing, break tackles with speed, quickness, and/or power, is one of the toughest players I've scouted in my time with PRzMN, and is a lynchpin who raises his teammates up and gets the most out of his squad and can handle and succeed under the bright lights and high-pressure moments of a ball game. You love to see it!   <a href="https://twitter.com/CalebFrancois11/status/1886091987431850260">https://twitter.com/CalebFrancois11/status/1886091987431850260</a>   Kent State makes a splash in the Land of 10K Lakes   Representing the FBS and the always-electric Mid-American Conference, Kent State University made some major moves in the Midwest thanks to their regional offer spree last week. Their surge of FBS offers found its way to the Land of 10K Lakes, with the Golden Flashes contacting five Minnesota 2026s with good news. I really like who Kent State contacted and reached out to. The Golden Flashes hit up LB Skanson to elevate him from an Ivy League prospect into a FBS recruit, offered [player_tooltip player_id='445957' first='Hans' last='Pederson']'s first scholarship since 2023, and were Eden Prairie's hammer of a DT [player_tooltip player_id='284019' first='Gavin' last='Walden']'s first non-Ivy offer.   Pederson has verified P4-worthy athleticism at his size and impressive junior tape, so I was beginning to wonder why he wasn't more popular on the recruiting trail. Walden is a madman between the whistles and a bull of a DT who was a monster at one of the Gophers' prospect camps last summer, showing big-time strength, hand usage, and 1v1 effectiveness. I'm stoked an FBS school pulled the trigger. Skanson is only going to gain more momentum on the recruiting trail, and is an instinctive, physical, and nonstop LB presence on the 6A defending champs. Rufus-Okomhanru and Devine are obvious FBS kids and deserve to have their offer lists grown. Good to see another FBS program trust in Minnesota born-and-bred talent.   [player_tooltip player_id='592225' first='Ryder' last='Skanson'] (Maple Grove) LB. 6'1, 215 lbs. - Kent State offered 2/27. Skanson also holds offers from Princeton and Cornell.   [player_tooltip player_id='445957' first='Hans' last='Pederson'] (Buffalo) DE. 6'4, 250 lbs. - Kent State offered 2/26. First offer since October, 2023 from NDSU. Also been offered by Central Michigan's old staff.   [player_tooltip player_id='284019' first='Gavin' last='Walden'] (Eden Prairie) DT. 6'2, 250 lbs. - Kent State offered 2/25. Also offered by Cornell and Yale this month.   [player_tooltip player_id='923834' first='Godson' last='Rufus-Okomhanru'] (Mounds View) ATH. 6', 180 lbs. - Kent State offered 2/27. Also offered by NDSU in November.   [player_tooltip player_id='1476059' first='Daniel' last='Devine'] (Holy Angels) DE. 6'4, 230 lbs. - Kent State offered 2/24. Also offered by NDSU and Cornell.   <a href="https://twitter.com/danieldevine_7/status/1894176144125046819">https://twitter.com/danieldevine_7/status/1894176144125046819</a>   Minnesota's Junior Day will be in-state Heavy   PrepRedzoneMN is always on the lookout for any kind of inkling or sign of who the in-state, heavy-hitting Golden Gophers are recruiting out of their backyard, and the annual Junior Day visits, and their preceding invites, are always a sure sign of who is on the hometown B1G competitor's recruiting board. If you're interested in which of the names are on potential offer watch, I'm looking at: [player_tooltip player_id='1102620' first='Micah' last='Fenney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='592132' first='Brayden' last='Dozier']. The full list of Minnesotans who received a Golden Gopher invite is below!   List of Minnesota Junior Day invites:   [player_tooltip player_id='923834' first='Godson' last='Rufus-Okomhanru'] (Mounds View) 2026. ATH. NDSU and Kent State offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1105134' first='Dre' last='Collins'] (Richfield) 2027. DB/WR.   [player_tooltip player_id='591730' first='Jeremiah' last='Peterson-Gordon'] (Kasson-Mantorville) 2026. DB. Air Force and Army offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1506853' first='Micah' last='Bush'] (Hills-Beaver Creek) 2026. WR/DB.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255892' first='Levi' last='Grigson'] (Hill-Murray) 2026. DB. Eastern Michigan offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='284019' first='Gavin' last='Walden'] (Eden Prairie) 2026. DT. Kent State, Yale, Cornell offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='592132' first='Brayden' last='Dozier'] (Maple Grove) 2026. CB. NDSU and UND offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1246911' first='Jaxon' last='Brown'] (Wayzata) 2027. ATH.   [player_tooltip player_id='212480' first='Blake' last='Betton'] (Shakopee) 2027. DB. NDSU offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='924341' first='Sam' last='Booh'] (Wayzata) 2027. WR/DB.   [player_tooltip player_id='551400' first='Noah' last='Dietel'] (Litchfield) 2026. OT. UND offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='1392997' first='Noah' last='Tieden'] (Blaine) 2026. TE.   [player_tooltip player_id='725721' first='Thor' last='Soukup'] (Wayzata) 2027. QB.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255144' first='Jaxon' last='Bartkowicz'] (Holdingford) 2026. EDGE.   [player_tooltip player_id='924346' first='Jayveon' last='Kelly'] (Bloomington Kennedy) 2026. OT.   [player_tooltip player_id='743262' first='Jack' last='Morrissette'] (Alexandria) 2026. DL.   [player_tooltip player_id='1120508' first='Ajibola' last='Afuye'] (Stillwater) 2026. DE.   [player_tooltip player_id='1104940' first='Carson' last='Heimer'] (Byron) 2026. RB/S.   [player_tooltip player_id='1359226' first='Braylon' last='Kelly-Taylor'] (Bloomington Jefferson) 2026. WR.   [player_tooltip player_id='1476059' first='Daniel' last='Devine'] (Holy Angels) 2026. DE. NDSU, Cornell, Kent State offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='400478' first='Kayden' last='Oakland'] (Northfield) 2026. EDGE.   [player_tooltip player_id='1102620' first='Micah' last='Fenney'] (Norwood Young America) 2026. EDGE. Kansas offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255885' first='Matthew' last='Perusse'] (Maple Grove) 2026. OG.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288305' first='Aiden' last='Moriarty'] (Springfield) 2026. Jumbo ATH.   [player_tooltip player_id='402072' first='Dalton' last='DeBoer'] (Holy Angels) 2026. OT. Georgetown, Fordham, Dartmouth, Cornell, SMU, Kent State offers.   [player_tooltip player_id='212360' first='Braden' last='Petzel'] (Mankato East) 2026. OT. Northern Illinois offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='592120' first='Ethan' last='Sather'] (Eden Prairie) 2026. OG. Cornell offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='924222' first='Henry' last='Hauge'] (Lakeville South) 2026. TE/OL. Air Force offer.   [player_tooltip player_id='1248620' first='Calan' last='Pilon'] (Robbinsdale Armstrong) 2026. LB.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288283' first='Andrew' last='McGee'] (Shakopee) 2027. EDGE/LB.   <a href="https://twitter.com/LeviGrigson/status/1892395773960011885">https://twitter.com/LeviGrigson/status/1892395773960011885</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss'] Update   The #1 player in the state, and one of the best overall prospects in the last half-decade, Jackson County Central 6'4, 220 lber. [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss'] has had a steady and consistent P4 recruitment that has begun to enter one of the more important phases of its journey. Voss has earned offers from Miami (FL), Auburn, and UCLA since the new year, and a steady stream of college coaches from regional programs have been circling Jackson County Central High School and the Voss's home, most notably Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas State, and Wisconsin. I believe Voss want to make a decision before his senior season begins, most likely by the summer, and February helped provide some hints to where Voss seems to be leaning in his recruitment. Iowa's LeVar Woods and head Coach Kirk Ferentz came to JCC in early February to say hi after Voss went to the Hawkeyes junior day in late January and a home visit earlier last month, and Voss also made his way to Dinkytown for an unofficial the first weekend of February. If you adhere to the old adage "follow the visits", which is somewhat of a truism in recruiting, it seems to me that Minnesota and Iowa are his two finalists, but there's still a lot of potential time left in this young man's recruitment. I'd expect the Official Visits to spark a decision once summer rolls around, but you never know!   <a href="https://twitter.com/romanvoss2/status/1885767023679942716">https://twitter.com/romanvoss2/status/1885767023679942716</a>   2027 MN D1 Offer Recap   The top-end of Minnesota's burgeoning 2027 class continues to remain popular on the FBS recruiting trail, as newly-minted #1 overall sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1368410' first='Eli' last='Diane'] earned a three B1G offers last month, with the hometown Gophers, Wisconsin, and Rutgers all offering up to the Wayzata Trojans DE. Diane is about as surefire of a P4 prospect as I've seen from a MN sophomore, with great size, a plethora of varsity 6A experience already under his belt, pass rushing production, and most exciting, a 50'+ shot put as a freshman to certify some near-elite athleticism and power as a freshman. I wish the Gophs got involved a little earlier, but they have to do their utmost due diligence when it comes to in-staters, so I can't complain about them dotting their i's and crossing their t's here. However, this dude is a monster, and about as heavyweight of a #1 ranked underclassman as you can get.   Additionally, we saw some waves in the budding 2027 QB race, as Minnetonka's sophomore gunslinger and rising QB1 [player_tooltip player_id='1029336' first='Caden' last='Gutzmer'] heard from Sacramento State for his first offer. The FCS competitor was on a tear of national offers that primarily targeted underclassman QBs, so you have to think Sac State loved the tape and measurables from the Tonka underclassman. Not a bad start to the young signal-caller's recruitment!   2026 MN D1 Offer Recap   It was quite the month of recruiting on the 2026 front. As mentioned in the intro, new names and familiar faces saw their names called by scholarship and Ivy League competitors, with five of the six new names called coming out of this hopefully legendary 2026 class. I'll take you through some of the most notable offers below.   [player_tooltip player_id='923833' first='Levi' last='Harris'] (Elk River) QB/ATH. First offer came this month when New Mexico offered.   Quite the start to the Class 5A state champion Power-T QB's recruitment. Harris is nothing short of dazzling with the ball in hand and posted some good track times as a freshman, so I figured this D1 day had the potential of coming, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Nor did I think it would come from the New Mexico Lobos, an FBS program that doesn't come this far north very often, but Harris heard his name called on the recruiting trail and is now an FBS offeree. I'd be interested to know where the Lobos like Harris at, as the Power-T QB and occasional DB is quite versatile. He's a playmaker and thumper as a defensive back, but I wouldn't put slot receiver or even running out of the question either. I'm also interested to see if this offer sets off a chain reaction of additional offers, but only time will tell. There's some serious talent coming out of Elk River.   [player_tooltip player_id='402072' first='Dalton' last='DeBoer'] (Holy Angels) OT. Dartmouth, Fordham, and Georgetown offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='592125' first='Mason' last='West'] (Edina) QB. South Dakota offered.   More scholarship $ for the esteemed 2026 QB class, as West got his recruitment reignited by a Missouri Valley powerhouse in the University of South Dakota. Just like fellow gunslinger [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'], who saw his recruitment kicked back into gear after the season, it's concrete evidence that this MN QB class holds up amongst the rest of the Midwest and are still earning looks from D1 scout and coaches.   [player_tooltip player_id='592119' first='Deron' last='Russell'] (Waseca) DB. NDSU, UND, SDSU offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'] (Maple Grove) QB. UPenn offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='551426' first='Sawyer' last='Josewski'] (Rogers) TE. First offer came this month when SDSU offered.   First offer alert! It seemed inevitable for Rogers' TE Josewski, who passed about every test required of him, including in-person athletic testing and 1v1 padded drills. Good to see the new Jackrabbit staff putting their noses to the grindstone on the recruiting trail early.   [player_tooltip player_id='1104843' first='Kade' last='Bush'] (Chanhassen) TE. Utah State, NDSU, Arkansas offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255902' first='Pierce' last='Petersohn'] (Triton) ATH. KState, Iowa, Northwestern, NDSU offered. Locked in a Minnesota Summer Splash Official Visit.   Would love to see Petersohn in the Maroon & Gold!   [player_tooltip player_id='591730' first='Jeremiah' last='Peterson-Gordon'] (Kasson-Mantorville) DB. First offer came this month when Army, Air Force offered.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255129' first='Q' last='Barnslater'] (Apple Valley) WR. First offer came this month when NDSU offered.   Bison staff doing what they do best, and that's evaluating Minnesota talent. I didn't see this one coming, but it came in the middle of a big push of NDSU offers, so the staff must have done their homework and were ready to roll on the Apple Valley Eagle.   [player_tooltip player_id='1255892' first='Levi' last='Grigson'] (Hill-Murray) DB. First offer came this month when Eastern Michigan offered, triggered UND and UMN junior day invites.   [player_tooltip player_id='592132' first='Brayden' last='Dozier'] (Maple Grove) CB. UND offered.   Eventful Day up at Bemidji State's Junior Day   We had some DII recruiting news as well! If you haven't noticed, recruiting timelines have accelerated, and that means DII programs, in our case primarily Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contenders, have to stay on top of the rising recruiting cycle just like the D1s. The Bemidji State Beavers did a great job of getting Minnesotans on campus for their junior, and I was excited by both the quality and quantity of Minnesotans who got to rock a green Beavers jersey on Junior Day. The Beavers also showed who was at the top of their recruiting boards from the home state, offering three Minnesota 2026s as soon as they could. Check out who was on campus and who got offered below!   Bemidji State Junior Day: [player_tooltip player_id='1581379' first='Logan' last='Kleist'], [player_tooltip player_id='665266' first='Mason' last='Davis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1255143' first='Cash' last='Knutson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1365368' first='Landon' last='Teetzel'], [player_tooltip player_id='1471267' first='Brody' last='Woods'], Owen Anderson (Elk River), Jackson Freeman (Elk River), [player_tooltip player_id='1256240' first='Mason' last='Church']   Minnesotans who received a Bemidji State offer:   [player_tooltip player_id='1248628' first='Devon' last='Luckas'] (Anoka) DB.   Sema'j Young (Robbinsdale Cooper) WR.   [player_tooltip player_id='1635662' first='Logan' last='Petsinger'] (Farmington) DB.   <a href="https://twitter.com/loganpetsingerr/status/1894134448968323278">https://twitter.com/loganpetsingerr/status/1894134448968323278</a>   Minnesotans Make the Trip to SD for Augie's Junior Day   NSIC heavyweight Augustana got a TON of Minnesota natives onto their Sioux Falls-based campus for the Vikings' junior day. It's an impressive testament to both Augie's trust and commitment to the state of MN, as well as their position coaches and overall recruiters effectiveness on the recruiting trail. Check out who made it to Augustana's Junior Day below.   Augie Junior Day: [player_tooltip player_id='924228' first='Jacob' last='Hartman'], [player_tooltip player_id='923855' first='Kyler' last='Thom'], [player_tooltip player_id='1634038' first='Tyler' last='Blaschko'], [player_tooltip player_id='551354' first='Hayden' last='Tischler'], [player_tooltip player_id='1371692' first='Jamin' last='Metzger'], [player_tooltip player_id='1506853' first='Micah' last='Bush'], [player_tooltip player_id='1489428' first='Evan' last='Zabel'], [player_tooltip player_id='402073' first='James' last='Engle'] Jr., [player_tooltip player_id='1120569' first='Owin' last='Gerber'], [player_tooltip player_id='1120576' first='Savy' last='Vath'], Max Durgin (Rochester Mayo), ([player_tooltip player_id='1530375' first='Brody' last='Schmidt'] ), [player_tooltip player_id='1255905' first='Chris' last='Bridges'], [player_tooltip player_id='1255143' first='Cash' last='Knutson'], [player_tooltip player_id='348680' first='Brevin' last='Brakke'], [player_tooltip player_id='1248721' first='Jake' last='Jones'] (Byron), [player_tooltip player_id='1248631' first='Evan' last='Durst'], [player_tooltip player_id='1602733' first='Wes' last='McLean'], [player_tooltip player_id='1581340' first='Braden' last='Daubige'], [player_tooltip player_id='1612773' first='Tyler' last='Eklund']

With how much hype I've been injecting into the Minnesota 2026 class's recruiting prowess, I was beginning to wonder when offers would begin to get dished out in serious waves in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this offseason. Finally, after enough waiting, February saw Minnesota firmly in the crosshairs of big-time college football programs, including with the hometown Golden Gophers. Now that last month's engaging and active flood of D1 scholarship offers has temporarily subsided, we're up to 15 current Minnesotans holding P4 offers (12 2026, 3 2027) and 39 total Minnesota preps possessing a D1 scholarship offer (34 2026s, 5 2027s), so I'm happy to stand on the statistics and once again shout into the ether that this 2026 class in Minnesota is a great one. This past month saw both familiar faces and new names coming into the recruiting picture, with six new Minnesotans earning their first offer in February and a boatload of overall offers going out, so PrepRedzoneMN wanted to take a quick second before we dig into the 2027 update to Roundup the February 2025 Recruiting Recap. Analysis, impressions, and the most detailed Minnesota-specific recruiting report available. Enjoy!