Way Up North '26 Studs, Steals, and Names to Know

We spent a few days covering the Madison area and all that it has to offer with a primary focus on the more under the radar athletes. Now we pack up and to begin another two day series of covering studs, steals, and names to know from schools in northern WI. We decided to set Hwy 8 as our imaginary horizontal line through the state for our cutoff of way up north schools. After a deep dive through rosters and the Prep Redzone WI rankings it is clear that this area needs to be recruited hard by college coaches. There are massive athletes and dominant linemen among other athletes to know. Let's get things started!    I love this series where we get to dive deep into a region and all the teams within it. It leads to uncovering so many hidden gems. My favorite new add to our radar is the 6'4" 220 lbs TE/Edge defender Glendon Thompson. The junior had to fill in at QB most of the season in 2024 so we didn't get to see that massive frame at work catching passes. However we did get to see that the kid is a natural athlete and playmaker who could step into that role and deliver a 50% completion percentage, 1200 yards and 12 TDs through the air in 8 games. Plus he kept it on the ground often and demonstrated the body control to make impressive cuts through traffic for his size and run with power.   On defense Glendon 55 tackles and a team leading 9 TFLs along with a FF and an INT. Glendon plays OLB for Barron and the tape shows him playing in space just as much as he is attacking off the edge. The '26 is up to the task. He has the range and change of direction to cover the curls to flats zone and chase down the ball out in space. The rising '26 also plays with a strong first step when he does come off the edge and can quickly run the loop to get into the backfield. Coaches you need to get a look at this kid. Size, athleticism, power and production. He checks a lot of boxes.      One of the best northern WI offensive linemen in the Class of 2026 is Lakeland Union's [player_tooltip player_id='1361654' first='Carson' last='Fieck']. The junior OT has the prototypical frame at 6'6" 270 lbs with long arms. Carson does well in the run game. He is quick to lock onto his man and once he does you rarely see him disengage before the whistle. The '26 does well keeping his feet driving through his man to create that surge in the trenches. Carson also has so much room to grow his game and become even more of an impact. Give this kid time to learn at the next level and he can turn into an impact starter.      The more I watch DL [player_tooltip player_id='1364267' first='Ty' last='Moore'] the more I am impressed by him. He has an excellent frame to continue to build on and fill out. More size and strength will only make him more of a tough matchup because his junior tape is impressive. Ty is quick with his first step and can turn that speed into power the second he gets his heavy hands on the OL. The '26 DT has plenty of examples of his power to be able to hold the line of scrimmage then quickly disengage and make the tackle for little or no gain. Moore is already able to collapse the interior of the pocket with his strength. I strongly believe he will be a D2 recruit the more I watch him, and continue to climb the rankings. Check him out if you haven't.      Henry is coming off a very productive junior season while helping Grantsburg reach the State Championship Game in 2024. The junior finished with a team leading 110 tackles, plus 8 TFLs, and an INT. The ILB is one of the top defenders in northern WI. His tape shows that he is an athlete who can pursue sideline to sideline, drop into coverage or turn and run with a WR/TE/RB in the short to intermediate passing game. Henry looks his best attacking downhill, though. He has a quick burst at the snap and very effective closing speed to get to the ball quickly and disrupt plays in the backfield. The junior also does well moving through the front seven without having to battle off blocks. The arrow is pointing up for him. Take a look at this LB recruit.      I'm very confident that Rich will have his chance to play at the next level. While he might not have elite size at 6' 250 lbs it is hard to overlook his film. Rich is a high effort player, especially in the run game. He battles with leverage and a leg drive that never quits and it generates movement in the trenches consistently. The junior is also aggressive with his attack and has a strong tendency of putting his opponent on the ground by the end of the play. Rich is a quick athlete out of his stance and also flashes quick hands that are able to land inside the chest of opponents where he can control them. I like the way Kothbauer plays in the trenches and deserves looks from the elite collection of D3 talent in WI.      Xander spent most of 2024 playing JV and a backup role on varsity because of all the senior talent the team returned last fall. This time around we should see Xander take over a role on the varsity. The junior dominated at the JV level with his superior speed. Whether it was finding a seam between the tackles or getting around the edge, Xander has the speed to kill a defense if they give him a seam to accelerate through. I'm excited to see how it translates to consistent Friday night action this fall. Keep an eye on the playmaker. We could see a breakout year on the way.      Will was able to get some varsity action on the talented Rice Lake team as a junior. He finished with a receiving stat line of 6/110/3. Nothing crazy but they all lead the way for returning pass catchers on the team, so look for him to take that next start and potentially become the go to guy. The talented TE showed he has the speed to stretch the seam vertically and the ball skills to track the ball over his shoulder downfield. He also made a big impact as a blocker. Will does well sticking on his man and he has surprising power. If he can continue to add onto that frame the '26 will only get more impactful in that area. Will also played some at OLB for Rice Lake. In a limited role he was still able to flash that ability to rush the edge and drop into coverage. Will should start to make a name for himself this summer at camps and erase any leftover doubt very early in his senior season. We are ready for a big year from the '26 TE/OLB.      We end today's deep dive into northern WI with an RB from Superior. Taynum finished 2024 with a team leading 132 carries, 592 yards, and 4 TDs. The '26 RB thrives when he can attack the defense with power. He has a solid base of contact balance, body control, and power allowing him to break tackles and pick up yards after contact. The highlights show plenty of examples of him creating yards with his aggressive running style. Also some of the angles he is able to recover from and keep his balance through are hard to believe. Give the highlights a watch through. Taynum is definitely a northern WI RB to keep a close eye on.

We spent a few days covering the Madison area and all that it has to offer with a primary focus on the more under the radar athletes. Now we pack up and to begin another two day series of covering studs, steals, and names to know from schools in northern WI. We decided to set Hwy 8 as our imaginary horizontal line through the state for our cutoff of way up north schools. After a deep dive through rosters and the Prep Redzone WI rankings it is clear that this area needs to be recruited hard by college coaches. There are massive athletes and dominant linemen among other athletes to know. Let's get things started!