EP’s Gavin Walden talks Recruitment, Dream Offer, & More

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are right in the thick of the 2026s all-important junior year off-season, and with Junior Days currently in full effect, we're beginning to see more and more offers go out to Minnesota junior football prospects from all around the state and from a variety of different collegiate suitors. It's setting up to be quite a chaotic summer as in-person camps, official and unofficial visits, and potential commitments begin to ramp up on the recruiting trail. A lot of prospects like to have their commitments wrapped up before their senior seasons begin, and with that in mind, <em>PrepRedzoneMN </em>wanted to check in with some local 2026s to get a feel on their recruitment, plans for the summer, and more. First up: <em>Eden Prairie's</em> bull-in-a-China-shop of a defensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284019' first='Gavin' last='Walden']</strong>, a prospect with one of the highest floors in the state who has balled out each and every time we've seen him live, padded or unpadded. Currently holding nine D1 offers, some of which are on the offensive side of the ball *insert eye emoji here*, Walden made some time to talk recruiting with <em>PrepRedzoneMN</em>. Get to know the 6'2, 250 lber., who he's talking to the most right now, Official Visits, overlooked teammates, dream offer, and more, below! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>--</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At a premier position on the gridiron's recruiting trail, an extensive on-field resume with Minnesota's 6A talent factory <em>Eagles</em>, and some strong in-person camp showing in front of P4 eyes, it was only a matter of time before <strong>Walden </strong>blew up. Since his first D1 offer came back in early February, <strong>Walden </strong>has been offered by nine Division 1 programs, including two Ivy Leagues, two FBS MAC offers, two FBS military academy offers, two Missouri Valley scholarships, and an FCS Patriot League offer for good measure. Not a bad couple of months for the defensive tackle, who noted that "I love that all the staffs keep in contact and just keep checking up on me, just making sure I'm good. Make sure they know that I'm wanted at their programs. I haven't been on campus yet, but trying to get an OV set up right now for Toledo and trying to get on campus for the other two." Things have moved fast since Yale offered an Ivy League roster spot in February, and <strong>Walden </strong>also mentioned that "I'm hearing from most of the Dakotas, the Gophers, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, a few Ivy Leagues, than a couple others like Lehigh, Ball State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Washington State a little bit, Wyoming, Georgetown, Montana, Montana State, the service academies, Rice, Miami (OH), and NIU."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Gavin_Walden_/status/1914399201427120280","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Gavin_Walden_/status/1914399201427120280 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It sounds like Division 1 college coaches like <strong>Walden's </strong>aggressiveness on film, two-way versatility, and overall athleticism, and I can say from personal experience that seeing Walden live, in person, and padded is only going to make you more excited about the budding 3T. <strong>Walden </strong>had a very strong showing at one of last summer's PJ Fleck RTB Prospect Camps at the University of Minnesota, dominating at the point of contact against a variety of high-quality OL, and if the <em>Eden Prairie</em> junior is set to take his commitment into the summer, he could be a name to watch during the summer camp circuit. Speaking of the Gophers, <strong>Walden </strong>stated that "I think the Gophers would be a pretty cool offer to be in the hometown, being close to all the boys and the family and just playing in front of your city, you can't beat that as a kid from Minnesota." Well said by the young bull in the trenches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Gavin_Walden_/status/1903841972021850175","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Gavin_Walden_/status/1903841972021850175 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The popular defensive tackle, when asked about <em>EP's</em> 2025 season and roster, made sure to shout out some teammates who he thinks are underrated right now. When asked about some under-the-radar <em>Eden Prairie Eagles</em> juniors, <strong>Walden </strong>said, "I think it's definitely [player_tooltip player_id='591981' first='Braden' last='Minta'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1289991' first='Jake' last='Gau']. They're both big physical players who can dominate the line of scrimmage and are really competitive to go against in practice. Any program would be lucky to get one of them." Talent-factory <em>EP </em>also molds it's fair share of well-rounded prospects, and the 6'2, 250 lber. mentioned that an understated part of his game is his leadership. "I've been playing varsity since sophomore year, so I know what it's like to lead from great leaders before, and we've been around a lot of good players that have shown me what it's like to be a successful leader." Stay tuned with <em>PrepRedzoneMN</em> for updates on <strong>Walden's </strong>developing recruitment, as well as boatloads of more recruiting news, analysis, and Minnesota-related high school football news. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>--</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->