Kaden Harney Commits to South Dakota State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week, the Minnesota 2026 recruiting landscape took a drastic shift southwest towards Brookings, South Dakota, as four Minnesota 2026 Top 26 prospects shut down their commitments early, verbaling to the recent back-to-back FCS national champion Jackrabbits. An outstanding win on the recruiting trail for South Dakota State's new coaching staff, the commitments began as all great classes do, and that is with an exceptional prep quarterback. The Jackrabbits 2026 commitment class kicked off with <em>Maple Grove's</em> rising <em>three</em>-year starter and 6A state champion gunslinger <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney']</strong>, a long-time talent in Minnesota's historic 2026 QB class, who was gracious enough to give <em>PrepRedzoneMN </em>a few words regarding his recruitment, what made him shut things down and commit to the Jacks last week, his strengths on the gridiron, some underrated teammates, and more. Congratulations, Kaden! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>--</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite a developing recruitment that included one of the last offers that legendary QB coach Randy Hedberg dished out before retiring from his 45-year coaching career and 10-year stint with NDSU Bison, as well as Ivy League roster spots from UPenn and Cornell, with plenty of fellow FCS and FBS suitors kicking the tires, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'] </strong>knew something was different about South Dakota State. "Instantly, the second I stepped foot on campus, the staff's energy and love for me was incredible. The staff members are all very personable, genuine guys that I could see myself spending the next 4-5 years around. I chose to shut things down so early because I felt at home after the visit, and once I spoke to my family about it, it was a no-brainer. They have everything I look for in a football program as well as a school!"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With OC/QB coach Eric Eidsness and Head Coach Dan Jackson leading the way in his recruitment, <strong>Harney </strong>shared that the <em>Jacks </em>really like my three-sport background and the winning background I have in all of my sports. They also like my leadership skills, as well as how I fit into there offense personnel-wise." The 6'3, 185 lb. 6A state champion gunslinger also mentioned the Bison offer as a key moment in his recruitment and prep football career. " My first D1 offer felt surreal. I wasn't necessarily expecting it so I was kind of in shock for a little bit but it was awesome once it set in. I was on the phone with Coach Polasek from NDSU after my Junior Day visit and that is when he offered me. I think it was very important to help get my recruitment going, all you need is one school to trust you, and then the sky is the limit." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Kaden_Harney/status/1908565945355809033","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/Kaden_Harney/status/1908565945355809033 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Minnesota's current QB2 mentioned that a winning culture and an environment that fosters brotherhood were two key factors in who would end up earning his verbal, and he had some great options going into what could have been a prolific summer camp season had he chosen to stay uncommitted. However, the Maple Grove product knew it in his gut that Brookings was the right place for him, and the recent back-to-back FCS heavyweight champion Jackrabbits now have a lynchpin signal-caller to build their 2026 class around. Speaking of back-to-back, the Maple Grove Crimson look to win another 6A state championship this fall, and Harney mentioned that a couple of teammates he thinks are currently overlooked on the recruiting trail " are Gavin Elmquist (DB) and Beaux Theyen (OLB). These 2 both get after it every single day, and can absolutely fly on the field. They were also very overlooked due to the star-studded defense we had last year but they made endless amounts of plays during that state championship run."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1194723,"width":"542px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/63-Kaden-Harney-crop-4800x3152-1709058769.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1194723" style="width:542px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'] at the PrepRedzoneMN Showcase</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to a high school career that currently includes the aforementioned Big School state championship and undefeated season, a career record of 20-3 as a high school starter going into his third straight year as the varsity signal-caller, a career completion percentage near 61%, 2,669 career passing yards, and 30 TDs to 11 INTs, the junior also believes an underrreated strength of his is that "I'm a very level headed and mature guy. If you're my coach, teammate, or classmate, you can trust me to do the right thing at all times...the dedication I have for the game and my competitive spirit are some of my favorite things about myself. Losing is something I never want to become familiar with, and my hard work will continue to not allow that." South Dakota State fans: meet your future QB1! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hudl Link: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18479689/6713fe36bd51c4ef7c34bfb1">https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18479689/6713fe36bd51c4ef7c34bfb1</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->