Nate's Dakotas Film Room: Session 3

Session 3 has come and gone across the Film Room in the Dakotas on this Wednesday with camp season going full roar starting next-week. This list has 2026 and 2028 names that you will want to track this summer. The 2026s on this list will intrigue you with their position flexibility, and the 2028s have growing athletic traits that have blossomed this spring.    Jason doesn't take long to show off on tape that he is not a ball carrier you want to loose track of out in space, as the 6'3 170 pounder has more suddenness than you would think with his frame. Another one with the 2026 class in North Dakota that has a high probability of rising his stock, is due to his significant position flexibility that translates for Jason on both sides of the ball as in a good way, it's hard to grasp his best fit positionally due to the balanced skillsets he has where he lines up. Personally, I think Jason's best fit shows him best off as an H-Back, with the durability to be well-functioned in the running game yet carrying the athleticism as a pass-catcher. The All-Stater as a junior should be one scholarship level schools will want to track this summer at camps. <a href="https://x.com/weinb62227">Twitter</a>     Mason is a 2026 defensive linemen out of Hankinson that has plenty of upside, and his best football years are ahead of him. The tape shows off the most natural ability as a defensive tackle at the next-level as one that has solid shed-timing getting off blocks and growing pursuit angles at the point of attack at the ball carrier. Mason also shows off good bases of strength getting off his blocks and shows off the blue-collar demeanor you want in the defensive trenches, seemingly always fighting for better positioning as a constant run stuffer. If you recall, Mason's brother plays in the NFL so you can bet schools around the Dakotas are going to take a bite as this young man's upside for sure. Just also broke the school record in the benchpress just over a week ago, which shows the time this young man has already spent in the weight room this offseason. <a href="https://x.com/masonmauch1">Twitter</a>     If you are hunting for that hidden gem 2026 wide receiver, you might want to take a look at [player_tooltip player_id='825391' first='Gus' last='Engelhard'] from Minot Bishop Ryan. He shows off excellent hands and shows off what is a persistent deep threat that doesn't need much space to operate in high traffic areas. He also shows off the quick twitch off the top of his route and can give cornerbacks a few fits when he utilizes his change of direction which shows dexterity in any direction. If you go outside the measurables threshold for wide receivers, Gus would be a good one to watch this summer as he makes his noise most in the live eval from my experiences.     What immediately separates our #1 overall prospect in the 2028 South Dakota class from the rest is how gifted Aiden Hammit of Elk Point-Jefferson is the athletic traits this young man already brings to the table. If you watch the timing of Aiden's change of direction with how he cuts on his routes, you see a wide receiver that plays behind his age and already has intriguing size at his age for 6'2 170 pounds and I am sure will add to that frame this summer. He also is more durable in the open field than you would expect as I like the downhill movement that Aiden seems to consistently process with when getting contact after the catch which shows off instincts that I am sure will benefit him and the EPJ Huskies upcoming. One of the very few 2028s I would throw out an early offer on in the Dakotas. <a href="https://x.com/aiden_hammitt">Twitter</a>     A 2026 athlete I wish I had on my radar sooner out of Elk Point-Jefferson is 6'3 215 pounder Luke Schmitz. You can gauge that Luke is a middle linebacker that has the downhill instincts in my eyes that process well at the next-level. When he lines up at fullback, you can feel the boom Luke brings as a run-blocker, but yet the consistency is seen when watching where his pad-level lands. Luke is surely one I need to get on my 2026 South Dakotas rankings ASAP as one that certainly should be playing on Saturdays. <a href="https://x.com/LukeSchmitz40">Twitter</a>     Something I have seen open up for Ethan this spring a ton is his position flexibility, which is sometimes difficult to pinpoint for underclassmen during the Spring. Ethan made plenty of splash plays with his hands in the secondary and as a wide receiver with Sanford 7v7, in which most of those plays showed off the pure instincts he brings to the table as a certainly what looks like a flyer to the ball as a safety. He also possesses the long catch radius in the reps I saw in the receiving core. This position flexibility should open up the floodgates for Ethan more in the coming years for sure. <a href="https://x.com/EthanOlson605">Twitter</a>

Session 3 has come and gone across the Film Room in the Dakotas on this Wednesday with camp season going full roar starting next-week. This list has 2026 and 2028 names that you will want to track this summer. The 2026s on this list will intrigue you with their position flexibility, and the 2028s have growing athletic traits that have blossomed this spring.