Minnesota Gophers 6/2 Prospect Camp: '27 & '28 Top Performers

June 2nd has been circled on my calendar for quite some time. The first of two PJ Fleck Row the Boat Football Camps held at the University of Minnesota popped off late Monday afternoon in Dinkytown, kickstarting the Golden Gophers summer and it's recruiting efforts, and with hundreds of prospects from around the country and with nearly two dozen FCS, DII, DIII, and JUCO programs, including a boatload of staff from NDSU, SDSU, UND, and USD, the camp lived up the hype. PrepRedzoneMN was stoked to be in attendance, and we have your complete and exclusive list of the event's Top Performers from the 2027 and 2028 class below. Row the Boat and Ski-U-Mah!   --   2027s   Top Performers   Blake Betton (Shakopee) SAF/LB. - The Top Performer of the entire Minnesota Gophers Prospect Camp on June 2nd, Shakopee's hot-rising 2027 SAF Blake Betton showed up and showed out yesterday in Dinkytown, earning the hometown P4 offer from the Golden Gophers thanks to his performance last night. Tall, long, athletic, Betton worked out at both safety and linebacker last night during drill work, but he took 1v1 reps out of the slot as a safety and proved himself to be long and aggressive at the catch point, quick and fluid out his breaks, , and able to change direction well for his size and age. Additionally, Betton was one of less than a full handful of prospects who really embodied what the Gophers staff wants to see live and in person. Coachable, competitive, locked in, Betton was able to translate coaching real time, hustled his fricken butt off, was a first-in-line kid during drills, and has a ton of obvious upside athletically given the size, skillset, and positional versatility. Gotta love it when a hometown kid gets the dream offer!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BettonBlake/status/1929747075534581948 </div></figure>   Gus Corsair (Hays, KS) OL. - The Kansas product came in with a Gophers offer and pumped out one of the best performances of the entire Minnesota Gopher's Prospect Camp, regardless of class or position. As an iOL who I saw work primarily at OC, Corsair was lights out in pass protection and a brick wall from the interior who I didn't see lose in the final big dog 1v1 session padded up in Dinkytown. Corsair was quick off the snap, incredibly balanced, patient in his punch, and showed overpowering strength at the point of attack, stonewalling any and all competitors who lined up against the rising junior from Hays. One of the more dominant OL performances I've seen on the camp trail in my budding time as a scout, I loved the heavy hands and base in particular.   Caden Gutzmer (Minnetonka) QB. - Get on the hype train now, folks. Gutzmer was no doubt one of the Top 3 quarterbacks in attendance last night and was placed in the big dog group of gunslingers for the eyes of the awaiting college programs in attendance, including the hosting Gophers. Gutzmer has hit the offseason hard, weighing in and testing well, and his footwork, touch, consistency, and arm strength all stood out during the RTB PJ Fleck Prospect Camp. He had a beautiful drop in the bucket fade route to a streaking wideout deep downfield during 1v1s and showed off a quick, snappy release, consistent accuracy, and an impressive command of the route tree thanks to his arm strength. Buy stock now!   Isaac Miller (Catholic Memorial, WI) EDGE. - A blue-chipper who I was fired up to see yesterday at the PJ Fleck RTB Minnesota Gopher's Prospect Camp yesterday in Dinky, Miller more than lived up to the hype. With overwhelming size and length, Miller was arguably the most sudden DE/EDGE in attendance, with a nasty inside step/move, twitch for days, and the length to keep OL at bay for as long as it takes him to shed hands and create an angle. Striking, authoritative, presence from the EDGE of the LOS with all of the tools to play high-level football on Saturdays and even Sundays.   Oscar Frye (Brownsburg, IN) QB. - Was getting major looks from the Gophers staff in attendance, including the head man himself, and was an undoubted Top 3 QB in attendance who threw one of the prettiest balls of the evening. Frye had great zip on the ball, a smooth, easy throwing motion that was well synched with his lower body, and I loved his touch during 1v1s and drill work. The ball snapped out of his hands in a way that you really only see with the high-level, FBS and P4 type quarterbacks. Minnesota will be keeping a close eye on the Brownsburg product in 2025.   James Fitch (Minnetonka) CB. - Just found out yesterday that Fitch has transferred from Champlin Park to Minnetonka, one of I'm sure several new transfers we'll be hearing about in the coming months. Fresh off his first offer from Western Kentucky at the recent Wayne State Mega camp, Fitch was arguably the top performing CB during 1v1s at the Minnesota Gophers Prospect Camp, having a lockdown showing thanks to his instincts, patience, physicality, and ability to shut down and change direction fluidly and suddenly. Fitch was able to constantly stay in phase as well as redirect WRs at the LOS, locking up wideouts at all three levels of the field and with noticeable ease. Had a great PBU smelling out a deep comeback, with another memorable break up coming on a deep slant or dig over the middle on a smooth undercut. Also ferocious at the catch point, Fitch's stock is only getting hotter.   Wyatt Liebentritt (Skutt Catholic, NE) SAF. - No doubt a stock riser from his performance last night in Dinkytown, Nebraska product Wyatt Liebentritt came alive during 1v1s. The Skutt Catholic rising junior was locked in and competitive, spotlighting his closing speed as some of the most explosive in attendance, and he was able to read, react, and get out of his breaks quickly and effectively, breaking up a ton of passes during 1v1s against a variety of slotbacks and tight ends. I also noticed and appreciated Liebentritt's coachability, as he translated coaching real time from the Gophers staff that was watching him and running the camp. His length and aggression at the catch point made him one of the most consistently disruptive SAFs at the Minnesota Gopher's Prospect Camp on June 2nd.   Drake Mikkelsen (Lennox, SD) TE. - A favorite of PRZDAK head scout Nate Wahl, who was also in attendance representing PRZ, Mikkelsen was fantastic during 1v1s, using his rare combination of size, length, and bounce to pull off some of the most exciting 1v1 wins of the evening. Mikkelsen has excellent ball skills, and is a contested catch and 50/50 ball machine. He absolutely "mossed" a helpless SAF to the joy of the crowd early into the 1v1 session, and followed it up with a beautiful spotlight of his catch radius while floating through the air through tight coverage. It was a fun watch as my opening introduction to the Lennox, South Dakota product.   Marlowe Strain (Hastings) TE. - I am stoked about adding this new name to the PRzMN radar and I'm going to get him on the 2027 ranking's Big Board as soon as possible. Great size, strong showing during testing, and still an underclassman. Buy stock now and buy stock early!   Honorable Mentions   Christian Urbina (Simley) QB. - Not your biggest QB, but Urbina was locked in during 1v1s and caught my eye with his consistency and ability to stretch the field with accuracy. Rose his stock in my book last night.   Miles Felton (Champlin Park) DATH. - I was stoked to finally get some eyes on Felton, a 6'2 athlete was posted some eye-catching JV film with the 6A Rebels last fall. The Gophers took notice too, moving him from DB to LB during position drills but still running him at DB during 1v1s, where he slotted in at both SAF and CB. During drills, I liked his hips and burst, especially at his size, and it was impressive to see him put them to good use during 1v1s, where he picked off a pass at CB on a comeback route. Felton used his size to his advantage during competition and had the quickness to get in and out of his breaks to mirror WRs throughout a route. One of the more dynamic players in attendance last night in Dinkytown.   Zy'aire Smith (Catholic Memorial, WI) CB. - The sophomore corner from powerhouse Catholic Memorial in Waukesha, Smith was one of the stickier corners at the Minnesota Gopher's Prospect Camp, carrying speedier wideouts vertically and even melting them through the sideline, breaking up a handful of passes on shorter, underneath routes, and competing every chance he got. Not the biggest cat, but punched above his weight and had no problems playing press man on an island.   Jaxon Brown (Wayzata) WR. - One of the most explosive players in Minnesota, Brown once again had a field day in an unpadded setting, getting about as open as open can be on most of his 1v1 routes. His acceleration out of his breaks is top-notch, as is the top-end speed, and Brown is one of the easier route runners in the state to boot.   Lincoln Ribnick (Minneapolis Southwest) WR. - A product of my alma mater, I was stoked to see Ribnick earn a couple 1v1 reps against talented DBs in front of the eyes of a ton of college coaches. He's twitchy, sure-handed, and has been expanding his route running ability as a rising junior. Go Lakers!   Tobie Serna (Centennial) RB. - A new name to the PRzMN radar, I'm pumped about getting this kid's name on our Big Board, as Serna is a good athlete who was built like a brick, especially for an underclassman. Caught my eye during warm ups, held it during positional drills, and has won me over after seeing his testing performance. Buy stock now!   Blake Loughlin (Shakopee) DB. - Another new name who caught and has held my PRzMN attention due to his showing yesterday in Dinkytown, 6A SAF Loughlin has a good build with noticeable muscle definition for his age, and he had a good showing during testing at over 200 pounds with some frankly mind-bending numbers hit. What is in the water in Shakopee lately? Remember the name!   2028s   Top Performers   JJ Chapman (Oak Creek, WI) QB. - Something different about this kid. Call it aura, call it the "it factor", call it whatever you want, Chapman is a special gunslinger in the 2028 class and had another good showing in Dinkytown last night. With noticeable muscle definition and build, especially for his age, Chapman possesses smooth, easy mechanics with natural pop off his wrist, and he was one of the most accurate gunslingers in attendance to boot. Not your typical freshman, I'd expect the Gophers to keep a close eye on his sophomore season in 2025.   Bo Schwartz (Brainerd) QB. - New name to my attention, Schwartz threw above his age and weight and had a couple pin-point throws while stretching the field vertically. Strong arm, good timing, and had some poise with the rock in hand.   Jacob English (Crosby-Ironton) DE. - Still a lot of runway left in English's development and runway, but boy, he's got some tools, and put together a nice overall showing during 1v1 competition for good measure. Long, tons of room to fill in, physical at the point of attack, and has some quickness as well. Remember the name!   Grayson O'Neal (Rocori) OL. - You heard it here first! Rocori has another MONSTER in their ranks, and 2028 OL Grayson O'Neal is a name you should get to know sooner rather than later. Almost 6'4, 260 already, O'Neal was dominant against the younger group of competition and was mauling at the point of attack. Heavy hands, good movement skills for his size and age, and a ton of room to grow. Buy stock now!

June 2nd has been circled on my calendar for quite some time. The first of two PJ Fleck Row the Boat Football Camps held at the University of Minnesota popped off late Monday afternoon in Dinkytown, kickstarting the Golden Gophers summer and it's recruiting efforts, and with hundreds of prospects from around the country and with nearly two dozen FCS, DII, DIII, and JUCO programs, including a boatload of staff from NDSU, SDSU, UND, and USD, the camp lived up the hype. PrepRedzoneMN was stoked to be in attendance, and we have your complete and exclusive list of the event's Top Performers from the 2027 and 2028 class below. Row the Boat and Ski-U-Mah!