PrepRedzoneMN's 2025 SZN Breakout Contenders: 2026 Edition

As we hurdle full throttle into Week 2 of the 2025 Minnesota prep football season, PrepRedzoneMN is beginning to smell some Breakout Names and Contenders that are beginning to make their mark on the MN high school football scene. Partly due to strong performances on the Summer Camp Circuit, as well as notable and eye-catching Week 1 performances, we're beginning the mini-series off with the 2026 senior class, and these six are bringing the juice! QBs, RBs, and WRs, oh my! You'll be seeing these names near the top of the state's statistical leaderboards all season long.   --   2026s    Hard to believe that the defending Minnesota Big School state champs still have sleepers on the roster, but when you're as deep as the Maple Grove Crimson, the usual doesn't always apply. Henry Knutson a complete revelation for Maple Grove this offseason, creating tidal waves of wide receiver hype that began when PRZMN caught a look at the star hooper playing wideout at the InspiredAthletx 7v7 tournament at Minnetonka High School in July. Tall, long, top-end speed that could consistently win when working vertical, great ball skills, and a ton of 50/50 ball capability, Knutson was nearly unstoppable in a 7v7 unpadded setting, creating a ton of splash plays and beating nearly any and every DB he lined up against. Additionally, Knutson is a quick and natural route runner who can create separation at multiple points throughout a route, and his size presents an obvious mismatch out on the perimeter as the Crimson's X receiver. With the #1 QB in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='489731' first='Kaden' last='Harney'] throwing him the pigskin, as well as one of the best OLs in the state protecting the, AND with the Crimson's top four pass catchers gone to graduation, it's hard not to think that Knutson is due for a huge year on the gridiron and in the stat books. He's everything you could want from a football/basketball wing/receiver combination.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Crimsonfootball/status/1961237704315998519 </div></figure>     The hype train for Brainerd's [player_tooltip player_id='1652933' first='Jayden' last='Barnum'] got going at PrepRedzoneMN Combine Series stop this past spring. A big-time part of a loaded RB group at the PRZMN Showcase, Barnum was built like a brick and blew the testing portion of the event out of the water, clocking a 4.68 40, 4.09 and 4.34 shuttle, 9'8 and 9'6 broad jump, and 6.69 and 6.81 L-drill. Continuing to grind in the weight room and develop his craft, Barnum had a good showing at South Dakota State's second prospect camp of the summer, going 4.68 in the 40 again, as well as 4.38 and 4.40 in the shuttle, and 9'5 and 9'2 in the broad jump, solidifying some real-deal athleticism going into his senior year. Barnum proved his could pop off big plays, play like a workhorse, and help win his Warriors some football games, all in Brainerd's Week 1 victory over Buffalo. Barnum returned a kickoff 60 yards against Buffalo and tallied 30 rushes for 123 yards and 2 TDs while showing off quick, nimble feet that disguise where he is cutting to, great vision, and noticeable start/stop ability and burst. The power and strength show up in his excellent contact balance that can stay upright and churn through dogpiles and multiple tackle attempts. You gotta play and tackle through the whistle with this tailback, and to sweeten the pot, he can catch the rock out of the backfield and is an asset in the screen and passing game. I'd put some money on this production continuing throughout the 2025 season. Pay attention to Brainerd, the Warriors are fun this year!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JaydenBarnum/status/1962209056984031691 </div></figure>     For the sake of transparency, PRZMN dropped the ball on Barnum's Julian Beckstrand. One of the most athletic players in Minnesota's 2026 class, Beckstrand is also one of the most under-the-radar. After posting 1,198 rushing yards and 20 TDs as a junior in 2024 with the Bombers en-route to a 2024 Duluth News Tribune All-Area Team selection and the Cloquet Pine Journal's Player of the Year, Beckstrand tore up the summer camp trail, especially during the testing portion of said showcases. PrepRedzoneMN got to see Beckstrand live and in the flesh at the first University of North Dakota Flagship Camp, where the rising senior popped off a 4.56 and 4.57 in the 40, 4.50 and 4.53 in the shuttle, and 30'4.5″ inches in the triple broad jump for a fantastic showing during testing before transitioning to a successful 1v1 showing during 1v1s, both in space and out of the backfield as a pass catcher. Additionally, Beckstrand owns a PR of 11.14 in the 100M, excellent speed and setting himself up to go sub-11-seconds as a senior next spring. I think the 2026 RB from the 218 is poised for a monster senior season on the gridiron and on the track, and things seem to be off to a good start, as Barnum took down Ely 48-0 in Week 1 of the regular season. Only UMD and the College of St. Scholastica have offered so far, with that UMD offer coming in the form of a PWO. College coaches: please hit this man up!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Julianbecks12/status/1928568925786099795 </div></figure>     It was a tough 2024 junior year for Sauk Rapids-Rice's QB Spencer Ackerman. The talented gunslinger, who had a monster sophomore season, posting 124 completions on 202 attempts (61.4%) for 1,934 yards and 15 TDs to 4 INTs, unfortunately missed seven games of his junior season thanks to a broken thumb on his throwing hand which occurred September 6th versus Sartell-St. Stephen. However, he set himself up for a heckuva comeback in 2025 as a senior. Ackerman went 12-16 (75%) for 143 yards and a TD to 1 INT in a Week 1 loss to Monticello, shaking off the rust and getting the gears in motion for what has the potential to be one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the state. Sauk Rapids-Rice has some explosive speed in their WR corps this season, and if Ackerman can distribute like he did as a sophomore, SRR is going to be a name to watch in Class 5A.     Talk about a stock riser! Stephenson has really broken onto the scene and made a name for himself in the loaded Edina Hornets WR room this offseason, catapulting himself from the 2026 PRZMN Watchlist into an exciting rankings spot once we update the Big Board during the season. Stephenson is a big-bodied and explosive wideout who has a strong track and field background with Edina, PRing in the 110m Hurdles with a 15.57 and a 300M Hurdles time of 41.27, and he was putting on a show in unpadded settings this past summer. Stephenson earned a WIAC roster sport from UW-River Falls after the 2025 Minnesconsin Mega camp and a DII offer from Hillsdale College after camping in Michigan in July, with strong stops and showings at the Minnesota Gopher's prospect camp in early June to boot, where he went 4.75 in the 40, 4.5 in the shuttle, and 8'2 in the broad. The athleticism has already been put to good use this fall in the Edina Hornets' Week 1 win vs. Hopkins High School, and he is looking and playing like WR1 early into his senior year. Stephenson was the top receiver on Edina's roster during game one, finishing with 3 catches for 54 yards and 2 TDs, and it looks like the good times are going to continue to roll, as he has all the tools to take over a WR room as well as a 6A Big School game. Buy stock now!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/samstephenson26/status/1950642257792798762 </div></figure>     Every fall, there's a handful of Minnesota small schoolers who take over the stat lines and dominate the gridirons of 9Man to Class AAA football, and this fall, an obvious contender for a small school breakout campaign is Mahnomen/Waubun's Brody Lhotka. Built like a pickup truck at 6'1, 220 pounds, Lhotka played an important role in the Thunderbirds' 2024 Class A semifinal campaign, but he's stepping into a much larger and more primary role in 2025 as a senior. Things are off to a good start too, as the 220 lb. now-tailback posted 196 rushing yards and 3 TDs in the Week 1 41-0 win against Walker-Hackensack-Akeley, and you can bet your bottom dollar that this kid is NOT fun to tackle. Lhotka, along with his quarterback, 6'4, 210 lb. 2026er [player_tooltip player_id='1602764' first='Blake' last='McMullen'], present one of the most physically imposing backfields and rushing attacks in the state. Keep an eye on the state's rushing and tackle charts for this senior Thunderbird!    --

As we hurdle full throttle into Week 2 of the 2025 Minnesota prep football season, PrepRedzoneMN is beginning to smell some Breakout Names and Contenders that are beginning to make their mark on the MN high school football scene. Partly due to strong performances on the Summer Camp Circuit, as well as notable and eye-catching Week 1 performances, we're beginning the mini-series off with the 2026 senior class, and these six are bringing the juice! QBs, RBs, and WRs, oh my! You'll be seeing these names near the top of the state's statistical leaderboards all season long.