MN's Must-Know New Names on the Recruiting Trail: DT Edition

With professional and college football nearing the end of their 2025 seasons, marking the final conclusions to what is and has been a fantastic year of football, PRZMN is pivoting fully to ranking updates and recruiting coverage. As I currently finish up the final 2026 update (the senior class generally takes the longest), I've planned some some recruiting-focused content to hold our lovely readers over while the ranking's overhaul nears completion. Yes, we all know the Big Names of the 2027 recruiting class, such as [player_tooltip player_id='1368410' first='Eli' last='Diane'], [player_tooltip player_id='212480' first='Blake' last='Betton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1452200' first='Nehemiah' last='Ombati'], [player_tooltip player_id='1029336' first='Caden' last='Gutzmer'], and the trio of superstars up in Moorhead, but this past 2025 prep football season in Minnesota uncovered some Must-Know New Names that PRZMN thinks can generate some serious heat on this current recruiting trial. We're splitting things up by position, kicking things off with the priority recruiting position of Defensive Tackle. Big Bodies don't grow on trees, and Minnesota is one of the of states at regularly producing big, athletic, interior bodies at a consistent clip. There's some fun 3Ts and NGs in this rising 2027 class, get to know them below!   --   Defensive Tackles    One of the largest 2027 prospects in Minnesota, Foley's [player_tooltip player_id='1891412' first='Elijah' last='Dieger'] was introduced to PRZMN at last summer's UWEC Big Man Mega Camp, where the 6'5, 330 lber. displayed a frightening amount of power at the contact point, an unstoppable bull rush, and an impressive blend of balance and laterally agility for a towering defensive tackle. An immediate Name-to-Know who we've been excited to get on the 2027 Big Board, Dieger continued see his recruiting stock rise throughout the season, seeing North Dakota visit him at practice, visiting Grand Forks for a UND unofficial gameday experience, and following it up with a visit to Fargo in November for a gameday visit. South Dakota and North Dakota State have also reached out this offseason.   Dieger generally plays OT and DT, with some reps at 5T in 2025 as well, and he's a bull at the contact point as an offensive tackle, showing an easy ability to climb and find work at the second level and good balance and overall mobility for a junior of his size. I love watching him play DT however, where he displays some twitch off the snap, lead in his hands, big-time pop at the contact point, and good range and pursuit speed for a DT of his size. The 310+ lber. has a rep where the ball is snapped over the opposing QB's head, prompting Dieger to accelerate with noticeable and frightening pace before blowing up the QB for a huge loss on the play. The Foley Falcon is also a brick wall in the run game who does a good job of staying home through traffic around the LOS while seeking and identifying the ball carrier. He possesses a solid get-off, which helps him split double teams and make tackles behind the LOS as a run defender. Tons of upside and a high ceiling - both literally and figuratively - for the 2027 out of the St. Cloud-area talent.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dieger_elijah/status/1970318792430412182 </div></figure>     Representing Blaine High School and the Bengals' 2027 class, 6'4, 335 lb. DT Isaiah Fleck is one of the biggest stock rising new names out of Minnesota's junior class, in large part thanks to strong showings during the 2025 season, the recent PRZMN Stock-Up Showcase, and the LOScrimmage Holiday Clinic at TrainingHAUS around Christmas. At the aforementioned LOS Holiday Clinic, Fleck posted an astounding 28 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, which would have placed him tied for second amongst DTs at the 2025 NFL Draft, highlighting some near-freakish strength and God-given physical gifts for a high school junior. Fleck, whose get-off, power rushes, and balance were noticeably impressive at the Stock Up Showcase, had a good season with the 6A Bengals in 2025.   Fleck possesses a good base through contact and is strong at the point of attack, and he can easily hold a gap through double team attempts and does a good job of keeping his hands active when working to disengage from blockers. Plus, the 3T/NG completely envelops ball carriers once he gets his giant 10" hands on them, even with opposing helpless draped all over him. Still raw, and needs to keep working to get his body at an ideal weight, but I'm confident that can happen in a college S&C program thanks to the 6A background and Fleck's general demeanor and competitive makeup. Could be a big Summer Camp SZN for the Bengals' massive interior presence.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MNHSFBNETWORK/status/2002765367278706729 </div></figure>     One of the best parts about covering the Prep Bowl more comprehensively than anyone else in the state means we get a detailed, in-person look at some of the best players on the state's best teams, some of which we haven't been able to get eyes on all year due to geographic restrictions. A member of our 2025 All-Prep Bowl Semifinal Team, Marshall Tigers 2028 6'2, 280 lb. DT Braedyn Vanmeveren looks like the Next Great Prospect out of Marshall, one of the most fertile recruiting grounds for high-end prep recruits in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Vanmeveren already has great size for the position, popped off during the Tigers' heartbreaker of a 15-14 loss to Orono in the semifinals - posting 2 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 sack while showing off some real-deal juice as a pass rusher - and also possesses one of my favorite traits in high-end Minnesota linemen: wrestling! Vanmeveren, only a sophomore, was ranked #3 in The Guillotine's December 3rd high school ranking's update for 285AA. The body control and positioning, hand usage, balance, and toughness make for an excellent combination with trench warfare specialists from Upper Midwest recruiting grounds, and Vanmeveren seems to have all of the pros and pluses of a big-time DT in the 2028 class. Sadly, Vanmeveren doesn't have any tape update right now, so if you see this, Braedyn, please put some game tape together at the very least! There's going to be some notable eyes who want to see you!     There's a reason the Andover Huskies transitioned to Minnesota 6A Big School ball, one of which was QB Joe Mapson, but another huge reason was the Huskies size in the trenches. Enter [player_tooltip player_id='1652111' first='Luke' last='Heinen'], one of the biggest and baddest Huskies on Andover's 2025 roster, coming in at somewhere around 6'5, 260. Heinen, acting mainly as a 3T or true NG head-up on the OC, displaying good pad level and burst in his get-off at a massive 6'5, 260+. Heinen shows the closing speed to really impact an opponent's passing or run game with disruptive, drive-halting defensive stops in the backfield, and he blocked a kick against East Ridge to display some juice and playmaking ability on special teams. As an interior DT, Heinen can drop his hips and use those big hands and his strong chest to stab and lock out his arms to hold a gap through double team attempts, wherein he can split the combo, shed, and make the 1v1 tackle in space and in the backfield. The Huskies standout is able to hold strong 6A OL at bay when he extends his arms and gets good hand positioning off the snap as well as use his own strength to rag doll ball carriers to the turf once he gets his meaty paws or crushing shoulder pads on a RB or QB. Hope to see this kid at an offseason stop this spring and certainly this summer, Heinen could be one of the hottest names in Minnesota's developing offseason trail soon.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LukeHeinen_/status/1992058595685593346 </div></figure>    --

With professional and college football nearing the end of their 2025 seasons, marking the final conclusions to what is and has been a fantastic year of football, PRZMN is pivoting fully to ranking updates and recruiting coverage. As I currently finish up the final 2026 update (the senior class generally takes the longest), I've planned some some recruiting-focused content to hold our lovely readers over while the ranking's overhaul nears completion. Yes, we all know the Big Names of the 2027 recruiting class, such as Eli Diane Eli Diane 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Wayzata | 2027 State MN , Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 185 lbs | DB Shakopee | 2027 State MN , Nehemiah Ombati Nehemiah Ombati 6'3" | 275 lbs | DL Shakopee | 2027 State MN , Caden Gutzmer Caden Gutzmer 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Minnetonka | 2027 State MN , and the trio of superstars up in Moorhead, but this past 2025 prep football season in Minnesota uncovered some Must-Know New Names that PRZMN thinks can generate some serious heat on this current recruiting trial. We're splitting things up by position, kicking things off with the priority recruiting position of Defensive Tackle. Big Bodies don't grow on trees, and Minnesota is one of the of states at regularly producing big, athletic, interior bodies at a consistent clip. There's some fun 3Ts and NGs in this rising 2027 class, get to know them below!