Position Breakdown: 2026 ND Athletes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night we broke into the 2026 athletes from South Dakota that intrigued us across our 2026 rankings and tonight we head north, to the Roughrider State to find the same with a focus on some of the more under the radar athletes in that 2026 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1590602' first='Tristan' last='Pope'], Bismarck Century</strong> <a href="https://x.com/TristanPope07">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tristian is a 2026 athlete out of Bismarck Century that finds an meets the ball quickly in my eyes at the linebacker position with every ounce of his agile movement being used. When you watch Tristan at running back, man does this young man have some impressive speed so much so that if you blink you might miss him into the second level. His zap he shows to the ball carries well for his size as when he makes contact with the ball carrier they are met with a great physicality. Tristan also impressed me in pass coverage too, showing off the football IQ as a linebacker that plays in the right spot at the right time. He surely looks like a running back at the next-level to me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='929929' first='Christian' last='Deadmond'], Minot North</strong> <a href="https://x.com/Christian12here">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christian is a sizable 6'2 185 pounder running back out of Minot North that should intrigue you with his first look with his great vision he shows off for that size. There is a bulk of fluidity and essence when Christian has the ball in his hands as you see it when he uses his durability into the second level. You will see him constantly lowering his shoulder utilzing his strength he has at his disposal. He gives off a solid mix between a bully back that eats up contact but also one that has upside getting to the edges as a 2026 athlete to know out of Minot North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1590734' first='Logan' last='Vorhies'], Grand Forks Central</strong> <a href="https://x.com/LoganVorhies26">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about a young man that brings the motor you want on both sides of the ball, as it's especially seen with his linebacker tape. The 5'10 205 pounder from Grand Forks Central, intrigues me with his strength getting off blocks to the ball carrier as on both sides of the ball, you see the fluid movement everywhere on tape. Logan also shows off an open field vision at fullback that is impressive as he makes the secondary have fits when he gets downfield in the open. Surely his next-level projection aligns in my eyes at linebacker as a young man that I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a riser by next 2026 rankings update.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1590691' first='Kaleb' last='Pullins'], Dickinson </strong><a href="https://x.com/Kaleb_Pullins">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaleb is an undersized 2026 athlete that impresses me with the upside that is there for the taking heading into his senior season for the Midgets. As a route runner, he pops out with his good twitch with his release off the snap. I feel there is growth showing off more finesse the deeper he gets on his routes, but you can tell the 5'11 155 pounder can get the seperation he needs. In the open field, there is upside too however you can tell that Kaleb is a prospect that will fight for every ard he can get. If the upside can grow into his senior season, expect this young man to make an impact in Dickinson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1113083' first='Maliamugu' last='Okugas'], Fargo Davies </strong><a href="https://x.com/BOkugas">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maliamugu is a 2026 athlete that although being one of the more undersized athletes on our list, he has gotten better every time I have gotten a live eval on him and plays with the juice that makes you think he has bigger than his measurables. I saw that firsthand at the Jamestown prospect camp last summer in 1v1 reps, as Maliamugu played with a fearless demeanor against much bigger corners, but yet found great use of his agility cutting on his routes to gain seperation. He is a young man that plays for brand new North Dakota Grind 7v7 and one that I feel could become more impactful this off-season getting reps in that setting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->