It was only a matter of time for the excellently-built 6’3, 230 lb. Elk River TE/LB and lacrosse standout Caleb Sandstrom Caleb Sandstrom 6'3" | 220 lbs | LB Elk River | 2023 State MN . The two-sport standout burst onto the scene last year after his junior season concluded once college football programs saw the film of the tantalizing-built run blocking TE supporting the Elks powerful rushing attack. He drew a slew of junior day invites and visits, notably from the Minnesota Gophers and South Dakota State, but still came into the season without an official offer. Sandstrom continued to play well as a senior and earned game day invites from NSIC schools as well as St. Thomas, culminating in an FCS roster from St. Thomas on September 24th, his first offer! Winona State, Bemidji State, Augustana, and Valparaiso have all followed since then. With a now-weighty list of offers, Sandstrom finished the regular season with 60 tackles (41 solo). 9 TFLs, 4 FFs, 3 sacks, and 150+ receiving yards and 2 TDs offensively. Seeing how most of his junior tape was TE highlights, it’s still awesome seeing him as a MLB, and he’s natural and disruptive when at timing out his blitzes and shooting gaps right as the ball is snapped. There’s a handful of reps at the beginning of his tape that show off that quality, and I can also tell he had a good offseason and looks faster and more explosive compared to last year, not that he wasn’t before. With a nose for physicality and strength at the point of attack, Sandstrom can beat blocking attempts with speed or power, finds and triggers on the ball quickly, and will put a big lick on a RB or QB when given the opportunity. Moves well for 230 and I would dang sure not want to see this kid on the LAX field. Elk River is undefeated and is coming off a crazy 51-49 victory over Andover last night.

Sandstrom’s junior highlights were comprised mainly of TE highlights, so I was very excited to see LB reps all over his midseason tape. He’s also up to an impressive 230 pounds now, which makes him a heckuva force shooting gaps and penetrating the backfield on well-timed blitzes. It also looks like he’s improved upon his speed, which showed up in a nice burst after a catch as a TE against Cambridge-Isanti. He also made a heckuva play running down a Coon Rapids QB from the backside, and at 230 lbs. as mentioned he’s got some impressive speed and burst. I really like what I see and I believe college programs will as well.