Jake's Favorite Signees Dakotas (2023 Part 2)

Part 2 of my Favorite Signings of 2023. Since I already had 10 kids, I figured 10 more wouldn't hurt! With each year that passes, I get more kids I like to watch and am more than happy to see them sign to play at the next level. The idea of these articles is to get kids looking at different college teams, but also to get colleges looking at some different high schools as well. Each of these kids have found good college programs and each college found a good athlete to add to their roster. Check out my next list of favorites from the Dakotas!   [player_tooltip player_id='206738' first='Ethan' last='Hoffman'] (RB) Flandreau- University of Jamestown   Hoffman was one of those players I first saw as a Sophomore. From the beginning I was hoping a school would find him and extend him an offer. Jamestown as done an amazing job finding that hidden talent in the Dakotas. Hoffman was one of those players that was spread around the field in various positions on both sides of the ball. He has proven his durability from the amount of touches and hits he took resulting from them. He is a proven playmaker as well with any of his touches could lead to a big play. Being a solid ballcarrier and target out of the backfield showing his versatility as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='160921' first='Peyton' last='Arndt'] (RB) Bismarck Century-Minnesota State Moorhead   Arndt is a kid who's Junior tape I came across and really enjoyed. His style of play is the type of film I could watch all day long. He runs hard and doesn't do much flashy, just gets the job done on each play. MSUM does a great job stretching their radar out into ND and I'm glad they landed a good RB to this recruiting class. Arndt does a great job lowering his pads and running through contact. Whether it's one-on-one or in the pile, he will dish out the contact. The main thing I liked to watch in his game was when he'd make his hard cut and accelerate into open space.   [player_tooltip player_id='101217' first='Lucas' last='Slack'] (QB) Brandon Valley- Minnesota State Moorhead   Slack has kind of had a roller coaster career in my opinion. From receiving a few snaps as a Sophomore, to getting injured as a Junior and having to put everything into one season. He definitely has the talent to play at the next level and MSUM will definitely use that talent in the next few seasons. I like his accuracy and arm strength to hit those deep passes. With that, his mobility adds some more pressure to the defense, giving him the ability to extend plays. When he decides to tuck and run, he runs very physically through the line of scrimmage and earns every yard.   [player_tooltip player_id='56550' first='Tray' last='Hettick'] (QB) Herreid Selby Area- Dakota State   I've watched Hettick's tapes from the last couple seasons. I have even watched him live in the 9B State Championship game, and at our showcase in Aberdeen. He has a lot of raw talent to build on with his arm strength and pocket presence. Add his accuracy and touch and he will be a huge problem for the college defenses. Dakota State has done a great job keeping the in-state talent and bringing them to Madison. Hettick is one of those kids that will be apart of a special team for the Trojans in the next few years, if he continues to develop as much in the next few seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='77462' first='Cedar' last='Amiotte'] (WR) Wall- Chadron State   I have seen Amiotte at SDSU Prospect Camp and in the 9AA State Championship game. At camp, I liked watching his athleticism in his route running and going up and making catches in competitions. In the Championship game, he showed a lot of versatility on the offensive side of the ball. Being a primary target for the QB when he split out wide, to carrying the football for key yardage. The kid is just a competitor and will find ways to help his team succeed. Chadron has done an excellent job picking the good athletes from the West River, stealing a kid like Amiotte may open the whole state to them now.   [player_tooltip player_id='273687' first='Easton' last='Ogle'] (WR) St. Thomas More- Iowa Central   This is a signing that really sticks out for me. I haven't seen a lot of kids from the Dakotas go JUCO so I view this signing as another door opening there too. Iowa Central has had some good athletes come through their program and I see them now pulling a lot of kids from the Dakotas as well now. Ogle is a kid that was a very reliable target, which was crucial for a team with a young QB. He could use his athleticism to be a deep threat, but also a possession receiver. I liked watching this kid get open, and then make plays after the catch.   [player_tooltip player_id='101182' first='Aiden' last='Heimann'] (DB) Aberdeen Central- Jamestown University   Heimann is another kid I enjoyed watching his film every year once he put it out there. His awareness on the defensive was very fun to watch. While he was covering his zone, he knew where every receiver was and stayed in prime position to make a play on any of them. I liked his patience as well, he didn't leave his zone to chase a scrambling QB. He instead made the QB make a tough decision and then made a play for minimal damage. His awareness also helped him play the ball in the air without drawing a flag. Lastly, his tackling in open space was fundamentally sound, nothing flashy, but effective.   [player_tooltip player_id='472719' first='Caden' last='Devries'] (LB) Madison- Dakota State   I always like it when a local kid stays local to the college as well. Dakota State does a great job keeping the home kids right at home. DeVries stood out to me at Dakota State Team camp, mainly because he was the one stopping our run plays. He flew around the field well and plugged the run gaps every play. I like his angles to the ballcarrier and the patience to not overrun plays. He was very physical with every opponent that crossed his path, whether they had the ball or not. His strength made it easy for him to shed blocks. Lastly, his tackling above all else, was nearly perfect on form every time.   [player_tooltip player_id='277672' first='Payton' last='Bodine'] (WR) Velva- University of North Dakota   This particular type of signing gets me fired up! A small school kid signs with a Division I home state team. Bodine was kind of a wildcard because we had no idea what kind of offers or interest he was getting. His play represents how well a small town kid has to be to receive D1 offers. He just did the little things to perfection almost every play. I like his route running, how he hit his landmarks every play. Add his speed to get him open and his height to make him a very tough cover. The last thing that made him a playmaker was his catching and vertical to high-point the football and come down with it.   [player_tooltip player_id='223096' first='Jack' last='Merkwan'] (WR) Pierre TF Riggs- Sioux Falls   I saw Merkwan play as a Sophomore in the 11AA Championship game. He shined against a very athletic Brookings team at a very young age. I was excited to see this kid develop as he got older. That he did! Even broke a few state records along the way. As a Sophomore, I saw speed and hands with good routes. Junior and Senior year I saw him add strength and a lot of focus in traffic. He reeled in a lot of passes while blanketed by defenders. The tougher the game, the more the kid stood out. Sioux Falls got a good kid to plug into an offense with a new staff.

Part 2 of my Favorite Signings of 2023. Since I already had 10 kids, I figured 10 more wouldn't hurt! With each year that passes, I get more kids I like to watch and am more than happy to see them sign to play at the next level. The idea of these articles is to get kids looking at different college teams, but also to get colleges looking at some different high schools as well. Each of these kids have found good college programs and each college found a good athlete to add to their roster. Check out my next list of favorites from the Dakotas!